Anyone interested in the life of Christ needs to get the book "Jesus & The Forgotten City" by Richard Batey through Amazon. This is an outstanding work on His life and the city of Sepphoris that was not too far from Nazareth where the Lord was raised.
One interesting study has to do with the word "hypocrite" found throughout the Gospels. The Greek is a compound word "hupo=critos" meaning to "over judge." One place it is used is in Matthew 6:5-6: "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synogogues ..."
Batey points out that in Sepphoris there was a large amphitheater and the word was used to describe "stage actors" that is, those who played a part, or in the common usage, those who practiced deceit. Batey's point is that Jesus probably heard the word used down the road at the theater in the city of Sepphoris. Batey added: "The word was from the theater, denoted an actor, then one who played a part or acted a false role in public life. The the Sermon on the Mount a recurring image is that of the hypocrite or stage actor. Hypocrisy is the split in a religious person between outward show and inner reality.
This is just one sample of what is in Batey's book. It has outstanding research dealing with the life of Christ and the impact of the city of Sepphoris. Of course Christ did not need what was going on in Sepphoris in order to teach but it must be remembered that Christ "kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).
Get the book! You will not be sorry!
In my Luke commentary I wrote: "The mental and spiritual growth of Jesus were beyond human comprehension and experience. It might be said that at this moment, Jesus began to move toward that destiny of full obedience to His heavenly Father. He grew up in a natural fashion yet as a budding youth who was without sin. As a growing child, He was still deity and was in essence very God, or what is termed in theology, the God-Man!"
—Dr. Mal Couch (8/11)
