While one could understand the wide brush strokes of New Testament teachings without knowing much about the cultural context, the details are lost in ignorance (p. 16). Understanding who the Pharisees were, what they taught, better explains their interactions with and hatred for Jesus. Learning about the social and political relationship the Jews had with Samaria, Rome, and the gentiles helps the reader grasp the power of the Gospel to create a unified Church. When Paul says in Galatians 3:28 that “There is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (English Standard Version), he was emphasizing the breakdown of social and political barriers.

Remember that when God called Abraham, and then established the Israelite nation, it was so that they would be different from the surrounding nations. “The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you” (Deuteronomy 28:9-10, English Standard Version). This is why the Pharisees were proud of their status as children of Abraham, because they thought their bloodline guaranteed the blessing given to Abraham (Pfeiffer & Harrison, p. 1703-1704). But Christ and the New Testament authors emphasize saving faith that makes one a child of Abraham and heirs according to the promise (John 8 & Galatians 3, English Standard Version). The gospel was radical for that day and age because saving faith did not require circumcision, or conversion to Judaism.

Understanding the history of Israel, the Old Testament, makes sense of the references to the promises of Abraham, circumcision, fulfilled prophecy, and Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice.

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