Daniel

Jews, Judaism And Christianity - Part 2 of 5

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2015-09-20

Synopsis: In this second part of the series, Pastor John Weaver examines the twelve apostles to determine how many, if any, were Jews. He argues that the term 'Jew' must be defined contextually, referring either to someone from the tribe or land of Judah (a Judahite/Judean) or to an adherent of Judaism. By tracing the geographic origins of each apostle, he demonstrates that eleven were Galileans from the northern kingdom, while only Judas Iscariot was a Judean from the tribe of Judah. This, he contends, gives new meaning to John 1:11—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—since the only Judean apostle betrayed Christ. The message emphasizes the distinction between Galileans and Judeans and the opposition between Christianity and Judaism.

[John Weaver] Well, let's open our Bibles, if you would please, today to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. I started a brief series. It's going to be actually five messages, which I entitled, Jews, Judaism, and Christianity. And so I'm going to ask that you turn to Matthew chapter 10. This is the second part today. And let's begin reading there in verse 1. Matthew 10 in verse 1. And when he called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who's called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alphaeus and Levinus, whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Now if you've not heard the first message in this series, I would ask that you would listen to it so that you may follow us in this study.

[John Weaver] I am going to review momentarily today But my review is not going to take the place of the listening to the first message as well. Because in the first message, I pointed out that Jesus Christ was indeed the King of the Jews. But I also pointed out the fact that he was not King of the Jews just simply because he was born in Bethlehem of Judea. And I pointed out our Lord was conceived in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom. He came only to Bethlehem in Judea to be born.

[John Weaver] He stayed there less than two years. And when his parents took him to Egypt, then he came back and went and was raised in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom and in the area of Galilee at that particular time. So how then could Jesus Christ be called the King of the Jews when he was only in Judea for less than two years? And the answer is he's the King of the Jews simply because He is the true son of David. Matthew 1.1 says, the beginning of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. So he's not only the true son of David, as in the book of Luke, the angel told Mary there that he would have the throne of his father, David. So he is the true son of David. Solomon was the type, Christ is the anti-type. Moreover, we found in Psalm 2 and verses 6 and 7, that Jesus Christ was ordained King by God His Father. Because the Bible says, Yet I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.

[John Weaver] I will declare the decree, the Lord has said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Now, I pointed this out last week, and I want to make it clear again. That Jesus Christ was a Judean by birth. but he was not a Jew, because Judaism is a religion. He was born of the tribe of Judah. He was born in the land of Judea, but he was not religiously a Jew.

[John Weaver] The Jews were his enemies. They were the ones that hated him, despised him, and crucified him. And the reason they did so was because he was against their religion. He was against their Talmudic traditions and rituals.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to tell you, again, how the word Jew is used in the Bible. And by the way, I pointed it out last week, the very first time the word occurred is in 2 Kings chapter 16 and verse 6. So Abraham was not a Jew. Abraham was a Chaldean. He came out of Chaldea. Okay, so here is how the word is used. The Hebrew word is Yehudi and it refers to a Judahite or a descendant of Judah. It is used in the Bible to describe a person or persons from the tribe of Judah or it refers to the kingdom of Judah or the land of Judah or Judea. or the nation of Judah, or the house of Judah, or anyone belonging to the tribe, land, nation, or the house of Judah, these may be called Judahites. OK? Also, it will refer to in the Bible anyone who is of the religion of the Jews, which I showed you that in the last message as well.

[John Weaver] In the New Testament, the Greek word is udahos, and it literally means Judean. in the sense of a country or land or someone from the nation or country or tribe of Judea.

[John Weaver] Now there is another word that the Bible uses that I have not used yet and I want to show you this word. It is the word Jury. J-E-W-R-Y. You will find it not only in the Old Testament but you will find it in the New Testament as well. And the word Jury actually indicates someone from Judea, that is from the land or from the country of Judea, from the southern kingdom.

[John Weaver] If you would turn in your Bibles, holding Matthew chapter 10, but turn to the book of Daniel chapter 5, and then we'll go to the book of Luke. But look in Daniel chapter 5. Notice if you would please verse 13. Daniel 5 and verse 13. In the book of Daniel, chapter 5, verse 13. And I want you to notice what Belshazzar asked Daniel. Daniel 5 and verse 13. Belshazzar the king says this, Then was Daniel brought in before the king, and the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jeru? So notice if you would, the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jure. So Jure is synonymous with Judah.

[John Weaver] In other words, the land of Judea. So anyone from Judea is here referred to as Jure. And so it's identical. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations, I'm sorry, the book of Luke, chapter 23 and verse 5. Luke 23 and verse 5. I suppose sometimes you might could say that the term jury might be enlarged to refer to anyone who held the religion of Judaism wherever they were located in the land, but primarily it refers to anyone from Judea. Notice in Luke chapter 23, if you would please, and verse 5, the Bible says this. In fact, look at verse 4.

[John Weaver] Then said Pilate to the chief priests and the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce saying, he stirred up the people teaching throughout all Juri, that is all the southern kingdom, beginning from Galilee to this place. So he began in Galilee where, of course, he lived. And now he's come down into the southern kingdom, into Judea. And so here the word Juri, of course, refers again to the southern kingdom. I suppose by extension, you could say that it would refer to anyone who embraced Judaism in any part of that country, but primarily it refers then to Judah and the southern kingdom.

[John Weaver] Now, Strong says this, Augustus Hopkins Strong, who was a Baptist preacher, and Strong's Concordance, that's how it comes together, but he says this, in the narrow sense of the word, the word Jew refers to the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of Jordan, the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Berea, and Edomia. In a broader sense, he said it could refer to all Palestine. But it refers primarily, and in the narrow sense, to the southern kingdom as well.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in John chapter 7 and verse 1, you'll see the term jury again. And obviously, in this context, it refers only to Judea, to the southern kingdom. Notice, if you would, John 7 and verse 1. The Bible says, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee. Now, if you look at your maps, you will find that Galilee is in the northern kingdom. It's not in the southern kingdom. He said, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Juree, that is in the southern kingdom, in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now watch. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren, therefore, said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see thy works, if thou doest.

[John Weaver] For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world."

[John Weaver] Now, his brothers were egging him on, and here's why. Verse 5, For neither did his brethren believe in him, that is, none of them were converted at that particular time. But note if you would, in verse 1 he says, he would not walk in jury, That is in Judea because the Jews sought to kill him. He's back in the northern kingdom. Watch verse 3. His brethren therefore sent him depart. Hence, in going to Judea, that would be Jure, that would be the southern kingdom again. So obviously, the word Jure here refers primarily to the southern kingdom, to the land of Judea.

[John Weaver] Now, here are my questions for you today. And here are some of the things that I want to try to answer for you. First of all, can you name the 12 apostles? Secondly, how many of the 12 apostles, if any, were Jews? You see, we normally think of everybody who lived in that land as Jews. And that is certainly not true. What I'm going to show you and what I want you to learn, that anytime you see the word Jew or Jews in the Bible, not only must the context determine the usage of it, but the term literally has to be defined. Because, just because people went in and out of Judea, does not necessarily mean that they were Jews.

[John Weaver] So, everyone in this room, could move to Africa. That would not necessarily make us Africans. It would not change the color of our skin. We would still be Americans, et cetera. And so people could come back and forth, and that does not mean that they were actually Judeans.

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would, please, in Matthew chapter 10, again, at the first four verses. Here are the 12 apostles' names. Notice in Matthew chapter 10 verse 1, And when he called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these, the first Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the third, James the son of Alphaeus, and Lepidus, whose surname is Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot who also betrayed him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out that you need to be aware of. When you read through the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you're going to find these twelve apostles listed many times. On some occasions, they are given different names, but they are one and the same. For instance, Peter is called Simon Peter, and sometimes he's called Cephas, which means a stone or a rock. So Peter is the same whether he's called Simon Peter or Cephas. Andrew, his brother, is referred to as Andrew in all four Gospels. Next you have James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Our Lord called them, in Mark 3 and verse 17, Boanerges, or sons of thunder. So James and John are usually referred to as James and John, but our Lord did call them Boanerges or sons of thunder, but that would refer to James and John. Then you have Philip and Bartholomew next. Philip is referred to as Philip in all four Gospels. And Bartholomew is referred to as Nathanael in the book of John.

[John Weaver] Now, Pat asked me a question prior to the meeting, and I'm going to try to answer that just a little bit in this message. But you're going to find that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. And you should be asking yourself, well, why is he called Nathanael in one place and Bartholomew in another place? Well, there's an answer. Thomas, in the Bible, is referred to as Thomas with the exception that in the book of John, he is called Thomas Didymus. Sometimes, just Didymus. One is the Hebrew name, one is the Greek name, and incidentally, both in the Hebrew and the Greek, the name means twin. So obviously, Thomas Didymus was a twin. So, but he's called Thomas or Thomas Didymus or Didymus throughout the Bible. Okay. The word, the name Matthew, Matthew the publican, Matthew the tax collector. He's referred to Matthew and as Matthew in all four Gospels.

[John Weaver] Then you have James, the son of Alphaeus. That is the only name used for him in all four Gospels. Thaddeus is also called Jude in the book of Luke and John. So you have one person, but he goes by two names, Thaddeus and Jude. Actually, you could say three, because sometimes it's referred to as Judas. But Judas and Jude would be the same. But it's one person under two names. Then Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. So Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot are one and the same. And lastly, of course, you have Judas Iscariot, who is simply referred to as Judas Iscariot, with the exception in the book of John, John 12 in verse 2 and John 13 in verse 4, he's also referred to as Simon's son. So Judas Iscariot is referred to as Simon's son.

[John Weaver] So the question we have to ask today is this, were any of these apostles Jews? Were any of them Judahites? Were any of them from the tribe of Judah or from the land of Judea?

[John Weaver] Now, if you would stop and think with me just for a moment. I said that Jesus Christ came of the tribe of Judah. He was born in the land of Judea, that is in the southern kingdom. But that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. And by that I mean he did not embrace Judaism, he did not embrace the Jews' religion. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians how that he profited in the Jews' religion above many of my equals. So if Jesus Christ then was not a Jew in this sense that he embraced Judaism, obviously his apostles, his disciples are not going to embrace Judaism either. Now they would just simply be followers of Christ or disciples of Christ. The truth of the matter is, when someone embraced Jesus Christ in the New Testament, he left Judaism behind. You remember I told you in the first message that Christianity and Judaism are opposites. They are not complementary to each other, they are absolutely opposites.

[John Weaver] Now I know that the Scripture teaches us in Acts 11 and verse 26, that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. Well, what are you going to call the Twelve Apostles? The only thing that you could call them would be Christians and or followers of Christ or disciples of Christ. But they would not be classified as Jews because there is no middle ground between Judaism and Christianity. And I pointed out in the first message that there's no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. That's an oxymoron. That is a contradiction. We might have an Israelite Christian heritage, or a Hebrew Christian heritage, or an Old Testament Christian heritage, but not a Judeo-Christian heritage, because Judaism and Christianity are at opposite poles. Now, it's important to see what Scripture says concerning the twelve apostles. So, if you look at Matthew chapter 10 again, And let's just begin in the middle of verse two, because here we are naming them. And I'm going to take these one at the time or two at the time, especially if they're brothers or if they're coupled together.

[John Weaver] So in the middle of verse two, the first Simon, who's called Peter and Andrew, his brother, James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the publican, James, the son of Alphaeus and Levinas. whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. So, let's have Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, because obviously two brothers are going to be from the same place as well. So if you would look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. The Bible says, And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon Paul Peter and Andrew his brother, casting an end into the sea, for they were fishers." Well, now if you'd look at that map that you have, you see Galilee is way up in the northern kingdom. And here are men who are living and working in the northern kingdom. So obviously when our Lord calls Simon Peter and Andrew his brother, They are Galileans.

[John Weaver] Because that's where they lived, that's where they worked. So, Simon Peter and Andrew were not Jews, in that sense of the word, they were Galileans. Okay? Well, we have two brothers next, James and John. How about them? Well, let's keep reading. Verse 19, Matthew 4. And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from fence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And immediately, they immediately left the ship and their father had fallen in. So the first four disciples are Galileans. They were fishermen.

[John Weaver] They were fishing the sea of Galilee. So we know that Peter and Andrew were not Jews, they were Galileans. We know that James and John were not Jews, they were Galileans as well.

[John Weaver] Now, the next two that you have in Matthew chapter 10 happen to be Philip and Nathanael. Philip and Nathanael. And I told you that Nathanael also goes by the name of Bartholomew. So, look in your Bibles to the book of John chapter 1. John chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 43. John chapter 1, verse 43. John 1, verse 43. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee. Wow. And he findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me. Now watch.

[John Weaver] Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Now, Bethsaida, The city of Andrew and Peter is in Galilee. That's why I told you they were Galileans. Now we find that Philip is of the same city in Galilee. So Philip then is indeed a Galilean. Well, what about Nathanael? Look in verse 45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael saith unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said unto him, Behold, an Israelite indeed is whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point something out. If our Lord has found Philip in Galilee, And Philip turns right around and finds Nathanael. Where do you think Nathanael is going to be from? Galilee.

[John Weaver] Now, look in John 21. John 21, at verses 1 and 2. John 21, verses 1 and 2. Watch verse 1.

[John Weaver] John 21 verse 1. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Whoa! Where in the world is the Sea of Tiberias? Anybody know? The Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee are one in the same. One in the same. You knew it, didn't you, David? That's good. All right. So after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on this wide showed himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and the two other disciples. That seals it. We know that Nathanael is from Galilee. He's from Cana. in Galilee.

[John Weaver] That is in the Northern Kingdom. Now, let me ask a question. Why is Nathanael sometimes called Bartholomew? Pat asked me, he said, why is it that none of the people in the New Testament, or Old Testament particularly, had last names? They probably did, but you have to understand that the last names originated not only from fathers, but also from occupations. For instance, you remember Christ referred to Peter as Simon Bar-Jonas. You remember that? There was a Simon the Sorcerer whose name is It was called Bar-Jesus. The Hebrew word bar actually means son of. It just so happens Nathaniel's father would be like Talmai, so he would be Bar-Talmai or Bar-Tholomew, the son of Talmai. So someone could be referred to as the son of Patrick. or the son of Carly, you know, et cetera. So his first name would be Simon Jonas, Simon Barjona, or Simon the son of Jonah, et cetera. So in that sense, there were last names, but that's how last names basically develop. Same thing with occupations.

[John Weaver] That's why, like Weaver. Guess what Weavers did in England? They wove. So that was just simple. But we also understand now that Nathanael is a Galilean. So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Has not been one Judean.

[John Weaver] Now, how about Matthew the Publican? Matthew the Publican. And I told the people this morning, sometimes you might hear me slip up and call Matthew the Republican. Because I had a pastor friend who had a son by the name of Matthew. And he was just a little kid, and he could not say Weaver. He called me John Beaver, John Beaver. And so I would just call him Matthew the Republican, just teasing him.

[John Weaver] So I got in the habit of saying that. So, but it's Matthew the publican, and the publican was a tax collector, okay? So what about Matthew the publican? Well, look in Matthew chapter 9 in verse 1, and you're going to have to hold Matthew 9, because we're going to look at a lot of scripture right here just to nail this one down. So look at Matthew 9. In Matthew 9, the Bible says, and he, that is Jesus Christ, entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own country. Why? Or to his own city. He passed over, he entered a new ship, passed over and came into his own city. Now, in Matthew chapter 8, our Lord is in Gadara. And he cures the maniac of Gadara.

[John Weaver] This is where he sends all the demons into the swine and they run violently over the over the cliff into the sea and drowned. So if you look in verse 34 of Matthew 8, And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. So he's on the coast, he's near the water.

[John Weaver] And so he comes and he crosses Lake Gennesaret. And he comes back, the Bible says in Matthew 9 in verse 1, into his own city. So the question has to be asked, where was his city? Do you know where our Lord lived? Well, now he was born and raised in Nazareth, but he didn't stay in Nazareth. Alright, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Mark chapter 2. Then we're going back to Matthew 4, so you might as well hold it. Look in Mark chapter 2, and notice if you would please verses 1 and 2. Mark chapter 2, verses 1 and 2.

[John Weaver] And again, he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was noise that he was in the house, or his house. And straightway many were gathered together insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door, and he preached the word unto them." So he comes into Capernaum, and he was in the house. Look in Matthew chapter 4, beginning there with verse 12. Matthew 4 and verse 12. Now let's read through verse 16. Matthew 4, verse 12.

[John Weaver] Now when Jesus had departed, now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. So he's going back into the northern kingdom. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt where? In Capernaum. That's still in the northern kingdom. Watch. And which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zabulon and Naphthalim. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying the land of Zabulon and the land of Naphilim by the way of the sea beyond Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people which sat in darkness saw a great light and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up so the Bible says when John got thrown into prison our Lord departed out of Judea he went back into Galilee he came to Nazareth but coming leaving Nazareth he dwelt in Capernaum.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look, if you would please, to Matthew 17 and verse 24. Matthew 17, verse 24. It's interesting, when you read this, the Bible says, in fact, verse 24, and when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, Doth your master pay tribute? You know the story there. But note where they came to. That is Capernaum. That is where our Lord was living. He lived in Capernaum. Now, go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 and look at verse 1. Then we're going to skip down just a few verses just so we will not have to read 6 or 7 verses. Watch if you would. Matthew 9 verse 1. And he entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city.

[John Weaver] Now the next part of this is our Lord is healing the palsy. A man that had the palsy. So look in verse 9. Remember he's in his own city. He's in Capernaum. And Jesus passed forth from thence. He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom. And he said to him, follow me. And he rose and followed him. If our Lord is in the northern kingdom at his own house in Capernaum, and Capernaum is a northern kingdom, and he walks out and he finds Matthew there, where would Matthew live? Capernaum. And Capernaum, he would be a Galilean as well. Capernaum was in Galilee, hence Matthew the Publican was indeed a Galilean. Isn't that interesting?

[John Weaver] There are no Jews so far. in the apostles. All of them are Galileans. Wow. Well, what about James, the son of Alphaeus and Levinus, whose surname was Thaddeus? Back in Matthew 10, verse 3, we read it like this. Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the Publican, we've covered them. James, the son of Alphaeus and Levinus, whose surname was Thaddeus. Let me give you two quotes right quickly, and then I'm going to show you something.

[John Weaver] The first one is from John Gill, the Baptist preacher and historian. He says this, James, the son of Alpheus and Levius, whose surname was Thaddeus, the former of these, James, the son of Alpheus, is so called to distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee. This is the James who was the brother of our Lord, Galatians 1 verse 19, and he is called James the Less. So James the Less was the brother of our Lord.

[John Weaver] Okay, now listen to this. The latter of this pair of apostles is the same person with Jude. So Thaddeus is Jude or Judas. The writer of the epistle which bears that name and was the brother of James, with whom he is coupled. He was called Levias, either from the town of Levus, the coast in the town of Galilee, or as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, from the Hebrew word, which means monarch, and others, either for his prudence or through the affections of his parents toward him. So, we have James, the son of Alphaeus, who is known as James the Less, who was the brother of our Lord, and then you have Thaddeus, who was also known as Jude.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. If James and Jude were brothers, and they were the half-brothers of our Lord, and if our Lord lived in Nazareth and Galilee, where do you think his brothers would be raised? Okay.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something. I want you to look in the book of Jude very quickly. I love this. I want you to see a good illustration of biblical humility. I want to read to you one quote before I show you this verse. I want you to watch this. Here's the quote. This was from Jameson Fawcett Brown. Levias, whose surname was Thaddeus, the same without doubt, is Judas, the brother of James, mentioned in both the list of Luke and Acts. He says, this Levias or Thaddeus is he who John calls in John 14, verse 22, sweetly Judas, not Iscariot. That he was the author of the epistle of Jude and most likely our Lord's brother. Now, we know that James, now watch this, Before I look at this, let me show you. Look in Galatians 1 verse 19. Turn to Galatians 1 verse 19.

[John Weaver] Then we're going right back to Jesus. Look in Galatians chapter 1. Galatians 1 verse 19. Look what the Apostle Paul says. Galatians 1 verse 19. But other of the apostles saw I none save James the Lord's brother. So we know that James was an apostle. And we know that he was the Lord's brother, do we not? Now, look in the book of Jude and verse 1. I love this. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and God. Notice Jude didn't say, hey, I'm the brother of Jesus Christ. No. He said, I'm the servant of Jesus Christ. I'm the brother of James. Isn't that amazing? I'm the brother of James. James happens to be the brother of Christ, but, you know, I'm the brother of James. I am a servant of Jesus Christ. Now, if you will go in your Bibles to Matthew 13, and look at verse, oh, let's see, let's start reading in verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54.

[John Weaver] Watch. And when he was coming to his own country, He taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished and said, What's hath this man that's wisdom in these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, or Jude, and his sisters, were they not all here with us? What's then hath this man all these things?

[John Weaver] And they were offended in him. But note, if you would, there's James and there's Jude, both listed. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1. And let's look at verse 13. Acts 1 and verse 13. Here it is again. Acts 1, verse 13. And when they were come in, They went up into an upper room where both Peter and James and John, Andrew and Philip, Thomas Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon Zelotes and Judas, the brother of James. Then if you look in your Bibles to Acts 15 and verse 27. Acts 15 verse 27. I'm just wondering If this is indeed the same Judas who would be our Lord's brother. Notice, if you would, in Acts 15 verse 27, we have sent there for Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. Skip down to verse 32 and Judas and Silas being prophets also themselves exhorted the brethren of many words and confirmed them. Then if you will look back in your Bibles to Luke chapter 6.

[John Weaver] I'm still trying to tie all this together for you. Look at Luke chapter 6, verses 13 through 16. Luke 6, verse 13. Just trying to show you James and Jude, or Thaddeus, or Levius, all one and the same. Luke 6, verse 13, And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples. And of them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles, Simon, whom also he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, who would be Nathanael, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor. So obviously, James and Jude would be Galileans because that's where the family was raised.

[John Weaver] So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Now, note if you would, Simon the Canaanite. Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. That is, he was known for his zeal. The term Canaanite is an Aramaic term for zealot. So before he met our Lord, and before he was converted in all probability, he was some type of voluntary ecclesiastical police who went around trying to make sure that the law was enforced. There were also some zealots who fought against the Roman Empire, who really did not like the Roman Empire at all. It could also be that Simon is called Simon the Canaanite because He could have been from Cana in Galilee. So he would have been a Galilean.

[John Weaver] By the way, I want to show you something. The Galileans were distinguished from the Judeans by their accent or by their speech. You remember in the book of Judges, where there was a war, And here, some of one tribe was trying to cross the river. And the other said, you have to say Shivaleth before I let you across. And they couldn't say it. And that's how they knew that they were the ones they were supposed to kill. They would say Sivaleth. They could not pronounce Shivaleth.

[John Weaver] So there were differences in accents. We tend to think sometimes that, well, everybody had to speak a lot because They either spoke Greek or they spoke Hebrew or they spoke Aramaic. No, it's just like in America. Everybody has a different accent. I never will forget, we were, I was preaching in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we met this one family, two brothers and a sister, and so help me, each one of those three children had a different accent. I couldn't believe it. But they did, each one had a different accent.

[John Weaver] But I was traveling years ago, and I had to land in Boston, Massachusetts. And at that time, I had to change planes, and Eastern Airlines was still in existence. And so I walked up to, it looked like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but it was a Boston state trooper. He was standing there, and he had the leather down to the chest like this. And he had the chin strap on with his hat on, his sidearm there. And I walked up to him, and I said, could you please tell me how to get to Eastern Airlines. And he answered me.

[John Weaver] And I stood there dumbfounded. And finally I said, pardon? And he answered again. And finally I said, thank you. and walked off, and I'm yet to this day to understand a word that he said, and he was speaking English. It was that Boston Broad was so thick, I could not understand it. I have a good friend who's from New Hampshire, and I've spoken to another man recently from New Hampshire, and they talk about the heart. The heart. Not the heart, the heart.

[John Weaver] You know, just everything is totally, absolutely different. Well, it's the same way in the Bible. The people in the northern kingdom did not talk like the people in the southern kingdom. There was a difference in their speech. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 26. Then we're going to Mark 14. So look in Matthew 26 and notice verse 73. You remember how Peter is denying our Lord.

[John Weaver] He denied Him three times before the cobb crew. Now watch. Matthew 26 and look if you would please at verse 73. And after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee. Here's what they said. You don't talk like we do. You're different. Your speech is betraying you. Look at Mark chapter 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 verse 70.

[John Weaver] By the way, all the Yankees think that we Southerners have deep and bad accents. We also think that they have deep and bad accents, but that's OK. So look, if you would, Mark chapter 14 and verse 70 again. And he denied it again. And a little after that, it stood by him, said again to Peter, surely thou art one of them. Thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreed thereto.

[John Weaver] They said, you can't fool us. We know you're a Galilean. We know you're one of those, those disciples of Jesus Christ, because your speech agrees to their speech. You sound like them. You are one of them. So, so far we've found that all of our Lord's disciples have been Galileans. There's one that is left. That's Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of our Lord. He sold our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot was not a Galilean. He was a Jew. He was a Judean. Simon's son, Judas Iscariot, His name tells you the place where He was born and the location of His residence. Judas Iscariot.

[John Weaver] Kerioth was the city that He was from. I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 15. If you have your map with you, And you look at that map, you will find that Kerioth was a village located about 10 miles south of Hebron toward the land of Edom. So it is in the land of Judea. Notice if you would please, Joshua chapter 15, and we're going to begin reading there with verse 20. 15, and notice if you would please, verse 20.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according their families. So we've got here the children of Judah. This is their inheritance. So we find that Judas Iscariot was of the tribe of Judah. He lived in his inheritance. Watch, if you would, verse 21. Now we're getting into their inheritance. And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Cabziel, and Eder, and Jagger, and Cana, and Damona, and Adadah, and Kadesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, and Ziph, and Telem, and Bilah, and Hazor, and Hanatah, and Keriach, and Hezron, which is Hazor. So Teriyah belonged to the tribe of Judah.

[John Weaver] It was in the land of Judea. So the only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts. Look in the book of Acts. It's amazing how many times we read over things and do not put two and two together. But in the book of Acts chapter 1, look at verses 1 and 2. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up After that, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen. Now, I want to call your attention to that phrase. He had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen.

[John Weaver] Now, in this passage, our Lord is about to be received up into heaven. So, let's begin in verse 8, before He's received up into heaven. He tells His disciples, But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, Two men, that is two angels, stood by them in white apparel, which said unto them, Now remember, he's talking to his apostles, his apostles, you men, you Jews, is that what he said? No, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go up into heaven. of the apostles were Galileans, except Judas. At this point, Judas had hanged himself.

[John Weaver] He was no longer there. Look, if you would please, in Acts chapter 2. Here is the day of Pentecost. This is when the power of God fell. Three thousand people were converted on this one day. Notice, if you would please, the Bible says in verse 6, Now when this was noise abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded Why were they confounded? Because if every man heard them speak in his own language, and they were all amazed and marveled, saying unto another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And out of here we ever met in our own tongue wherein we were born. What were the apostles? They were Galileans. The only Jew is the one who betrayed Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you something. I can quote this verse, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to John 1 and look at verse 11. Since you understand that Judas was a Judean, Judas, the only apostle that was a Judean, is the one that betrayed Christ. And if you understand that, it should give new meaning for you, John 1.11. He came into His own, and His own received Him not. His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him. Wow.

[John Weaver] So how many of our Lord's disciples were Jews. Only one. And that was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. We must always learn to define the word Jew. Always allow the context to interpret the word. Words have meanings. And as I pointed out in the first message, you could only be a Judean either by being born of the tribe of Judah or living in the land of Judean. And Benjamin, as well as Simeon, had their inheritance in the land of Judean, along with the tribe of Judah. So literally, only the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribe of Simeon could be true Judeans, because they were the only ones who lived in the southern kingdom. And when you look in 2nd Kings 16 verse 6, when the Assyrians drave out the Jews from Eloth, they were driving out the men in the southern kingdom who had occupied that fort. So, it's interesting when you look, and I'm going to show you before I end this short series, how even the disciples looked at our Lord and said, No, you're not, because the Jews sought to kill you.

[John Weaver] What are they saying? We're not that bunch. We're not of them. And they were not, because they were Galileans. Let's pray. Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your truth. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. And Lord, teach us, we pray, and build us up in the most holy faith. And help us, Lord, to discern Your Word. and teach us and build us up, Father. May your name be honored and glorified through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] so so

Jews, Judaism And Christianity - Part 2 of 5

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	D73t9n_jgWQ
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Daniel
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-09-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 088: Jews, Judaism And Christianity — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	70

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the first message, reiterating that Jesus was King of the Jews as the true son of David, not merely because of His birthplace, and that He was not religiously a Jew.

Well, let's open our Bibles, if you would please, today to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. I started a brief series. It's going to be actually five messages, which I entitled, "Jews, Judaism, and Christianity." And so I'm going to ask that you turn to Matthew chapter 10. This is the second part today. And let's begin reading there in verse 1. Matthew 10 and verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:1-4

"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."

Now if you've not heard the first message in this series, I would ask that you would listen to it so that you may follow us in this study.

I am going to review momentarily today, but my review is not going to take the place of the listening to the first message as well. Because in the first message, I pointed out that Jesus Christ was indeed the King of the Jews. But I also pointed out the fact that he was not King of the Jews just simply because he was born in Bethlehem of Judea. And I pointed out our Lord was conceived in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom. He came only to Bethlehem in Judea to be born. He stayed there less than two years. And when his parents took him to Egypt, then he came back and went and was raised in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom and in the area of Galilee at that particular time. So how then could Jesus Christ be called the King of the Jews when he was only in Judea for less than two years? And the answer is he's the King of the Jews simply because He is the true son of David. Matthew 1:1 says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:1

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

So he's not only the true son of David, as in the book of Luke, the angel told Mary there that he would have the throne of his father, David. So he is the true son of David. Solomon was the type, Christ is the anti-type. Moreover, we found in Psalm 2 and verses 6 and 7, that Jesus Christ was ordained King by God His Father. Because the Bible says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."

"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Now, I pointed this out last week, and I want to make it clear again. That Jesus Christ was a Judean by birth, but he was not a Jew, because Judaism is a religion. He was born of the tribe of Judah. He was born in the land of Judea, but he was not religiously a Jew. The Jews were his enemies. They were the ones that hated him, despised him, and crucified him. And the reason they did so was because he was against their religion. He was against their Talmudic traditions and rituals.

Defining 'Jew' and 'Jewry'

The Hebrew 'Yehudi' and Greek 'Ioudaios' refer to a Judahite or Judean. The term 'Jewry' denotes the land of Judea, as seen in Daniel 5:13, Luke 23:5, and John 7:1.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 16:6

Now, let me try to tell you, again, how the word "Jew" is used in the Bible. And by the way, I pointed it out last week, the very first time the word occurred is in 2 Kings chapter 16 and verse 6. So Abraham was not a Jew. Abraham was a Chaldean. He came out of Chaldea. Okay, so here is how the word is used. The Hebrew word is Yehudi and it refers to a Judahite or a descendant of Judah. It is used in the Bible to describe a person or persons from the tribe of Judah or it refers to the kingdom of Judah or the land of Judah or Judea, or the nation of Judah, or the house of Judah, or anyone belonging to the tribe, land, nation, or the house of Judah, these may be called Judahites. OK? Also, it will refer to in the Bible anyone who is of the religion of the Jews, which I showed you that in the last message as well.

In the New Testament, the Greek word is Ioudaios, and it literally means Judean, in the sense of a country or land or someone from the nation or country or tribe of Judea. Now there is another word that the Bible uses that I have not used yet and I want to show you this word. It is the word "Jewry." J-E-W-R-Y. You will find it not only in the Old Testament but you will find it in the New Testament as well. And the word "Jewry" actually indicates someone from Judea, that is from the land or from the country of Judea, from the southern kingdom. If you would turn in your Bibles, holding Matthew chapter 10, but turn to the book of Daniel chapter 5, and then we'll go to the book of Luke. But look in Daniel chapter 5. Notice if you would please verse 13. Daniel 5 and verse 13. In the book of Daniel, chapter 5, verse 13. And I want you to notice what Belshazzar asked Daniel. Daniel 5 and verse 13. Belshazzar the king says this,

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:13

"Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?" So notice if you would, "the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry."

So Jewry is synonymous with Judah.

In other words, the land of Judea. So anyone from Judea is here referred to as Jewry. And so it's identical. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations, I'm sorry, the book of Luke, chapter 23 and verse 5. Luke 23 and verse 5. I suppose sometimes you might could say that the term "Jewry" might be enlarged to refer to anyone who held the religion of Judaism wherever they were located in the land, but primarily it refers to anyone from Judea. Notice in Luke chapter 23, if you would please, and verse 5, the Bible says this. In fact, look at verse 4.

"Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry," that is all the southern kingdom, "beginning from Galilee to this place." So he began in Galilee where, of course, he lived. And now he's come down into the southern kingdom, into Judea. And so here the word "Jewry," of course, refers again to the southern kingdom. I suppose by extension, you could say that it would refer to anyone who embraced Judaism in any part of that country, but primarily it refers then to Judah and the southern kingdom.

Now, Strong says this, Augustus Hopkins Strong, who was a Baptist preacher, and Strong's Concordance, that's how it comes together, but he says this, in the narrow sense of the word, the word "Jew" refers to the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of Jordan, the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Berea, and Edomia. In a broader sense, he said it could refer to all Palestine. But it refers primarily, and in the narrow sense, to the southern kingdom as well. Now, if you look in John chapter 7 and verse 1, you'll see the term "Jewry" again. And obviously, in this context, it refers only to Judea, to the southern kingdom. Notice, if you would, John 7 and verse 1. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — John 7:1

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee." Now, if you look at your maps, you will find that Galilee is in the northern kingdom. It's not in the southern kingdom. He said, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry," that is in the southern kingdom, in Judea, "because the Jews sought to kill him."

Now watch. "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest."

"For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world." Now, his brothers were egging him on, and here's why. Verse 5, "For neither did his brethren believe in him," that is, none of them were converted at that particular time. But note if you would, in verse 1 he says, "he would not walk in Jewry," that is in Judea, "because the Jews sought to kill him." He's back in the northern kingdom. Watch verse 3. "His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea," that would be Jewry, that would be the southern kingdom again. So obviously, the word "Jewry" here refers primarily to the southern kingdom, to the land of Judea.

The Twelve Apostles Listed

Matthew 10:1-4 lists the twelve apostles, noting alternate names used in the Gospels (e.g., Bartholomew/Nathanael, Thaddaeus/Jude).

Now, here are my questions for you today. And here are some of the things that I want to try to answer for you. First of all, can you name the 12 apostles? Secondly, how many of the 12 apostles, if any, were Jews? You see, we normally think of everybody who lived in that land as Jews. And that is certainly not true. What I'm going to show you and what I want you to learn, that anytime you see the word "Jew" or "Jews" in the Bible, not only must the context determine the usage of it, but the term literally has to be defined. Because, just because people went in and out of Judea, does not necessarily mean that they were Jews.

So, everyone in this room, could move to Africa. That would not necessarily make us Africans. It would not change the color of our skin. We would still be Americans, et cetera. And so people could come back and forth, and that does not mean that they were actually Judeans.

Now, look, if you would, please, in Matthew chapter 10, again, at the first four verses. Here are the 12 apostles' names. Notice in Matthew chapter 10 verse 1, "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."

Now, let me point something out that you need to be aware of. When you read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—you're going to find these twelve apostles listed many times. On some occasions, they are given different names, but they are one and the same. For instance, Peter is called Simon Peter, and sometimes he's called Cephas, which means a stone or a rock. So Peter is the same whether he's called Simon Peter or Cephas. Andrew, his brother, is referred to as Andrew in all four Gospels. Next you have James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Our Lord called them, in Mark 3 and verse 17, Boanerges, or sons of thunder. So James and John are usually referred to as James and John, but our Lord did call them Boanerges or sons of thunder, but that would refer to James and John. Then you have Philip and Bartholomew next. Philip is referred to as Philip in all four Gospels. And Bartholomew is referred to as Nathanael in the book of John.

Now, Pat asked me a question prior to the meeting, and I'm going to try to answer that just a little bit in this message. But you're going to find that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. And you should be asking yourself, well, why is he called Nathanael in one place and Bartholomew in another place? Well, there's an answer. Thomas, in the Bible, is referred to as Thomas with the exception that in the book of John, he is called Thomas Didymus. Sometimes, just Didymus. One is the Hebrew name, one is the Greek name, and incidentally, both in the Hebrew and the Greek, the name means twin. So obviously, Thomas Didymus was a twin. So, but he's called Thomas or Thomas Didymus or Didymus throughout the Bible. Okay. The word, the name Matthew, Matthew the publican, Matthew the tax collector. He's referred to Matthew and as Matthew in all four Gospels.

Then you have James, the son of Alphaeus. That is the only name used for him in all four Gospels. Thaddeus is also called Jude in the book of Luke and John. So you have one person, but he goes by two names, Thaddeus and Jude. Actually, you could say three, because sometimes it's referred to as Judas. But Judas and Jude would be the same. But it's one person under two names. Then Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. So Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot are one and the same. And lastly, of course, you have Judas Iscariot, who is simply referred to as Judas Iscariot, with the exception in the book of John, John 12 in verse 2 and John 13 in verse 4, he's also referred to as Simon's son. So Judas Iscariot is referred to as Simon's son.

So the question we have to ask today is this, were any of these apostles Jews? Were any of them Judahites? Were any of them from the tribe of Judah or from the land of Judea?

Galilean Origins of the First Apostles

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen called from the Sea of Galilee, proving they were Galileans, not Judeans.

So in the middle of verse two, the first Simon, who's called Peter and Andrew, his brother, James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the publican, James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. So, let's have Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, because obviously two brothers are going to be from the same place as well. So if you would look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. The Bible says, "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers." Well, now if you'd look at that map that you have, you see Galilee is way up in the northern kingdom. And here are men who are living and working in the northern kingdom. So obviously when our Lord calls Simon Peter and Andrew his brother, they are Galileans.

Because that's where they lived, that's where they worked. So, Simon Peter and Andrew were not Jews, in that sense of the word, they were Galileans. Okay? Well, we have two brothers next, James and John. How about them? Well, let's keep reading. Verse 19, Matthew 4.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 4:18-22

"And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And immediately, they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him."

So the first four disciples are Galileans. They were fishermen.

They were fishing the sea of Galilee. So we know that Peter and Andrew were not Jews, they were Galileans. We know that James and John were not Jews, they were Galileans as well.

Philip and Nathanael (Bartholomew) Are Galileans

Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee; Nathanael was from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2). Nathanael's alternate name Bartholomew means 'son of Talmai.'

Now, the next two that you have in Matthew chapter 10 happen to be Philip and Nathanael. Philip and Nathanael. And I told you that Nathanael also goes by the name of Bartholomew. So, look in your Bibles to the book of John chapter 1. John chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 43. John chapter 1, verse 43. "The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee." Wow. "And he findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me." Now watch.

"Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter." Now, Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter is in Galilee. That's why I told you they were Galileans. Now we find that Philip is of the same city in Galilee. So Philip then is indeed a Galilean. Well, what about Nathanael? Look in verse 45. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael saith unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said unto him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel."

Now, let me just point something out. If our Lord has found Philip in Galilee, and Philip turns right around and finds Nathanael, where do you think Nathanael is going to be from? Galilee. Now, look in John 21. John 21, at verses 1 and 2. John 21, verses 1 and 2. Watch verse 1.

John 21 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — John 21:1-2

"After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias."

Whoa! Where in the world is the Sea of Tiberias? Anybody know? The Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee are one and the same. One and the same. You knew it, didn't you, David? That's good. All right.

Scripture Reading — John 21:1-2

"So after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on this wise showed himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and the two other disciples."

That seals it. We know that Nathanael is from Galilee. He's from Cana in Galilee.

That is in the Northern Kingdom. Now, let me ask a question. Why is Nathanael sometimes called Bartholomew? Pat asked me, he said, why is it that none of the people in the New Testament, or Old Testament particularly, had last names? They probably did, but you have to understand that the last names originated not only from fathers, but also from occupations. For instance, you remember Christ referred to Peter as Simon Bar-Jonas. You remember that? There was a Simon the Sorcerer whose name was called Bar-Jesus. The Hebrew word bar actually means son of. It just so happens Nathanael's father would be like Talmai, so he would be Bar-Talmai or Bar-Tholomew, the son of Talmai. So someone could be referred to as the son of Patrick, or the son of Carly, you know, et cetera. So his first name would be Simon Jonas, Simon Barjona, or Simon the son of Jonah, et cetera. So in that sense, there were last names, but that's how last names basically develop. Same thing with occupations.

That's why, like Weaver. Guess what Weavers did in England? They wove. So that was just simple. But we also understand now that Nathanael is a Galilean. So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Has not been one Judean.

Matthew the Publican Was a Galilean

Jesus called Matthew while in His own city, Capernaum, which was in Galilee, making Matthew a Galilean.

Now, how about Matthew the Publican? Matthew the Publican. And I told the people this morning, sometimes you might hear me slip up and call Matthew the Republican. Because I had a pastor friend who had a son by the name of Matthew. And he was just a little kid, and he could not say Weaver. He called me John Beaver, John Beaver. And so I would just call him Matthew the Republican, just teasing him.

So I got in the habit of saying that. So, but it's Matthew the publican, and the publican was a tax collector, okay? So what about Matthew the publican? Well, look in Matthew chapter 9 in verse 1, and you're going to have to hold Matthew 9, because we're going to look at a lot of scripture right here just to nail this one down. So look at Matthew 9. In Matthew 9, the Bible says, "And he," that is Jesus Christ, "entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own country." Why? Or to his own city. He passed over, he entered a new ship, passed over and came into his own city. Now, in Matthew chapter 8, our Lord is in Gadara. And he cures the maniac of Gadara.

This is where he sends all the demons into the swine and they run violently over the cliff into the sea and drowned. So if you look in verse 34 of Matthew 8, "And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts." So he's on the coast, he's near the water. And so he comes and he crosses Lake Gennesaret. And he comes back, the Bible says in Matthew 9 in verse 1, into his own city. So the question has to be asked, where was his city? Do you know where our Lord lived? Well, now he was born and raised in Nazareth, but he didn't stay in Nazareth. Alright, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Mark chapter 2. Then we're going back to Matthew 4, so you might as well hold it. Look in Mark chapter 2, and notice if you would please verses 1 and 2. Mark chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. "And again, he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was noised that he was in the house," or his house. "And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door, and he preached the word unto them." So he comes into Capernaum, and he was in the house. Look in Matthew chapter 4, beginning there with verse 12. Matthew 4 and verse 12. Now let's read through verse 16. Matthew 4, verse 12. "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee." So he's going back into the northern kingdom. "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt" where? "In Capernaum." That's still in the northern kingdom. Watch. "Which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." So the Bible says when John got thrown into prison, our Lord departed out of Judea, he went back into Galilee, he came to Nazareth, but leaving Nazareth he dwelt in Capernaum. Now, I want you to look, if you would please, to Matthew 17 and verse 24. Matthew 17, verse 24. It's interesting, when you read this, the Bible says, in fact, verse 24, "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, Doth your master pay tribute?" You know the story there. But note where they came to. That is Capernaum. That is where our Lord was living. He lived in Capernaum. Now, go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 and look at verse 1. Then we're going to skip down just a few verses just so we will not have to read 6 or 7 verses. Watch if you would. Matthew 9 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 9:1, 9

"And he entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city."

Now the next part of this is our Lord is healing the palsy. A man that had the palsy. So look in verse 9. Remember he's in his own city. He's in Capernaum. "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him." If our Lord is in the northern kingdom at his own house in Capernaum, and Capernaum is a northern kingdom, and he walks out and he finds Matthew there, where would Matthew live? Capernaum. And Capernaum, he would be a Galilean as well. Capernaum was in Galilee, hence Matthew the Publican was indeed a Galilean. Isn't that interesting?

James the Less and Thaddaeus (Jude) Were Galileans

James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus/Jude were half-brothers of Jesus, raised in Nazareth of Galilee, thus Galileans.

There are no Jews so far in the apostles. All of them are Galileans. Wow. Well, what about James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus? Back in Matthew 10, verse 3, we read it like this. "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the Publican;" we've covered them. "James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus." Let me give you two quotes right quickly, and then I'm going to show you something.

The first one is from John Gill, the Baptist preacher and historian. He says this, "James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, the former of these, James the son of Alphaeus, is so called to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee. This is the James who was the brother of our Lord, Galatians 1 verse 19, and he is called James the Less." So James the Less was the brother of our Lord. Okay, now listen to this. The latter of this pair of apostles is the same person with Jude. So Thaddaeus is Jude or Judas. The writer of the epistle which bears that name and was the brother of James, with whom he is coupled. He was called Lebbeus, either from the town of Lebbeus, the coast in the town of Galilee, or as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, from the Hebrew word which means monarch, and others, either for his prudence or through the affections of his parents toward him. So, we have James, the son of Alphaeus, who is known as James the Less, who was the brother of our Lord, and then you have Thaddaeus, who was also known as Jude.

Now, let me ask you a question. If James and Jude were brothers, and they were the half-brothers of our Lord, and if our Lord lived in Nazareth and Galilee, where do you think his brothers would be raised? Okay. Now, let me show you something. I want you to look in the book of Jude very quickly. I love this. I want you to see a good illustration of biblical humility. I want to read to you one quote before I show you this verse. I want you to watch this. Here's the quote. This was from Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. "Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, the same without doubt, is Judas, the brother of James, mentioned in both the list of Luke and Acts." He says, "This Lebbeus or Thaddaeus is he who John calls in John 14, verse 22, sweetly Judas, not Iscariot. That he was the author of the epistle of Jude and most likely our Lord's brother." Now, we know that James, now watch this, before I look at this, let me show you. Look in Galatians 1 verse 19. Turn to Galatians 1 verse 19.

Then we're going right back to Jesus. Look in Galatians chapter 1. Galatians 1 verse 19. Look what the Apostle Paul says. Galatians 1 verse 19.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 1:19

"But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother."

So we know that James was an apostle. And we know that he was the Lord's brother, do we not? Now, look in the book of Jude and verse 1. I love this. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Notice Jude didn't say, "Hey, I'm the brother of Jesus Christ." No. He said, "I'm the servant of Jesus Christ. I'm the brother of James." Isn't that amazing? I'm the brother of James. James happens to be the brother of Christ, but, you know, I'm the brother of James. I am a servant of Jesus Christ. Now, if you will go in your Bibles to Matthew 13, and look at verse, oh, let's see, let's start reading in verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54.

Watch.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-57

"And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas, or Jude, and his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" "And they were offended in him."

But note, if you would, there's James and there's Jude, both listed. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1. And let's look at verse 13. Acts 1 and verse 13. Here it is again. Acts 1, verse 13. "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James." Then if you look in your Bibles to Acts 15 and verse 27. Acts 15 verse 27. I'm just wondering if this is indeed the same Judas who would be our Lord's brother. Notice, if you would, in Acts 15 verse 27, "We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth." Skip down to verse 32, "And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words and confirmed them." Then if you will look back in your Bibles to Luke chapter 6.

I'm still trying to tie all this together for you. Look at Luke chapter 6, verses 13 through 16. Luke 6, verse 13. Just trying to show you James and Jude, or Thaddaeus, or Lebbeus, all one and the same. Luke 6, verse 13, "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, who would be Nathanael, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor." So obviously, James and Jude would be Galileans because that's where the family was raised.

Simon the Canaanite Was a Galilean

Simon the Canaanite (Zealot) was likely from Cana in Galilee, and Galileans were distinguished by their accent (Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70).

So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Now, note if you would, Simon the Canaanite. Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. That is, he was known for his zeal. The term Canaanite is an Aramaic term for zealot. So before he met our Lord, and before he was converted in all probability, he was some type of voluntary ecclesiastical police who went around trying to make sure that the law was enforced. There were also some zealots who fought against the Roman Empire, who really did not like the Roman Empire at all. It could also be that Simon is called Simon the Canaanite because he could have been from Cana in Galilee. So he would have been a Galilean.

By the way, I want to show you something. The Galileans were distinguished from the Judeans by their accent or by their speech. You remember in the book of Judges, where there was a war, and here, some of one tribe was trying to cross the river. And the other said, "You have to say Shibboleth before I let you across." And they couldn't say it. And that's how they knew that they were the ones they were supposed to kill. They would say Sibboleth. They could not pronounce Shibboleth.

So there were differences in accents. We tend to think sometimes that, well, everybody had to speak a lot because they either spoke Greek or they spoke Hebrew or they spoke Aramaic. No, it's just like in America. Everybody has a different accent. I never will forget, we were, I was preaching in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we met this one family, two brothers and a sister, and so help me, each one of those three children had a different accent. I couldn't believe it. But they did, each one had a different accent.

But I was traveling years ago, and I had to land in Boston, Massachusetts. And at that time, I had to change planes, and Eastern Airlines was still in existence. And so I walked up to—it looked like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but it was a Boston state trooper. He was standing there, and he had the leather down to the chest like this. And he had the chin strap on with his hat on, his sidearm there. And I walked up to him, and I said, "Could you please tell me how to get to Eastern Airlines?" And he answered me. And I stood there dumbfounded. And finally I said, "Pardon?" And he answered again. And finally I said, "Thank you," and walked off, and I'm yet to this day to understand a word that he said, and he was speaking English. It was that Boston brogue was so thick, I could not understand it. I have a good friend who's from New Hampshire, and I've spoken to another man recently from New Hampshire, and they talk about the "haht." The "haht." Not the heart, the "haht."

You know, just everything is totally, absolutely different. Well, it's the same way in the Bible. The people in the northern kingdom did not talk like the people in the southern kingdom. There was a difference in their speech. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 26. Then we're going to Mark 14. So look in Matthew 26 and notice verse 73. You remember how Peter is denying our Lord.

He denied Him three times before the cock crew. Now watch. Matthew 26 and look, if you would please, at verse 73. "And after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee." Here's what they said. "You don't talk like we do. You're different. Your speech is betraying you." Look at Mark chapter 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 verse 70.

By the way, all the Yankees think that we Southerners have deep and bad accents. We also think that they have deep and bad accents, but that's OK. So look, if you would, Mark chapter 14 and verse 70 again. "And he denied it again. And a little after that, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto." They said, "You can't fool us. We know you're a Galilean. We know you're one of those disciples of Jesus Christ, because your speech agrees to their speech. You sound like them. You are one of them." So, so far we've found that all of our Lord's disciples have been Galileans. There's one that is left. That's Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of our Lord. He sold our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot was not a Galilean. He was a Jew. He was a Judean. Simon's son, Judas Iscariot—His name tells you the place where He was born and the location of His residence. Judas Iscariot.

Judas Iscariot: The Only Judean Apostle

Judas Iscariot was from Kerioth, a city in the inheritance of Judah (Joshua 15:20-25), making him the only Judean among the twelve.

Kerioth was the city that He was from. I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 15. If you have your map with you, and you look at that map, you will find that Kerioth was a village located about 10 miles south of Hebron toward the land of Edom. So it is in the land of Judea. Notice, if you would please, Joshua chapter 15, and we're going to begin reading there with verse 20. 15, and notice if you would please, verse 20.

The Bible says, "This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families." So we've got here the children of Judah. This is their inheritance. So we find that Judas Iscariot was of the tribe of Judah. He lived in his inheritance. Watch, if you would, verse 21. Now we're getting into their inheritance. "And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, and Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, and Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor." So Kerioth belonged to the tribe of Judah.

It was in the land of Judea. So the only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.

The Apostles Identified as Galileans After the Ascension

At the ascension (Acts 1:11) and Pentecost (Acts 2:7), the apostles are addressed as 'men of Galilee,' confirming all eleven remaining were Galileans.

Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts. Look in the book of Acts. It's amazing how many times we read over things and do not put two and two together. But in the book of Acts chapter 1, look at verses 1 and 2. "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen." Now, I want to call your attention to that phrase. "He had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen."

Now, in this passage, our Lord is about to be received up into heaven. So, let's begin in verse 8, before He's received up into heaven. He tells His disciples, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Now remember, he's talking to his apostles, his apostles. "You men, you Jews"—is that what he said? No. "You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven?" All of the apostles were Galileans, except Judas. At this point, Judas had hanged himself.

He was no longer there. Look, if you would please, in Acts chapter 2. Here is the day of Pentecost. This is when the power of God fell. Three thousand people were converted on this one day. Notice, if you would please, the Bible says in verse 6, "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" What were the apostles? They were Galileans. The only Jew is the one who betrayed Christ.

Conclusion: Only the Betrayer Was a Jew

Only Judas Iscariot was a Judean; John 1:11 takes on new meaning—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—His own tribe betrayed Him.

Now, I want to show you something. I can quote this verse, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to John 1 and look at verse 11. Since you understand that Judas was a Judean, Judas, the only apostle that was a Judean, is the one that betrayed Christ. And if you understand that, it should give new meaning for you, John 1:11. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him. Wow.

So how many of our Lord's disciples were Jews? Only one. And that was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. We must always learn to define the word "Jew." Always allow the context to interpret the word. Words have meanings. And as I pointed out in the first message, you could only be a Judean either by being born of the tribe of Judah or living in the land of Judea. And Benjamin, as well as Simeon, had their inheritance in the land of Judea, along with the tribe of Judah. So literally, only the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribe of Simeon could be true Judeans, because they were the only ones who lived in the southern kingdom. And when you look in 2 Kings 16:6, when the Assyrians drave out the Jews from Elath, they were driving out the men in the southern kingdom who had occupied that fort. So, it's interesting when you look, and I'm going to show you before I end this short series, how even the disciples looked at our Lord and said, "No, you're not," because the Jews sought to kill you.

What are they saying? "We're not that bunch. We're not of them." And they were not, because they were Galileans. Let's pray. Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your truth. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. And Lord, teach us, we pray, and build us up in the most holy faith. And help us, Lord, to discern Your Word, and teach us and build us up, Father. May Your name be honored and glorified through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Definition of 'Jew' in Scripture

Summary: The term 'Jew' must be defined contextually as either a descendant of Judah, an inhabitant of Judea, or an adherent of Judaism.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Hebrew 'Yehudi' and Greek 'Ioudaios,' and uses 'Jewry' to refer to the land of Judea (Daniel 5:13; Luke 23:5; John 7:1).

Galilean Identity of the Apostles

Summary: Eleven of the twelve apostles were Galileans from the northern kingdom, not Judeans, as shown by their places of origin and calling.

Evidence: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael, Matthew, James the Less, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite are all traced to Galilee.

Judas Iscariot as the Sole Judean Apostle

Summary: Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, was the only apostle from Judea, specifically from Kerioth in the tribe of Judah.

Evidence: Joshua 15:20-25 lists Kerioth as a city of Judah's inheritance; Judas is called Iscariot, meaning 'man of Kerioth.'

Opposition Between Christianity and Judaism

Summary: Christianity and Judaism are opposites; the apostles were followers of Christ, not adherents of Judaism, and there is no 'Judeo-Christian' heritage.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Christianity and Judaism are opposites... there's no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage.'

Jesus Was Not a Religious Jew

Summary: Jesus was of the tribe of Judah by birth but did not embrace Judaism; He opposed the Jews' religion and traditions.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'He was not religiously a Jew. The Jews were his enemies... because he was against their religion.'

Key Arguments

Context Determines the Meaning of 'Jew'

Summary: The word 'Jew' can refer to a Judahite, a Judean, or a follower of Judaism; context must dictate its usage.

Evidence: Weaver explains multiple uses: tribe, land, nation, or religion, citing 2 Kings 16:6 and Strong's definition.

The Apostles Were Galileans, Not Jews

Summary: All apostles except Judas were from Galilee, as proven by their call narratives and geographic references.

Evidence: Matthew 4:18-22 shows the first four called by the Sea of Galilee; John 1:43-44 places Philip in Bethsaida of Galilee.

Judas Iscariot's Judean Origin Explains John 1:11

Summary: John 1:11—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—refers to Jesus being rejected by His own tribe, epitomized by Judas.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him,' linking Judas's tribe to the rejection.

Galileans Were Distinguished by Speech

Summary: Peter's Galilean accent betrayed him at Jesus' trial, showing a clear distinction between Galileans and Judeans.

Evidence: Matthew 26:73 and Mark 14:70 record that Peter's speech identified him as a Galilean.

Jesus' Brothers James and Jude Were Apostles and Galileans

Summary: James the Less and Thaddaeus (Jude) were half-brothers of Jesus, raised in Nazareth, and thus Galileans.

Evidence: Galatians 1:19 calls James 'the Lord's brother'; Matthew 13:55 lists James and Judas among Jesus' brothers.

Scripture References

Matthew 10:1-4

Context: The listing of the twelve apostles, used as the primary text for the message.

Matthew 1:1

Context: Jesus Christ is the son of David, establishing His right to be King of the Jews.

Psalm 2:6-7

Context: God ordained Jesus as King on Zion, declaring Him His Son.

2 Kings 16:6

Context: The first occurrence of the word 'Jew' in the Bible, referring to those driven from Elath.

Daniel 5:13

Context: Belshazzar refers to Daniel as one of the captivity of Judah brought out of 'Jewry,' equating Jewry with Judah.

Luke 23:5

Context: The chief priests accuse Jesus of stirring up the people throughout all 'Jewry,' meaning Judea.

John 7:1

Context: Jesus walked in Galilee, not in 'Jewry' (Judea), because the Jews sought to kill Him.

Matthew 4:18-22

Context: Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John by the Sea of Galilee, showing they were Galilean fishermen.

John 1:43-47

Context: Philip is from Bethsaida in Galilee; he finds Nathanael, and Jesus calls Nathanael 'an Israelite indeed.'

John 21:1-2

Context: Nathanael is identified as being from Cana in Galilee, confirming his Galilean origin.

Matthew 9:1, 9

Context: Jesus returns to His own city (Capernaum) and calls Matthew, indicating Matthew was a Galilean.

Mark 2:1

Context: Jesus was in the house in Capernaum, confirming it as His city.

Matthew 4:12-16

Context: Jesus left Nazareth and dwelt in Capernaum, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy about Galilee.

Galatians 1:19

Context: Paul saw James the Lord's brother, identifying James as an apostle and Jesus' half-brother.

Jude 1

Context: Jude identifies himself as the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, showing humility.

Matthew 13:54-57

Context: Jesus' brothers are named as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, confirming their Galilean upbringing.

Acts 1:13

Context: Lists the apostles including 'Judas the brother of James,' linking Thaddaeus/Jude to Jesus' family.

Joshua 15:20-25

Context: Kerioth is listed among the cities of Judah's inheritance, proving Judas Iscariot was a Judean.

Acts 1:11

Context: The angels address the apostles as 'Ye men of Galilee,' confirming all remaining were Galileans.

Acts 2:7

Context: At Pentecost, the crowd asks, 'Are not all these which speak Galilaeans?' identifying the apostles as Galileans.

Historical References

Augustus Hopkins Strong (Strong's Concordance)

Context: Cited for the definition of 'Jew' in the narrow sense as referring to the southern portion of Palestine.

John Gill (Baptist preacher and historian)

Context: Quoted regarding James the son of Alphaeus being James the Less, the brother of our Lord.

Dr. Lightfoot

Context: Cited by Gill regarding the possible meaning of 'Lebbaeus' from a Hebrew word meaning monarch.

Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary

Context: Quoted to confirm that Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus is Judas the brother of James and likely the author of Jude.

Important Quotes

He's the King of the Jews simply because He is the true son of David.

Significance: Summarizes the basis for Jesus' kingship over the Jews, rooted in His Davidic lineage rather than geography.

Jesus Christ was a Judean by birth, but he was not a Jew, because Judaism is a religion.

Significance: Key distinction between ethnic origin and religious affiliation, central to Weaver's argument.

Christianity and Judaism are opposites. They are not complementary to each other, they are absolutely opposites.

Significance: Establishes the irreconcilable nature of the two faiths, rejecting any 'Judeo-Christian' synthesis.

The only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.

Significance: The central thesis of the message, highlighting the singular Judean identity of Judas Iscariot.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him.

Significance: Reinterprets John 1:11 in light of Judas's tribal identity, emphasizing the rejection by Jesus' own tribe.

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?

Significance: The angels' address at the ascension confirms the Galilean identity of the remaining apostles.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding the different meanings of 'Jew' (tribal, geographical, religious) affect your reading of the New Testament?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that context must determine whether 'Jew' refers to a Judahite, Judean, or adherent of Judaism.

Why is it significant that eleven of the twelve apostles were Galileans rather than Judeans?

Context: The message traces the geographic origins of each apostle to show they were from the northern kingdom.

In what ways does Judas Iscariot's identity as the only Judean apostle shape our understanding of his betrayal?

Context: Weaver argues that Judas being from the tribe of Judah gives new meaning to John 1:11.

How does the distinction between Galilean and Judean speech (Matthew 26:73) illustrate the cultural divisions in first-century Israel?

Context: Peter's accent betrayed him as a Galilean, showing that regional identity was recognizable.

What does Jude's self-identification as 'brother of James' rather than 'brother of Jesus' teach about biblical humility?

Context: Weaver highlights Jude 1 as an example of humility, not claiming direct familial relation to Christ.

Applications

Define Biblical Terms Carefully

Summary: Always allow the context to define the word 'Jew' and other biblical terms, rather than imposing modern assumptions.

Evidence: Weaver stresses, 'We must always learn to define the word Jew. Always allow the context to interpret the word.'

Recognize the Opposition Between Christianity and Judaism

Summary: Understand that Christianity and Judaism are not complementary; embracing Christ means leaving Judaism behind.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'When someone embraced Jesus Christ in the New Testament, he left Judaism behind.'

Emulate Biblical Humility

Summary: Like Jude, who called himself a servant of Christ and brother of James, we should avoid self-exaltation.

Evidence: Jude 1: 'Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James'—Weaver notes he did not boast of being Jesus' brother.

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Clean Transcript

Jews, Judaism And Christianity - Part 2 of 5

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Well, let's open our Bibles, if you would please, today to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. I started a brief series. It's going to be actually five messages, which I entitled, "Jews, Judaism, and Christianity." And so I'm going to ask that you turn to Matthew chapter 10. This is the second part today. And let's begin reading there in verse 1. Matthew 10 and verse 1. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him." Now if you've not heard the first message in this series, I would ask that you would listen to it so that you may follow us in this study.
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I am going to review momentarily today, but my review is not going to take the place of the listening to the first message as well. Because in the first message, I pointed out that Jesus Christ was indeed the King of the Jews. But I also pointed out the fact that he was not King of the Jews just simply because he was born in Bethlehem of Judea. And I pointed out our Lord was conceived in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom. He came only to Bethlehem in Judea to be born.
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He stayed there less than two years. And when his parents took him to Egypt, then he came back and went and was raised in Nazareth, which is in the northern kingdom and in the area of Galilee at that particular time. So how then could Jesus Christ be called the King of the Jews when he was only in Judea for less than two years? And the answer is he's the King of the Jews simply because He is the true son of David. Matthew 1:1 says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." So he's not only the true son of David, as in the book of Luke, the angel told Mary there that he would have the throne of his father, David. So he is the true son of David. Solomon was the type, Christ is the anti-type. Moreover, we found in Psalm 2 and verses 6 and 7, that Jesus Christ was ordained King by God His Father. Because the Bible says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion."
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"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Now, I pointed this out last week, and I want to make it clear again. That Jesus Christ was a Judean by birth, but he was not a Jew, because Judaism is a religion. He was born of the tribe of Judah. He was born in the land of Judea, but he was not religiously a Jew.
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The Jews were his enemies. They were the ones that hated him, despised him, and crucified him. And the reason they did so was because he was against their religion. He was against their Talmudic traditions and rituals.
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Now, let me try to tell you, again, how the word "Jew" is used in the Bible. And by the way, I pointed it out last week, the very first time the word occurred is in 2 Kings chapter 16 and verse 6. So Abraham was not a Jew. Abraham was a Chaldean. He came out of Chaldea. Okay, so here is how the word is used. The Hebrew word is Yehudi and it refers to a Judahite or a descendant of Judah. It is used in the Bible to describe a person or persons from the tribe of Judah or it refers to the kingdom of Judah or the land of Judah or Judea, or the nation of Judah, or the house of Judah, or anyone belonging to the tribe, land, nation, or the house of Judah, these may be called Judahites. OK? Also, it will refer to in the Bible anyone who is of the religion of the Jews, which I showed you that in the last message as well.
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In the New Testament, the Greek word is Ioudaios, and it literally means Judean, in the sense of a country or land or someone from the nation or country or tribe of Judea.
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Now there is another word that the Bible uses that I have not used yet and I want to show you this word. It is the word "Jewry." J-E-W-R-Y. You will find it not only in the Old Testament but you will find it in the New Testament as well. And the word "Jewry" actually indicates someone from Judea, that is from the land or from the country of Judea, from the southern kingdom.
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If you would turn in your Bibles, holding Matthew chapter 10, but turn to the book of Daniel chapter 5, and then we'll go to the book of Luke. But look in Daniel chapter 5. Notice if you would please verse 13. Daniel 5 and verse 13. In the book of Daniel, chapter 5, verse 13. And I want you to notice what Belshazzar asked Daniel. Daniel 5 and verse 13. Belshazzar the king says this, "Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?" So notice if you would, "the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry." So Jewry is synonymous with Judah.
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In other words, the land of Judea. So anyone from Judea is here referred to as Jewry. And so it's identical. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations, I'm sorry, the book of Luke, chapter 23 and verse 5. Luke 23 and verse 5. I suppose sometimes you might could say that the term "Jewry" might be enlarged to refer to anyone who held the religion of Judaism wherever they were located in the land, but primarily it refers to anyone from Judea. Notice in Luke chapter 23, if you would please, and verse 5, the Bible says this. In fact, look at verse 4.
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"Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry," that is all the southern kingdom, "beginning from Galilee to this place." So he began in Galilee where, of course, he lived. And now he's come down into the southern kingdom, into Judea. And so here the word "Jewry," of course, refers again to the southern kingdom. I suppose by extension, you could say that it would refer to anyone who embraced Judaism in any part of that country, but primarily it refers then to Judah and the southern kingdom.
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Now, Strong says this, Augustus Hopkins Strong, who was a Baptist preacher, and Strong's Concordance, that's how it comes together, but he says this, in the narrow sense of the word, the word "Jew" refers to the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of Jordan, the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Berea, and Edomia. In a broader sense, he said it could refer to all Palestine. But it refers primarily, and in the narrow sense, to the southern kingdom as well.
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Now, if you look in John chapter 7 and verse 1, you'll see the term "Jewry" again. And obviously, in this context, it refers only to Judea, to the southern kingdom. Notice, if you would, John 7 and verse 1. The Bible says, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee." Now, if you look at your maps, you will find that Galilee is in the northern kingdom. It's not in the southern kingdom. He said, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry," that is in the southern kingdom, in Judea, "because the Jews sought to kill him." Now watch. "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest."
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"For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world."
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Now, his brothers were egging him on, and here's why. Verse 5, "For neither did his brethren believe in him," that is, none of them were converted at that particular time. But note if you would, in verse 1 he says, "he would not walk in Jewry," that is in Judea, "because the Jews sought to kill him." He's back in the northern kingdom. Watch verse 3. "His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea," that would be Jewry, that would be the southern kingdom again. So obviously, the word "Jewry" here refers primarily to the southern kingdom, to the land of Judea.
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Now, here are my questions for you today. And here are some of the things that I want to try to answer for you. First of all, can you name the 12 apostles? Secondly, how many of the 12 apostles, if any, were Jews? You see, we normally think of everybody who lived in that land as Jews. And that is certainly not true. What I'm going to show you and what I want you to learn, that anytime you see the word "Jew" or "Jews" in the Bible, not only must the context determine the usage of it, but the term literally has to be defined. Because, just because people went in and out of Judea, does not necessarily mean that they were Jews.
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So, everyone in this room, could move to Africa. That would not necessarily make us Africans. It would not change the color of our skin. We would still be Americans, et cetera. And so people could come back and forth, and that does not mean that they were actually Judeans.
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Now, look, if you would, please, in Matthew chapter 10, again, at the first four verses. Here are the 12 apostles' names. Notice in Matthew chapter 10 verse 1, "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."
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Now, let me point something out that you need to be aware of. When you read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—you're going to find these twelve apostles listed many times. On some occasions, they are given different names, but they are one and the same. For instance, Peter is called Simon Peter, and sometimes he's called Cephas, which means a stone or a rock. So Peter is the same whether he's called Simon Peter or Cephas. Andrew, his brother, is referred to as Andrew in all four Gospels. Next you have James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Our Lord called them, in Mark 3 and verse 17, Boanerges, or sons of thunder. So James and John are usually referred to as James and John, but our Lord did call them Boanerges or sons of thunder, but that would refer to James and John. Then you have Philip and Bartholomew next. Philip is referred to as Philip in all four Gospels. And Bartholomew is referred to as Nathanael in the book of John.
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Now, Pat asked me a question prior to the meeting, and I'm going to try to answer that just a little bit in this message. But you're going to find that Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. And you should be asking yourself, well, why is he called Nathanael in one place and Bartholomew in another place? Well, there's an answer. Thomas, in the Bible, is referred to as Thomas with the exception that in the book of John, he is called Thomas Didymus. Sometimes, just Didymus. One is the Hebrew name, one is the Greek name, and incidentally, both in the Hebrew and the Greek, the name means twin. So obviously, Thomas Didymus was a twin. So, but he's called Thomas or Thomas Didymus or Didymus throughout the Bible. Okay. The word, the name Matthew, Matthew the publican, Matthew the tax collector. He's referred to Matthew and as Matthew in all four Gospels.
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Then you have James, the son of Alphaeus. That is the only name used for him in all four Gospels. Thaddeus is also called Jude in the book of Luke and John. So you have one person, but he goes by two names, Thaddeus and Jude. Actually, you could say three, because sometimes it's referred to as Judas. But Judas and Jude would be the same. But it's one person under two names. Then Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. So Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot are one and the same. And lastly, of course, you have Judas Iscariot, who is simply referred to as Judas Iscariot, with the exception in the book of John, John 12 in verse 2 and John 13 in verse 4, he's also referred to as Simon's son. So Judas Iscariot is referred to as Simon's son.
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So the question we have to ask today is this, were any of these apostles Jews? Were any of them Judahites? Were any of them from the tribe of Judah or from the land of Judea?
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Now, if you would stop and think with me just for a moment. I said that Jesus Christ came of the tribe of Judah. He was born in the land of Judea, that is in the southern kingdom. But that Jesus Christ was not a Jew. And by that I mean he did not embrace Judaism, he did not embrace the Jews' religion. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians how that he profited in the Jews' religion above many of my equals. So if Jesus Christ then was not a Jew in this sense that he embraced Judaism, obviously his apostles, his disciples are not going to embrace Judaism either. Now they would just simply be followers of Christ or disciples of Christ. The truth of the matter is, when someone embraced Jesus Christ in the New Testament, he left Judaism behind. You remember I told you in the first message that Christianity and Judaism are opposites. They are not complementary to each other, they are absolutely opposites.
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Now I know that the Scripture teaches us in Acts 11 and verse 26, that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. Well, what are you going to call the Twelve Apostles? The only thing that you could call them would be Christians and or followers of Christ or disciples of Christ. But they would not be classified as Jews because there is no middle ground between Judaism and Christianity. And I pointed out in the first message that there's no such thing as a Judeo-Christian heritage. That's an oxymoron. That is a contradiction. We might have an Israelite Christian heritage, or a Hebrew Christian heritage, or an Old Testament Christian heritage, but not a Judeo-Christian heritage, because Judaism and Christianity are at opposite poles. Now, it's important to see what Scripture says concerning the twelve apostles. So, if you look at Matthew chapter 10 again, and let's just begin in the middle of verse two, because here we are naming them. And I'm going to take these one at the time or two at the time, especially if they're brothers or if they're coupled together.
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So in the middle of verse two, the first Simon, who's called Peter and Andrew, his brother, James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the publican, James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. So, let's have Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, because obviously two brothers are going to be from the same place as well. So if you would look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. The Bible says, "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers." Well, now if you'd look at that map that you have, you see Galilee is way up in the northern kingdom. And here are men who are living and working in the northern kingdom. So obviously when our Lord calls Simon Peter and Andrew his brother, they are Galileans.
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Because that's where they lived, that's where they worked. So, Simon Peter and Andrew were not Jews, in that sense of the word, they were Galileans. Okay? Well, we have two brothers next, James and John. How about them? Well, let's keep reading. Verse 19, Matthew 4. "And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And immediately, they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him." So the first four disciples are Galileans. They were fishermen.
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They were fishing the sea of Galilee. So we know that Peter and Andrew were not Jews, they were Galileans. We know that James and John were not Jews, they were Galileans as well.
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Now, the next two that you have in Matthew chapter 10 happen to be Philip and Nathanael. Philip and Nathanael. And I told you that Nathanael also goes by the name of Bartholomew. So, look in your Bibles to the book of John chapter 1. John chapter 1. And let's begin reading there with verse 43. John chapter 1, verse 43. "The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee." Wow. "And he findeth Philip and saith unto him, Follow me." Now watch.
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"Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter." Now, Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter is in Galilee. That's why I told you they were Galileans. Now we find that Philip is of the same city in Galilee. So Philip then is indeed a Galilean. Well, what about Nathanael? Look in verse 45. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael saith unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said unto him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. Nathanael said unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel."
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Now, let me just point something out. If our Lord has found Philip in Galilee, and Philip turns right around and finds Nathanael, where do you think Nathanael is going to be from? Galilee.
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Now, look in John 21. John 21, at verses 1 and 2. John 21, verses 1 and 2. Watch verse 1.
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John 21 verse 1. "After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias." Whoa! Where in the world is the Sea of Tiberias? Anybody know? The Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee are one and the same. One and the same. You knew it, didn't you, David? That's good. All right. "So after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on this wise showed himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and the two other disciples." That seals it. We know that Nathanael is from Galilee. He's from Cana in Galilee.
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That is in the Northern Kingdom. Now, let me ask a question. Why is Nathanael sometimes called Bartholomew? Pat asked me, he said, why is it that none of the people in the New Testament, or Old Testament particularly, had last names? They probably did, but you have to understand that the last names originated not only from fathers, but also from occupations. For instance, you remember Christ referred to Peter as Simon Bar-Jonas. You remember that? There was a Simon the Sorcerer whose name was called Bar-Jesus. The Hebrew word bar actually means son of. It just so happens Nathanael's father would be like Talmai, so he would be Bar-Talmai or Bar-Tholomew, the son of Talmai. So someone could be referred to as the son of Patrick, or the son of Carly, you know, et cetera. So his first name would be Simon Jonas, Simon Barjona, or Simon the son of Jonah, et cetera. So in that sense, there were last names, but that's how last names basically develop. Same thing with occupations.
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That's why, like Weaver. Guess what Weavers did in England? They wove. So that was just simple. But we also understand now that Nathanael is a Galilean. So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Has not been one Judean.
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Now, how about Matthew the Publican? Matthew the Publican. And I told the people this morning, sometimes you might hear me slip up and call Matthew the Republican. Because I had a pastor friend who had a son by the name of Matthew. And he was just a little kid, and he could not say Weaver. He called me John Beaver, John Beaver. And so I would just call him Matthew the Republican, just teasing him.
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So I got in the habit of saying that. So, but it's Matthew the publican, and the publican was a tax collector, okay? So what about Matthew the publican? Well, look in Matthew chapter 9 in verse 1, and you're going to have to hold Matthew 9, because we're going to look at a lot of scripture right here just to nail this one down. So look at Matthew 9. In Matthew 9, the Bible says, "And he," that is Jesus Christ, "entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own country." Why? Or to his own city. He passed over, he entered a new ship, passed over and came into his own city. Now, in Matthew chapter 8, our Lord is in Gadara. And he cures the maniac of Gadara.
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This is where he sends all the demons into the swine and they run violently over the cliff into the sea and drowned. So if you look in verse 34 of Matthew 8, "And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts." So he's on the coast, he's near the water.
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And so he comes and he crosses Lake Gennesaret. And he comes back, the Bible says in Matthew 9 in verse 1, into his own city. So the question has to be asked, where was his city? Do you know where our Lord lived? Well, now he was born and raised in Nazareth, but he didn't stay in Nazareth. Alright, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Mark chapter 2. Then we're going back to Matthew 4, so you might as well hold it. Look in Mark chapter 2, and notice if you would please verses 1 and 2. Mark chapter 2, verses 1 and 2.
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"And again, he entered into Capernaum after some days, and it was noised that he was in the house," or his house. "And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door, and he preached the word unto them." So he comes into Capernaum, and he was in the house. Look in Matthew chapter 4, beginning there with verse 12. Matthew 4 and verse 12. Now let's read through verse 16. Matthew 4, verse 12.
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"Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee." So he's going back into the northern kingdom. "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt" where? "In Capernaum." That's still in the northern kingdom. Watch. "Which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." So the Bible says when John got thrown into prison, our Lord departed out of Judea, he went back into Galilee, he came to Nazareth, but leaving Nazareth he dwelt in Capernaum.
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Now, I want you to look, if you would please, to Matthew 17 and verse 24. Matthew 17, verse 24. It's interesting, when you read this, the Bible says, in fact, verse 24, "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, Doth your master pay tribute?" You know the story there. But note where they came to. That is Capernaum. That is where our Lord was living. He lived in Capernaum. Now, go back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 and look at verse 1. Then we're going to skip down just a few verses just so we will not have to read 6 or 7 verses. Watch if you would. Matthew 9 verse 1. "And he entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city."
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Now the next part of this is our Lord is healing the palsy. A man that had the palsy. So look in verse 9. Remember he's in his own city. He's in Capernaum. "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him." If our Lord is in the northern kingdom at his own house in Capernaum, and Capernaum is a northern kingdom, and he walks out and he finds Matthew there, where would Matthew live? Capernaum. And Capernaum, he would be a Galilean as well. Capernaum was in Galilee, hence Matthew the Publican was indeed a Galilean. Isn't that interesting?
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There are no Jews so far in the apostles. All of them are Galileans. Wow. Well, what about James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus? Back in Matthew 10, verse 3, we read it like this. "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the Publican;" we've covered them. "James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus." Let me give you two quotes right quickly, and then I'm going to show you something.
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The first one is from John Gill, the Baptist preacher and historian. He says this, "James, the son of Alphaeus and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, the former of these, James the son of Alphaeus, is so called to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee. This is the James who was the brother of our Lord, Galatians 1 verse 19, and he is called James the Less." So James the Less was the brother of our Lord.
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Okay, now listen to this. The latter of this pair of apostles is the same person with Jude. So Thaddaeus is Jude or Judas. The writer of the epistle which bears that name and was the brother of James, with whom he is coupled. He was called Lebbeus, either from the town of Lebbeus, the coast in the town of Galilee, or as Dr. Lightfoot thinks, from the Hebrew word which means monarch, and others, either for his prudence or through the affections of his parents toward him. So, we have James, the son of Alphaeus, who is known as James the Less, who was the brother of our Lord, and then you have Thaddaeus, who was also known as Jude.
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Now, let me ask you a question. If James and Jude were brothers, and they were the half-brothers of our Lord, and if our Lord lived in Nazareth and Galilee, where do you think his brothers would be raised? Okay.
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Now, let me show you something. I want you to look in the book of Jude very quickly. I love this. I want you to see a good illustration of biblical humility. I want to read to you one quote before I show you this verse. I want you to watch this. Here's the quote. This was from Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. "Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus, the same without doubt, is Judas, the brother of James, mentioned in both the list of Luke and Acts." He says, "This Lebbeus or Thaddaeus is he who John calls in John 14, verse 22, sweetly Judas, not Iscariot. That he was the author of the epistle of Jude and most likely our Lord's brother." Now, we know that James, now watch this, before I look at this, let me show you. Look in Galatians 1 verse 19. Turn to Galatians 1 verse 19.
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Then we're going right back to Jesus. Look in Galatians chapter 1. Galatians 1 verse 19. Look what the Apostle Paul says. Galatians 1 verse 19. "But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother." So we know that James was an apostle. And we know that he was the Lord's brother, do we not? Now, look in the book of Jude and verse 1. I love this. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Notice Jude didn't say, "Hey, I'm the brother of Jesus Christ." No. He said, "I'm the servant of Jesus Christ. I'm the brother of James." Isn't that amazing? I'm the brother of James. James happens to be the brother of Christ, but, you know, I'm the brother of James. I am a servant of Jesus Christ. Now, if you will go in your Bibles to Matthew 13, and look at verse, oh, let's see, let's start reading in verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54.
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Watch. "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas, or Jude, and his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"
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"And they were offended in him." But note, if you would, there's James and there's Jude, both listed. Look, if you would, please, in the book of Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1. And let's look at verse 13. Acts 1 and verse 13. Here it is again. Acts 1, verse 13. "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James." Then if you look in your Bibles to Acts 15 and verse 27. Acts 15 verse 27. I'm just wondering if this is indeed the same Judas who would be our Lord's brother. Notice, if you would, in Acts 15 verse 27, "We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth." Skip down to verse 32, "And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words and confirmed them." Then if you will look back in your Bibles to Luke chapter 6.
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I'm still trying to tie all this together for you. Look at Luke chapter 6, verses 13 through 16. Luke 6, verse 13. Just trying to show you James and Jude, or Thaddaeus, or Lebbeus, all one and the same. Luke 6, verse 13, "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, who would be Nathanael, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which was the traitor." So obviously, James and Jude would be Galileans because that's where the family was raised.
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So far, every apostle has been a Galilean. Now, note if you would, Simon the Canaanite. Simon the Canaanite is also referred to as Simon the Zealot. That is, he was known for his zeal. The term Canaanite is an Aramaic term for zealot. So before he met our Lord, and before he was converted in all probability, he was some type of voluntary ecclesiastical police who went around trying to make sure that the law was enforced. There were also some zealots who fought against the Roman Empire, who really did not like the Roman Empire at all. It could also be that Simon is called Simon the Canaanite because he could have been from Cana in Galilee. So he would have been a Galilean.
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By the way, I want to show you something. The Galileans were distinguished from the Judeans by their accent or by their speech. You remember in the book of Judges, where there was a war, and here, some of one tribe was trying to cross the river. And the other said, "You have to say Shibboleth before I let you across." And they couldn't say it. And that's how they knew that they were the ones they were supposed to kill. They would say Sibboleth. They could not pronounce Shibboleth.
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So there were differences in accents. We tend to think sometimes that, well, everybody had to speak a lot because they either spoke Greek or they spoke Hebrew or they spoke Aramaic. No, it's just like in America. Everybody has a different accent. I never will forget, we were, I was preaching in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we met this one family, two brothers and a sister, and so help me, each one of those three children had a different accent. I couldn't believe it. But they did, each one had a different accent.
#54 | 42:08 to 42:47 | cleaned
But I was traveling years ago, and I had to land in Boston, Massachusetts. And at that time, I had to change planes, and Eastern Airlines was still in existence. And so I walked up to—it looked like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but it was a Boston state trooper. He was standing there, and he had the leather down to the chest like this. And he had the chin strap on with his hat on, his sidearm there. And I walked up to him, and I said, "Could you please tell me how to get to Eastern Airlines?" And he answered me.
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And I stood there dumbfounded. And finally I said, "Pardon?" And he answered again. And finally I said, "Thank you," and walked off, and I'm yet to this day to understand a word that he said, and he was speaking English. It was that Boston brogue was so thick, I could not understand it. I have a good friend who's from New Hampshire, and I've spoken to another man recently from New Hampshire, and they talk about the "haht." The "haht." Not the heart, the "haht."
#56 | 43:24 to 44:04 | cleaned
You know, just everything is totally, absolutely different. Well, it's the same way in the Bible. The people in the northern kingdom did not talk like the people in the southern kingdom. There was a difference in their speech. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to Matthew 26. Then we're going to Mark 14. So look in Matthew 26 and notice verse 73. You remember how Peter is denying our Lord.
#57 | 44:04 to 44:30 | cleaned
He denied Him three times before the cock crew. Now watch. Matthew 26 and look, if you would please, at verse 73. "And after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee." Here's what they said. "You don't talk like we do. You're different. Your speech is betraying you." Look at Mark chapter 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 and verse 70. Mark 14 verse 70.
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By the way, all the Yankees think that we Southerners have deep and bad accents. We also think that they have deep and bad accents, but that's OK. So look, if you would, Mark chapter 14 and verse 70 again. "And he denied it again. And a little after that, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto."
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They said, "You can't fool us. We know you're a Galilean. We know you're one of those disciples of Jesus Christ, because your speech agrees to their speech. You sound like them. You are one of them." So, so far we've found that all of our Lord's disciples have been Galileans. There's one that is left. That's Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of our Lord. He sold our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot was not a Galilean. He was a Jew. He was a Judean. Simon's son, Judas Iscariot—His name tells you the place where He was born and the location of His residence. Judas Iscariot.
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Kerioth was the city that He was from. I want to show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 15. If you have your map with you, and you look at that map, you will find that Kerioth was a village located about 10 miles south of Hebron toward the land of Edom. So it is in the land of Judea. Notice, if you would please, Joshua chapter 15, and we're going to begin reading there with verse 20. 15, and notice if you would please, verse 20.
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The Bible says, "This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families." So we've got here the children of Judah. This is their inheritance. So we find that Judas Iscariot was of the tribe of Judah. He lived in his inheritance. Watch, if you would, verse 21. Now we're getting into their inheritance. "And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, and Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, and Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor." So Kerioth belonged to the tribe of Judah.
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It was in the land of Judea. So the only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts. Look in the book of Acts. It's amazing how many times we read over things and do not put two and two together. But in the book of Acts chapter 1, look at verses 1 and 2. "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen." Now, I want to call your attention to that phrase. "He had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen."
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Now, in this passage, our Lord is about to be received up into heaven. So, let's begin in verse 8, before He's received up into heaven. He tells His disciples, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Now remember, he's talking to his apostles, his apostles. "You men, you Jews"—is that what he said? No. "You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven?" All of the apostles were Galileans, except Judas. At this point, Judas had hanged himself.
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He was no longer there. Look, if you would please, in Acts chapter 2. Here is the day of Pentecost. This is when the power of God fell. Three thousand people were converted on this one day. Notice, if you would please, the Bible says in verse 6, "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" What were the apostles? They were Galileans. The only Jew is the one who betrayed Christ.
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Now, I want to show you something. I can quote this verse, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to John 1 and look at verse 11. Since you understand that Judas was a Judean, Judas, the only apostle that was a Judean, is the one that betrayed Christ. And if you understand that, it should give new meaning for you, John 1:11. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him. Wow.
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So how many of our Lord's disciples were Jews? Only one. And that was the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. We must always learn to define the word "Jew." Always allow the context to interpret the word. Words have meanings. And as I pointed out in the first message, you could only be a Judean either by being born of the tribe of Judah or living in the land of Judea. And Benjamin, as well as Simeon, had their inheritance in the land of Judea, along with the tribe of Judah. So literally, only the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribe of Simeon could be true Judeans, because they were the only ones who lived in the southern kingdom. And when you look in 2 Kings 16:6, when the Assyrians drave out the Jews from Elath, they were driving out the men in the southern kingdom who had occupied that fort. So, it's interesting when you look, and I'm going to show you before I end this short series, how even the disciples looked at our Lord and said, "No, you're not," because the Jews sought to kill you.
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What are they saying? "We're not that bunch. We're not of them." And they were not, because they were Galileans. Let's pray. Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your truth. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. And Lord, teach us, we pray, and build us up in the most holy faith. And help us, Lord, to discern Your Word, and teach us and build us up, Father. May Your name be honored and glorified through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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so so
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T12:56:02Z

Jews, Judaism And Christianity - Part 2 of 5

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this second part of the series, Pastor John Weaver examines the twelve apostles to determine how many, if any, were Jews. He argues that the term 'Jew' must be defined contextually, referring either to someone from the tribe or land of Judah (a Judahite/Judean) or to an adherent of Judaism. By tracing the geographic origins of each apostle, he demonstrates that eleven were Galileans from the northern kingdom, while only Judas Iscariot was a Judean from the tribe of Judah. This, he contends, gives new meaning to John 1:11—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—since the only Judean apostle betrayed Christ. The message emphasizes the distinction between Galileans and Judeans and the opposition between Christianity and Judaism.

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the first message, reiterating that Jesus was King of the Jews as the true son of David, not merely because of His birthplace, and that He was not religiously a Jew.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:1-4

"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."

Now if you've not heard the first message in this series, I would ask that you would listen to it so that you may follow us in this study.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 1:1

"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Defining 'Jew' and 'Jewry'

The Hebrew 'Yehudi' and Greek 'Ioudaios' refer to a Judahite or Judean. The term 'Jewry' denotes the land of Judea, as seen in Daniel 5:13, Luke 23:5, and John 7:1.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 16:6

Now, let me try to tell you, again, how the word "Jew" is used in the Bible. And by the way, I pointed it out last week, the very first time the word occurred is in 2 Kings chapter 16 and verse 6. So Abraham was not a Jew. Abraham was a Chaldean. He came out of Chaldea. Okay, so here is how the word is used. The Hebrew word is Yehudi and it refers to a Judahite or a descendant of Judah. It is used in the Bible to describe a person or persons from the tribe of Judah or it refers to the kingdom of Judah or the land of Judah or Judea, or the nation of Judah, or the house of Judah, or anyone belonging to the tribe, land, nation, or the house of Judah, these may be called Judahites. OK? Also, it will refer to in the Bible anyone who is of the religion of the Jews, which I showed you that in the last message as well.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:13

"Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?" So notice if you would, "the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry."

So Jewry is synonymous with Judah.

Scripture Reading — John 7:1

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee." Now, if you look at your maps, you will find that Galilee is in the northern kingdom. It's not in the southern kingdom. He said, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry," that is in the southern kingdom, in Judea, "because the Jews sought to kill him."

Now watch. "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest."

The Twelve Apostles Listed

Matthew 10:1-4 lists the twelve apostles, noting alternate names used in the Gospels (e.g., Bartholomew/Nathanael, Thaddaeus/Jude).

So the question we have to ask today is this, were any of these apostles Jews? Were any of them Judahites? Were any of them from the tribe of Judah or from the land of Judea?

Galilean Origins of the First Apostles

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen called from the Sea of Galilee, proving they were Galileans, not Judeans.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 4:18-22

"And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And immediately, they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him."

So the first four disciples are Galileans. They were fishermen.

They were fishing the sea of Galilee. So we know that Peter and Andrew were not Jews, they were Galileans. We know that James and John were not Jews, they were Galileans as well.

Philip and Nathanael (Bartholomew) Are Galileans

Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee; Nathanael was from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2). Nathanael's alternate name Bartholomew means 'son of Talmai.'

John 21 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — John 21:1-2

"After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias."

Scripture Reading — John 21:1-2

"So after these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on this wise showed himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and the two other disciples."

That seals it. We know that Nathanael is from Galilee. He's from Cana in Galilee.

Matthew the Publican Was a Galilean

Jesus called Matthew while in His own city, Capernaum, which was in Galilee, making Matthew a Galilean.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 9:1, 9

"And he entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city."

James the Less and Thaddaeus (Jude) Were Galileans

James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus/Jude were half-brothers of Jesus, raised in Nazareth of Galilee, thus Galileans.

Then we're going right back to Jesus. Look in Galatians chapter 1. Galatians 1 verse 19. Look what the Apostle Paul says. Galatians 1 verse 19.

Scripture Reading — Galatians 1:19

"But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother."

Watch.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54-57

"And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas, or Jude, and his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" "And they were offended in him."

Simon the Canaanite Was a Galilean

Simon the Canaanite (Zealot) was likely from Cana in Galilee, and Galileans were distinguished by their accent (Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70).

Judas Iscariot: The Only Judean Apostle

Judas Iscariot was from Kerioth, a city in the inheritance of Judah (Joshua 15:20-25), making him the only Judean among the twelve.

It was in the land of Judea. So the only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.

The Apostles Identified as Galileans After the Ascension

At the ascension (Acts 1:11) and Pentecost (Acts 2:7), the apostles are addressed as 'men of Galilee,' confirming all eleven remaining were Galileans.

Conclusion: Only the Betrayer Was a Jew

Only Judas Iscariot was a Judean; John 1:11 takes on new meaning—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—His own tribe betrayed Him.

Jews, Judaism And Christianity - Part 2 of 5

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	D73t9n_jgWQ
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Daniel
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-09-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 088: Jews, Judaism And Christianity — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	70

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the first message, reiterating that Jesus was King of the Jews as the true son of David, not merely because of His birthplace, and that He was not religiously a Jew.
Defining 'Jew' and 'Jewry': The Hebrew 'Yehudi' and Greek 'Ioudaios' refer to a Judahite or Judean. The term 'Jewry' denotes the land of Judea, as seen in Daniel 5:13, Luke 23:5, and John 7:1.
The Twelve Apostles Listed: Matthew 10:1-4 lists the twelve apostles, noting alternate names used in the Gospels (e.g., Bartholomew/Nathanael, Thaddaeus/Jude).
Galilean Origins of the First Apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen called from the Sea of Galilee, proving they were Galileans, not Judeans.
Philip and Nathanael (Bartholomew) Are Galileans: Philip was from Bethsaida in Galilee; Nathanael was from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2). Nathanael's alternate name Bartholomew means 'son of Talmai.'
Matthew the Publican Was a Galilean: Jesus called Matthew while in His own city, Capernaum, which was in Galilee, making Matthew a Galilean.
James the Less and Thaddaeus (Jude) Were Galileans: James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus/Jude were half-brothers of Jesus, raised in Nazareth of Galilee, thus Galileans.
Simon the Canaanite Was a Galilean: Simon the Canaanite (Zealot) was likely from Cana in Galilee, and Galileans were distinguished by their accent (Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70).
Judas Iscariot: The Only Judean Apostle: Judas Iscariot was from Kerioth, a city in the inheritance of Judah (Joshua 15:20-25), making him the only Judean among the twelve.
The Apostles Identified as Galileans After the Ascension: At the ascension (Acts 1:11) and Pentecost (Acts 2:7), the apostles are addressed as 'men of Galilee,' confirming all eleven remaining were Galileans.
Conclusion: Only the Betrayer Was a Jew: Only Judas Iscariot was a Judean; John 1:11 takes on new meaning—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—His own tribe betrayed Him.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Context Determines the Meaning of 'Jew'

The word 'Jew' can refer to a Judahite, a Judean, or a follower of Judaism; context must dictate its usage.

Weaver explains multiple uses: tribe, land, nation, or religion, citing 2 Kings 16:6 and Strong's definition.

The Apostles Were Galileans, Not Jews

All apostles except Judas were from Galilee, as proven by their call narratives and geographic references.

Matthew 4:18-22 shows the first four called by the Sea of Galilee; John 1:43-44 places Philip in Bethsaida of Galilee.

Judas Iscariot's Judean Origin Explains John 1:11

John 1:11—'He came unto his own, and his own received him not'—refers to Jesus being rejected by His own tribe, epitomized by Judas.

Weaver states, 'His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him,' linking Judas's tribe to the rejection.

Galileans Were Distinguished by Speech

Peter's Galilean accent betrayed him at Jesus' trial, showing a clear distinction between Galileans and Judeans.

Matthew 26:73 and Mark 14:70 record that Peter's speech identified him as a Galilean.

Jesus' Brothers James and Jude Were Apostles and Galileans

James the Less and Thaddaeus (Jude) were half-brothers of Jesus, raised in Nazareth, and thus Galileans.

Galatians 1:19 calls James 'the Lord's brother'; Matthew 13:55 lists James and Judas among Jesus' brothers.

Scripture References

Matthew 10:1-4: The listing of the twelve apostles, used as the primary text for the message.
Matthew 1:1: Jesus Christ is the son of David, establishing His right to be King of the Jews.
Psalm 2:6-7: God ordained Jesus as King on Zion, declaring Him His Son.
2 Kings 16:6: The first occurrence of the word 'Jew' in the Bible, referring to those driven from Elath.
Daniel 5:13: Belshazzar refers to Daniel as one of the captivity of Judah brought out of 'Jewry,' equating Jewry with Judah.
Luke 23:5: The chief priests accuse Jesus of stirring up the people throughout all 'Jewry,' meaning Judea.
John 7:1: Jesus walked in Galilee, not in 'Jewry' (Judea), because the Jews sought to kill Him.
Matthew 4:18-22: Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John by the Sea of Galilee, showing they were Galilean fishermen.
John 1:43-47: Philip is from Bethsaida in Galilee; he finds Nathanael, and Jesus calls Nathanael 'an Israelite indeed.'
John 21:1-2: Nathanael is identified as being from Cana in Galilee, confirming his Galilean origin.
Matthew 9:1, 9: Jesus returns to His own city (Capernaum) and calls Matthew, indicating Matthew was a Galilean.
Mark 2:1: Jesus was in the house in Capernaum, confirming it as His city.
Matthew 4:12-16: Jesus left Nazareth and dwelt in Capernaum, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy about Galilee.
Galatians 1:19: Paul saw James the Lord's brother, identifying James as an apostle and Jesus' half-brother.
Jude 1: Jude identifies himself as the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, showing humility.
Matthew 13:54-57: Jesus' brothers are named as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, confirming their Galilean upbringing.
Acts 1:13: Lists the apostles including 'Judas the brother of James,' linking Thaddaeus/Jude to Jesus' family.
Joshua 15:20-25: Kerioth is listed among the cities of Judah's inheritance, proving Judas Iscariot was a Judean.
Acts 1:11: The angels address the apostles as 'Ye men of Galilee,' confirming all remaining were Galileans.
Acts 2:7: At Pentecost, the crowd asks, 'Are not all these which speak Galilaeans?' identifying the apostles as Galileans.

Historical References

Augustus Hopkins Strong (Strong's Concordance): Cited for the definition of 'Jew' in the narrow sense as referring to the southern portion of Palestine.
John Gill (Baptist preacher and historian): Quoted regarding James the son of Alphaeus being James the Less, the brother of our Lord.
Dr. Lightfoot: Cited by Gill regarding the possible meaning of 'Lebbaeus' from a Hebrew word meaning monarch.
Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary: Quoted to confirm that Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus is Judas the brother of James and likely the author of Jude.

Important Quotes

He's the King of the Jews simply because He is the true son of David.

Summarizes the basis for Jesus' kingship over the Jews, rooted in His Davidic lineage rather than geography.

Jesus Christ was a Judean by birth, but he was not a Jew, because Judaism is a religion.

Key distinction between ethnic origin and religious affiliation, central to Weaver's argument.

Christianity and Judaism are opposites. They are not complementary to each other, they are absolutely opposites.

Establishes the irreconcilable nature of the two faiths, rejecting any 'Judeo-Christian' synthesis.

The only apostle that was a Jew or a Judean was the one who betrayed him.

The central thesis of the message, highlighting the singular Judean identity of Judas Iscariot.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. His own not only did not receive Him, His own betrayed Him.

Reinterprets John 1:11 in light of Judas's tribal identity, emphasizing the rejection by Jesus' own tribe.

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?

The angels' address at the ascension confirms the Galilean identity of the remaining apostles.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding the different meanings of 'Jew' (tribal, geographical, religious) affect your reading of the New Testament?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that context must determine whether 'Jew' refers to a Judahite, Judean, or adherent of Judaism.

[Question]

Why is it significant that eleven of the twelve apostles were Galileans rather than Judeans?

[Context]

The message traces the geographic origins of each apostle to show they were from the northern kingdom.

[Question]

In what ways does Judas Iscariot's identity as the only Judean apostle shape our understanding of his betrayal?

[Context]

Weaver argues that Judas being from the tribe of Judah gives new meaning to John 1:11.

[Question]

How does the distinction between Galilean and Judean speech (Matthew 26:73) illustrate the cultural divisions in first-century Israel?

[Context]

Peter's accent betrayed him as a Galilean, showing that regional identity was recognizable.

[Question]

What does Jude's self-identification as 'brother of James' rather than 'brother of Jesus' teach about biblical humility?

[Context]

Weaver highlights Jude 1 as an example of humility, not claiming direct familial relation to Christ.

Applications

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