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Promo: Making Time
You have the same 24 hours in your day as the most accomplished people in the world. So why doesn't it feel that way? Follow along on this special 6 episode series as we take a look at how to make more time. By following biblical principles and taking a look at what you really want, Making Time shares the secret to having all the time you need... with a little help from some friends.
Learn more and download group guides at https://lumivoz.com/making-time/
For questions, comments, or sharing your tips on how to make more time, reach out to makingtime@lumivoz.com
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You have the same 24 hours in your day as the most accomplished people in the world. So why doesn't it feel that way? Follow along on this special 6 episode series as we take a look at how to make more time. By following biblical principles and taking a look at what you really want, Making Time shares the secret to having all the time you need... with a little help from some friends.
Learn more and download group guides at https://lumivoz.com/making-time/
For questions, comments, or sharing your tips on how to make more time, reach out to makingtime@lumivoz.com
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We head off to the Holy Land to explore the little town of Bethlehem, with Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel in The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi. Kathie Lee, the beloved television talk show host, draws upon her Jewish heritage as she leads us through her favorite places in Israel. And Rabbi Jason helps us understand what we’re seeing from a rabbinic Jewish perspective.
Study Gateway is a streaming video Bible study service that gives instant access to video studies taught by hundreds of the world's most influential Christian authors, teachers and pastors, published HarperChristian Resources. Subscriptions plans are available for personal use, for small groups, and for whole churches. Learn more at StudyGateway.com.
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Creators & Guests
What is Study Gateway First Listens?
Study Gateway's First Listens: Find your next Bible study! Join host Shelley Leith as she curates first sessions of Bible studies on various themes each season, taught by some of the world’s most influential Christian authors, teachers, and pastors. To learn more, visit https://StudyGateway.com.
First Listens Season 6: Episode 1
The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi, by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: Welcome to Study Gateway’s First Listens, where you get first listens to the first sessions on Study Gateway so you can find your next video Bible study.
Hi there, and welcome to Season 6 of First Listens! My name is Shelley Leith, and you are listening to a podcast that gives something of value to you, just for listening! I’m about to give you a code that gives you a 15% discount at Study Gateway, which you can use to subscribe to our streaming video Bible studies. The code is PODCAST15, and it works on any type of plan: personal, small group, or church and that 15% discount is good for the life of your subscription. Go ahead and write that down – PODCAST15 – and thank you for being a podcast listener!
So here we are in Season 6! For this season, we’re taking our inspiration from the season we’re in, which is summer! We’re calling it Explore and Discover, and the studies we’re featuring take us on adventures—we get to tour the Holy Land, hike in Colorado, harvest olives in Croatia! and we’ll do some discovering—of the dreams we were created for, and of God’s Word in a fresh way. So, we have a summer of exploration and discovery in store for you, our First Listens listeners.
In this first episode of the season we are heading off to the Holy Land to explore the little town of Bethlehem, with Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel in The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi. Kathie Lee, the beloved television talk show host, draws upon her Jewish heritage as she leads us through her favorite places in Israel. And Rabbi Jason helps us understand what we’re seeing from a rabbinic Jewish perspective, and I’m telling you, what he’s about to teach us about the Christmas story will blow your mind. Let’s get right into it! Here’s Session One called Bethlehem—Where It All Began, from The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi.
[MUSIC PLAYING] KATHIE LEE GIFFORD: Shalom, everyone. Welcome to Jerusalem. Here in beautiful Israel in the Holy Land. I'm Kathie Lee Gifford. And I want to welcome you to our study that we're calling the Rock the Road and the rabbi. The rock is Jesus, the road is the Holy Land, and the rabbi is the Word of God. I've been coming here since I was 17 years old. It was a high school graduation gift from my father. And I missed my prom. I missed my graduation, and I didn't care because all my life I've been fascinated with the Word of God. But it was only recently in all my trips to the Holy Land that I discovered that I wasn't studying it the way I needed to be, studying it.
There are a lot of people who come here to the Holy Land. They put on their loafers and they come up here to the Mount of Olives and they get their picture taken with Kojak, the camel, and then they send it out and say, Yes. I went to the Holy Land. Well, you can do that. That's your choice. But the way that you're going to transform your life is if you come and study here in the rabbinical way, which means understanding that the Bible was written by Middle Easterners for Middle Easterners thousands of years ago. We try to understand that Bible with our Western mindset and we approach it that way and it doesn't work. It's like hummus and hot dogs. It doesn't work. So the way to establish an understanding is to study the Bible in its earliest and purest form. The Old Testament was written in ancient Hebrew. New Testament was written in ancient Greek. We have to understand what the Word of God actually says in order to understand how to apply it to our life. Today, in this modern world, we're going to be taking you to places all over Israel in the next couple of studies and hopefully opening your eyes to some of the things that have opened up in my eyes through the years.
So come with us. Okay. And let's first start in Bethlehem, where Jesus, the Savior came into this world for me, one of the most thrilling things about coming to Israel, the Holy Land and setting in the rabbinical way is discovering just how wrong we've been in the past about how things actually were in the days of Jesus. Look around. Here we are in Shepherds Fields right here in Bethlehem, and what we used to think of as a stable where maybe Jesus was born was actually a cave, very much like this one, and perhaps even this one. This cave is still used today by shepherds here in Bethlehem.
So imagine the scene of a young girl, still a virgin, yet ready to give birth, probably not more than 14 years old with her soon to be husband, Joseph, standing by giving birth in a place like this, it's not a stable the way we know it in the West, but a cave, the birthing place of actual sheep right here in the Holy Land. And why were they born? Well, the good rabbi is going to tell us in a little bit. But the secret is the Lamb of God that came to save the world is like the little lambs that were born here for the same purpose to be sacrificed just a few miles away on the Temple Mount for the forgiveness of sin and outside already enemies.
King Herod has heard about this child about to be born. And he's threatened. He's threatened. That may be a real king. Because remember, he called himself the king of the Jews. But Herod wasn't even a Jew. He was an eater might from down near the Dead Sea area. So he was very, very paranoid. So we asked his astrologers and everyone else, his so-called wise men, where is this child to be born? And they said in the little village of Bethlehem, which probably only had about 100 people in residence at the time. So we have so many different ideas of what it was like, but this is actually what it was like, is it? It's so much more fun to realize that it was this. That's the thrill for me in studying in this way. So Herod's out there trying to destroy this king of the Jews while God in his sovereignty, in his mysterious way, brings about a birth right here with a virgin girl and angels in the sky singing Glory, hallelujah shepherds their hearts thrilling to the news that on this day in the city of Bethlehem, a savior is born. Here's Rabbi Jason Sobel.
RABBI JASON SOBEL: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city where David was born and raised as well. Angels appear poured in the fields to the shepherds to announce his birth, the birth of the Messiah. And the Angels said that there was two signs that they would recognize the birth of the Savior by. They said that they would find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth, lying in a manger.
Think about it for a moment. Of all the signs that the angels from heaven could have given, what would have been so significant to these shepherds about a baby lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths? We've read this story many times, but I want us to understand it from a rabbinic Jewish perspective. See, what you have to understand is that these were not ordinary shepherds, the rabbis tell us. And Jewish tradition confirms that the animals that were born in the fields around Bethlehem were used for a very specific purpose, and that was to be used as sacrifices in the temple for the worship of the Lord. So these were not ordinary shepherds, they were Levitical shepherds, and they would use the caves around the city to bring their flock into would kind of function as their stables. Not a wooden barn or wooden stable, but they'd use the caves during the heat of the day. In the summer, during the cold of the winter, they would utilize caves like this, but also for another important and significant purpose. When it was time to birth the lambs and the animals, they would bring them into caves like this that would have been kept in a state of ritual purity.
And after these lambs would have been born, they would have wrap them in swaddling cloth. Why, you might be wondering? Because, think about it, the sacrifices in the temple had to be without spot or blemish. And these caves are very rough. They're very rocky. There's jagged edges and lambs are clumsy at birth. So they'd wrap them in these swaddling cloth to protect them and keep them from without getting any blemish.
So you can imagine how significant this would have been for the shepherds to have come into a cave like this one. The same caves that they would have used, the same caves that the Passover lambs would have been born in for use as sacrifice in the temple, and they would have seen Jesus not only in the same location, but wrapped like one of these baby lambs, to point to the fact that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY: Okay, has Rabbi Jason already blown your mind? The shepherds were not ordinary shepherds—they were Levitical shepherds! The cave was not just an ordinary stable, but a shelter for Passover lambs. And we’re about to hear that even the type of swaddling cloth Jesus was wrapped in was significant! And, were you curious to see the cave that Kathie Lee and Jason were standing in? Well, as a bonus for our listeners we have unlocked Session One on Study Gateway, so you can go there and watch the entire first session for free, and tour Bethlehem with Kathie Lee and Rabbi Jason! The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi is published by HarperChristian Resources and it streams on Study Gateway. For our First Listens listeners, when you use the promo code PODCAST15 at studygateway.com, you’ll get any size of plan – for yourself, your small group or your whole church, at a 15% savings for life! And, for a complete experience with The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi, take advantage of our publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide designed to be used with the videos. This study guide gives you the discussion questions for your group and the personal exercises to dig deeper into the Scriptures on your own between sessions. Get all the details at Studygateway.com.
And now, let’s find out what’s so significant about the swaddling cloths.
[MUSIC PLAYING] RABBI JASON: There's something very significant about the swaddling clothes in and of themselves because I believe that Jesus was not wrapped in ordinary swaddling cloth, but a very specific swaddling cloth. I believe we have to understand is that after the priestly garments became too worn for use, you couldn't just throw them away. They were holy, they would repurpose them. And one of the things they would repair is them for is to make the wicks of the menorah that was used to illuminate the holy place in the temple.
And it would have pointed to Jesus wrapped in these priestly garments that not only was he the Lamb of God, but he was the light of the world. And some of you might be wondering, where did they get these garments from? Because David was from the tribe of Judah. Jesus was from the tribe of David. He was born into not only the vertical family, but the tribe, a Jew, to think about it, who is Mary's cousin, Elizabeth.
And where was her husband when he got an announcement from an angel that they would give birth miraculously to a child? He was a priest functioning in the holy place. The same place that the menorah stood. And when Mary went to visit Elizabeth, she knew, Elizabeth knew that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. And I believe they gave her these clothes that Jesus was wrapped in at his birth, pointed to him, the Lamb of God, the light of the world, the beauty of the Christmas story from a rabbinic perspective.
[MUSIC PLAYING] KATHIE LEE: Rabbi, it's so exciting to be here seeing how was actually done back then.
RABBI JASON: Isn't it amazing?
KATHIE LEE: It is amazing. And that's what we are trying to do with our series, is to illuminate truth for people.
RABBI JASON: The Bible and high definition, right?
KATHIE LEE: Yes. And the fact that we have so many misconceptions about it. And when I first met Rabbi Sobel, he rocked my world. It was during Christmas time at Rockefeller Center, which is not the most spiritual of places, may I say, And I was depressed by it. I remember I said, I'm so sick of the crass commercialism of Christmas, I can't stand it anymore. And you said, I can give you a great reason to love December 25th.
RABBI JASON: That's right.
KATHIE LEE: You want to go there?
RABBI JASON: Yeah. I mean, so obviously in Christian tradition and there's a difference of opinion. Sure. It's traditionally believed that Jesus was born on this day in December, but in all probability, he was not born on this day in December. We know from the Gospel of Luke that Zachariah what watch of the priesthood that he was from. So David divided the priesthood into different watches and his watch would have been responsible either in the fall or the spring. And Mary conceived six months after that. And so most likely Mary conceived on Christmas, but he was born on the Feast of Tabernacles.
KATHIE LEE: Now people are watching right now and going, what? That's incredible. But it makes sense because you've taught me that every great thing that ever happened, any significant thing that ever happened in Jesus's life, happened during one of the Jewish festivals.
RABBI JASON: Right.
KATHIE LEE: And we as Christians don't even know what those festivals are. Explain that to me.
RABBI JASON: Yeah. Yeah. Well, there's seven festivals in Leviticus 23. At his first coming he dies as the Passover Lamb. He raises from the dead—his resurrection is on a Jewish holiday of the first fruits, and he pours out his Spirit on Pentecost, in Hebrew, Shavuot the same day the Ten Commandments are given, is the same day that the Holy Spirit is poured out at Mt. Sinai. So it makes sense that if every event in his life revolves around the Jewish holidays, he even goes up to celebrate Hanukkah in John chapter 10—it would make sense that he's born on the Feast of Tabernacles, which we celebrate in September in the fall, which makes sense that he is tabernacling among us—and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, which means tabernacle.
KATHIE LEE: Because tabernacle means you put a tent over us and lived with us.
RABBI SOBEL: Just like the Israelites dwelt in booths with God's presence around them. Some say the tabernacle is the physical booths. They live in other states, the clouds of glory that surrounded them in the wilderness. And so it makes sense. In Zechariah 14, all the nations of the world go up to celebrate at the Feast of Tabernacles. So they were going up with all the nations in Israel to celebrate his birthday.
KATHIE LEE: And the fact that he might have been born during the Festival of Hanukkah, which is the
Festival of Lights. Think about the Scriptures there: I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Think of all the passages in Scripture about He is the light, and his word was a light to our… I mean, it's just extraordinary.
RABBI JASON: Yeah. So the interesting thing, if he was born on Tabernacles, which makes sense because usually shepherds weren't in the field at night in the winter.
KATHIE LEE: No, it's the rainy season.
RABBI JASON: It's cold, it's rainy. But if he was born as tradition says, on December 25th, then he could have been born at Hanukkah, which also would have been a significant in fulfillment of that.
KATHIE LEE: However, even if the Holy Spirit came upon Mary in December, that is his birth, because that is life in her womb.
RABBI JASON: Absolutely.
KATHIE LEE: So much to think about as we continue on our Rock and Road and Rabbi experience.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY: I hope you enjoyed this session from The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi, a video Bible study by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel, published by HarperChristian Resources and streaming on Study Gateway. And, if you go to StudyGateway.com, you’ll find this first session of The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi is unlocked, so you can watch it and enjoy all the scenes of the Jewish feasts and the locations in Bethlehem, for free!
Here at Study Gateway you can find your favorite authors, pastors and Bible teachers, all in one place. We’re the only streaming video subscription service that offers plans for individuals, small groups, AND has user-based pricing for churches, no matter what the size. And don’t forget, you can use the promo code PODCAST15 to get a 15% savings on the plan of your choice, and that discounted rate lasts as long as you keep your subscription!
With Study Gateway, you also get a direct link to our store, where you get publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide for The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi. This study guide with its exercises and projects and discussion questions helps you get the most out of this study. Is The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi going to be your next study? Get started right now by going to studygateway.com, click start free trial, use the promo code PODCAST15 at checkout.
Make sure you rate and review this podcast so other people can find this show too. And join me next time when we’ll get to explore another wonderful place and discover something new along the way.