Synagogue School Bethsaida, 14 AD

Welcome to the study, Synagogue School! Come along to school with Peter, Andrew, Philip, James and John, as they learn from the Old Testament Scriptures about The Annointed One, the Mashiach! He will come one day to put all things right, and rule and reign on the earth!

What do you think the Jewish people actually knew and believed about the coming Messiah? This Bible Study was written to address this question. What can we learn from studying Jesus from the Old Testament prophets? What will happen in the Last Days? Where will Messiah be? What will He be like? How will his people recognize Him when He comes?

This study does not have a video for each lesson, but rather a written lesson to be read out loud. Read it to yourself, or have your group take different parts, and read it out loud together. Then, follow the lesson plans for supplemental Videos, discussion questions, and projects.. ClLICK HERE for a study guide and other handouts.

Before reading the lesson, watch the video By Ray Vanderlaan, When the Rabbi Says, Come. (25 min.)

Here are some questions to ponder:

1. What is the Hebrew definition of the word disciple?

2. Why do you think the Jews during the time period of Jesus, had all the children go to school? What language were they speaking?

3. How did the people in Northern Galillee during the time of Jesus get their news?

4. 
   

Lesson 1 — The First Promise of the Mashiach 

(Genesis 3: 14-15)

Simon awoke early to the sound of the birds along the shore of Galilee in the little town of Bethsaida on the north end of the huge lake where his family were fishermen. Swallows were swooping over the water, catching insects in their mouths.  Abba was already out in the boat. But today, he would not join him until later.   He peeked out the window of their large communal home. He loved living here! His entire extended family lived in this one huge home, with many rooms.  Next to him, his younger brother Andrew was just beginning to rub his eyes.

“Let’s go, Andrew “  Simon yelled excitedly, jumping on his twelve year old  brother! “Today is Synagogue School! The boys raced to get ready, and were out the door in a flash. Stopping to grab a piece of bread and a few dried fish, the boys kissed their laughing Ima and grandmother  and headed out the door. 

Along the way, they were joined by the other selected boys who had now finished Beit Sefer,  that is, the Torah School for children, both boys and girls, where the children memorized the Torah and learned to read and write. Around age eleven, the girls then returned home to help  with the women of the village, and some of the boys began to work with their fathers at learning the family trade. But a select few, those with the ability and passion to continue learning the scriptures with the rabbi, were advanced to the next level of learning “Bet Midrash..” Here, they studied all of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanach, and worked at memorizing them, learning the words of the prophets and seeking to understand them through questions and answers.

As they headed toward the synagogue, James and John came tumbling around the corner of an old olive tree.  James was first, at age fourteen, and John was eleven.While he was the youngest, he often had the most interesting questions! James and John were cousins of Simon and Peter. Their mothers were sisters.   Andrew’s friend, Philip, was the same age he was, 13. At times, they were inseparable. And of course, Simon, was the leader of the crew at age fifteen. When they all spilled through the open doorway of the synagogue schoolroom, they quickly took off their dusty sandals, and sat cross legged on the floor. 

 Dust drifted in the beam of light, and the boys sat quietly in a loose circle around the rabbi, ready to listen. The rabbi took a minute to observe them.

Simon leaned forward, restless as always. Andrew sat beside him, calm and attentive. James was upright and focused. John listened with thoughtful eyes. Philip traced a line in the dust with his finger, then stopped as the rabbi slowly unrolled the scroll.

The room grew still.

“Boys, it is now time to start putting some of the puzzle pieces in the scriptures together. We are going to begin a series of lessons on a very special topic. The Mashiach.  Let’s see what the Torah and the Prophets, God’s Holy Word,  teaches us about the Promised One. 

The boys looked at each excitedly. This is what they had been waiting for! John flashed his brother a grin and the boys turned their eyes back to the rabbi. 

The aged rabbi shared their excitement and began, “Today we begin at the beginning.” He paused and looked around at them, slowly, one by one. “Tell me—what happened in the garden?”

James answered first. “Adam and Eve disobeyed God.”

The rabbi nodded. “Yes. They ate from the tree the Lord had forbidden. And when they did, everything changed.  Andrew, can you recite this scripture?”  

Without hesitating, Andrew nodded his head and started. “And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done?” 

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 

 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,You are cursed more than all cattle,And more than every beast of the field;On your belly you shall go,And you shall eat dustAll the days of your life. And I will put enmityBetween you and the woman,And between your seed and her Seed;He shall bruise your head,And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3: 14-15)

The Rabbi lowered his voice. “They lost access to paradise. The serpent was cursed. The woman would know pain in childbirth. The man would experience hard work and sweat in the ground. Pain entered the world. Death entered the world. What had been whole was now broken.”

Simon shifted. “Rabbi, then why did God not destroy them?”

The rabbi looked at him carefully. “Because even in judgment, God gave a promise.”

He placed his finger on the scroll and read slowly and clearly, repeating what Andrew had recited. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The boys leaned closer.

The rabbi rolled the scroll slightly and asked, “Who is speaking?”

John answered softly, “God is speaking.”

“To whom?”

“To the serpent,” Simon added.

“Good,” said the rabbi. “And who is this serpent?”

Philip answered, “The enemy… Satan.”

The rabbi nodded. “Yes. The serpent is not merely an animal in the story. He is the adversary. Cunning.  The rebel. The deceiver.”  He tapped the scroll lightly. “The word here is serpent. In our language, nachash. It is used for a serpent, but the Scriptures use such imagery in deeper ways. You will hear again of the twisting serpent, Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and the dragon-like enemy that God will judge. The serpent in the garden is more than a beast in the dust. Behind the serpent stands Satan, a fallen angel in rebellion against God.”

John lifted his eyes. “Rabbi… was Satan always evil?”

The rabbi was quiet for a moment. “No,” he said. “He was not created evil. The prophets Exekiel and Isaiah tell us of an angel who was lifted up in beauty and then fell through pride. One who was in heaven and was cast down. One who said in his heart that he would exalt himself. Pride corrupted him. Rebellion consumed him. He became the enemy of God and of God’s people.”

James frowned. “Then the war began there? In the garden?

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “There in the garden, the war was revealed. But listen carefully—it was not Satan who would have the last word. God announced His plan at the very beginning.”He pointed again to the scroll.“I will put enmity…”

Philip looked up. “Enmity means hatred, does it not, Rabbi?”

“Yes. Conflict. War. Opposition. This is no small disagreement. This is the dividing line between two kingdoms, two masters, two seed lines.”

Simon leaned forward. “Seed lines?”

The rabbi nodded. “Yes. The Lord speaks of the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman. There is a line of rebellion in the earth, those who walk in the serpent’s ways, who resist God, who build their kingdoms in pride and violence. And there is the line God Himself will preserve—the lineage through which the Promised One will come.”

Andrew spoke quietly. “So there are two paths through history.”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “Two lines unfolding in the earth. One belongs to rebellion. One belongs to promise.”

John asked, “Rabbi, is the seed of the serpent literal?”

The rabbi considered his words carefully. “Not in the ordinary way men speak of fathers and sons. Satan is a spiritual being. But his seed is seen in those who bear his rebellion, his hatred, his violence, his pride. And at the end, the enemy’s line will come to its fullest expression in the great rebel, the final enemy, the one who exalts himself against God in the last days. The prophet Daniel calls him the Abomination of Desolation. We will learn so much more about him in the coming days.” 

The boys were quiet.

Then the rabbi continued, “But the Seed of the woman is different. That line moves through history in a literal way. God will preserve a people. A family lineage. A holy line. From that line will come the Promised One.”

Philip’s eyes narrowed slightly. “A real person?”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “A real person. A male descendant. Did you hear the wording?” He read the line again.

“He (the holy seed)  shall bruise your head, and you( the evil seed)  shall bruise His heel.” Then he looked at them. “The Seed is spoken of as ‘He.’ Not merely many descendants. Not only a people. A single person. A coming One.”

John asked quietly, “The Mashiach?”

The rabbi nodded slowly. “Yes. The One we call the Messiah. The Anointed One. The Promised One.”

Simon’s face brightened. “Then the Messiah is first promised in the garden.”

“Yes,” the rabbi said. “Before Noah, Enoch, and  Abraham. Before Judah. Before David. Before the prophets. At the very beginning, God announced redemption.”

“What is redemption?”  Andrew asked. 

One day, Mashiach will defeat the enemy and take back the earth, putting everything right again. The old curse will give way to a new covenant.

James leaned forward. “And this is a battle?”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “A battle between good and evil. Between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the serpent. Between the holy line and the rebellious line. Between the Promised One and the enemy.”

Simon’s eyes lit up. “Then the Messiah will be a warrior.”

The rabbi raised his hand gently. “Yes… but not as you first imagine.” He pointed to the scroll again. “You shall bruise His heel.” He read, pointing to each word slowly.

Philip frowned. “That means the Promised One will be hurt.”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “He will suffer.”

Simon’s expression changed. “But if He is the Promised One, how can He suffer?”

The rabbi did not answer at once.

Instead he said, “Look at the two wounds. The serpent bruises the heel. The Seed bruises the head. One wound is painful. The other is crushing. One speaks of suffering. The other of final victory.”

Andrew nodded slowly. “So the Promised One is wounded… but not defeated.”

“Yes,” said the rabbi.

John whispered, “But the serpent is defeated.”

The rabbi’s voice deepened. “Yes. From the beginning, Satan’s defeat is sure.” He let the silence rest for a moment. “The enemy began the war. He deceived the woman. He brought man into rebellion. He shattered what had been beautiful. But even at that first moment of ruin, God declared the end. The serpent would be crushed by the Seed of the woman.”

Philip looked troubled, still thinking. “Rabbi… if the Messiah will win, why would God allow Him to suffer at all?”

The rabbi looked at him with approval. “That is a wise question.” He folded his hands.“Because God’s victory is not shallow. He does not ignore sin. He does not merely sweep away evil with a word and leave the wound untouched. The Promised One will enter the conflict. He will bear the blow. He will face the enemy. He will suffer in the struggle. But through that suffering, He will destroy the enemy’s claim and overturn his work.”

James said, “So the bruising of the heel is not the end.”

“No,” said the rabbi. “It is the path to the crushing of the head.”

Simon stared at the scroll. “Then the Messiah will not only fight the enemy. He will undo what was done in Eden.”

The rabbi’s eyes warmed. “Yes.” He turned the scroll slightly and rested his hand on it. “Paradise was lost in the garden. But God did not abandon His purpose. He will restore what was lost. He will bring life where death entered. Blessing where curse entered. Peace where rebellion entered. He will restore the earth.”

John’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Paradise again?”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “The Lord intends not merely to save men’s souls, but to restore His creation. The earth will not forever remain under the serpent’s shadow.”

Andrew asked, “And all of this begins in this one verse?”

The rabbi smiled. “Like a seed, yes. Small in form. Vast in promise.” Then he said, “You must learn to hear the whole story in the first word of God’s promise. In this verse are the battle, the suffering, the victory, the seed line, the coming Messiah, and the certainty of Satan’s downfall.”

Philip said slowly, “Then history is not wandering. It is moving toward the Promised One.”

“Yes,” said the rabbi. “God will raise up a people. He will preserve a line. And through that line the Messiah will come.”

Simon looked eager again. “Will we learn that line?”

“We will,” said the rabbi. “You will see it move through Seth, through the righteous line, through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. The Lord is not careless. He is preserving the way of promise.”

John looked thoughtful. “So even when the world seems dark, God is still guarding the promise.”

“ Yes,” the rabbi said quietly. “Always.” Then he read the verse once more, slower than before, as though setting it into their hearts. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

When he finished, no one spoke for several moments.

At last Andrew said softly, “The Messiah is there… at the very beginning.”

The rabbi nodded.

“Yes. And that is why you must understand this, boys. The story of the Messiah does not begin late. It begins in the garden. From the moment man fell, God revealed that He had already purposed redemption.”

He rolled the scroll closed.

“Remember this. The serpent is real. The war is real. The suffering is real. But the promise is also real. The Promised One will come. He will suffer. He will crush the enemy. And paradise will not be lost forever.”

Outside, the distant waters near Bethsaida shimmered in the noon light. The boys sat quietly, each pondering the words in a different way.  Finally, Simon broke the silence. “ Rabbi, will the lesson be every bit as good tomorrow?’ 

The Rabbi grinned and touched his shoulder. “Each day will bring a new treasure! Who knows, maybe you boys were born for such a time as this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qXv6yv-5wA

Questions:

1. What. was something new you learned in Lesson 1?

2. Why do you think the boys were so fascinated to learn about the Meshiach? (Anointed One)

3. What does the word Nahash mean?

4. What does the word talmid mean?

5. What part of the Ray Vanderlaan lesson was your favorite?

6. How did the boys treat the rabbi?

Project: Start a notebook for the scripts of each lesson. Also, write in a spiral any notes you took, or ideas you have.

Keep a list of all the names of Messiah, Yseshua as we go through each lesson.