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Lesson 6

Jewish Home Life

GALILEE

After their time in Egypt, the holy family returned to Nazareth, and, as far as we know, they lived peacefully throughout Jesus’ childhood and early adult years.

The region they lived in was called Galilee. It was perfect farm land, with rich soil, forests and lots of greenery. The Sea of Galilee was also perfect for fishing. The region of Galilee had approximately three million people living there around Jesus’ time. A historian named Josephus wrote about the 240 towns and villages of Galilee, each with about 15,000 persons living in them. So this helps us understand where the large crowds of people came from who eventually sought to see and hear Jesus when he began his public ministry.

Nazareth was on one of the great caravan routes, so a lot of business was transacted there. The people of Galilee had a reputation for being healthy, hard workers, and skillful merchants, shipping their goods to all parts of the world. Yet they were blamed for neglecting the study of their language, being poor with grammar and prone to mispronounce words. The Apostle Peter was accused of being from Galilee by a maid in the courtyard the night Jesus was betrayed on the basis of how he spoke. But we’ll talk more about that later on.

HOME LIFE

The father in a Jewish family had specific responsibilities toward his son. Among other things, he needed to teach him about the Jewish religious laws, beginning at age 3, and also teach him a trade. Do you know what a “trade” is? It’s a skill that a person uses to make a living. Joseph was a carpenter and he taught Jesus to be a carpenter, too.

However, when Jesus was yet a little child, he spent most of his time with his mother. The education in the home was mainly religious. The parents would teach their child both private and public prayers. The child grew up believing in God, practicing his faith and learning more about it as each year passed. The child was also taught respect and honor for parents according to the Fifth Commandment that God gave Moses. The child learned both about love and obedience at the same time.

At the door of each Jewish home there was a box attached to the doorpost. It was called a mezuzah and it contained copies of Scripture verses reminding the people of how God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. (Remember Moses and the crossing of the Red Sea?) The Jewish people would kiss the mezuzah by touching their lips with their fingers and raising their fingers to it when entering or leaving the home.

A poor Jewish family would live in a house that was a single room. The floors would be hard mud or plaster with straw mats on top. Away from the door there would be a raised area of stone that was used for eating, sitting and sleeping. There was no glass, so one window would be placed high on the wall and might be covered with lattice or an animal skin in the winter to keep the cold out. Light was provided by an oil lamp or through an open door. The roofs were usually flat and were used for drying food, for storage or even to sleep on during a hot night. In the city, the houses were joined next to one another.

A middle class home would have four rooms on one floor. A ladder or staircase outside would lead up to the roof. The rooms often were separated with curtains. Better homes had chimneys. A cooking fire would be made outside the house, or in the house, in a hole in the ground or within a pottery cooking box. There were no stoves or ovens like we know them today and certainly no refrigerators! Furniture would include a bed, table and chairs. A bed could be anything from a straw mat to a wood-framed unit.

The morning meal would usually be eaten sometime between 9 AM and noon. It consisted of bread, fruits, olives and cheese. In the afternoon, there was a siesta, do you know what that is? It’s a nap! A heavier meal was eaten about two hours before the sun went down, when the air was cooler. That meal would consist of vegetables, butter and wine. Meat from sheep and goats was usually eaten only on special occasions. Meat was not part of the normal diet. Vegetables were an important part of the diet and were often boiled. They also enjoyed lentils, cucumbers, onions and garlic. Olive oil was used in cooking. Herbs were used for seasoning. They also used salt, anise, coriander, cumin, dill, thyme and mint. Bread was eaten by itself or with salt, vinegar, broth or honey. Popular fruits were grapes, raisins, pomegranates, apples and figs. Almonds and pistachio nuts were also eaten. Milk from camels, sheep and goats were drunk. Milk was made into yogurt, butter and cheese. Salt was used to flavor and preserve food.

Jews sat on mats on the floor to eat, later they began using the custom of a table with couches on which they reclined while eating. Hands were washed before eating and a prayer of thanksgiving said for the food.

In the evening, the men of the city would gather together in a circle with the older and most respected men in the center. On the outer edges, older boys would stand and listen. Once darkness came, the people would go to bed early, in order to rise with the sun the next morning.

The Jewish women would care for the household. The Jewish mother would be up early in the morning, even before sun up, starting a fire in the fireplace or oven. Often the children would be responsible to find fuel for the fire.

A woman would grind grain for flour in order to make bread as it was the most important food. Grinding grain was a very difficult task, it took a lot of energy and strength. But this was part of the housework and was done regularly and bread was baked fresh every day. The oven was generally outside the house, in a courtyard area. Some towns had a public oven where one’s dough could be baked into bread.

Apart from preparing food, the floor of the house needed to be swept carefully and the place made tidy. The fire had to be fanned into a flame so cooking could begin.

Every family needed water. Water was fetched from the local well or spring at the beginning or end of each day. Young women would fill their water jugs and carry them home on their heads. When filled to the top with water each jug weighed as much as 23 kilos. (How much do you weigh? Are you much more than 23 kilos?)

Nazareth had only one spring and the Theotokos must have gone there to fetch water for the needs of her family. Today water still flows from the spring and it is excellent. The spring is now located in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

The other daily task that fell to the women was shopping. It was a daily chore because food would not keep for more than one day in such a hot climate unless it was dried or salted. This shopping was done in the public market.

The Jewish woman also made clothing for her family. She would begin by spinning wool which she would weave into cloth and then sew together by hand. Men and women both wore tunics and belts. During winter they wore clothing made from animal skin or fur. They also wore sandals, but always took them off whenever entering a house. Removal of shoes was a sign of consideration and respect. After removing the sandals, the person’s feet would be washed before entering the home.

Married women would cover their heads with a scarf or veil and they always covered their heads when worshiping God. And whenever going out of the house into a public place, a woman would wear a scarf or veil.

There were no cars in Jesus’ time. The usual transport was a donkey which carried people as well as goods on its saddle.

Roman troops occupied Galilee and all the surrounding areas and the Jewish people hated the Roman rule. However, the Romans allowed the Jews to govern many of their affairs according to Jewish religious laws.

The language of Jesus’ time was called Aramaic. Greek was also spoken by many and it is possible that Jesus may have also spoken Greek as well as Aramaic.

Young boys would attend schools taught by local Jewish religious leaders called rabbis. They were taught the Jewish religious laws as a supplement to what they were learning at home. Jesus probably started attending such a school when he was about six years old.

On special religious holidays, the family would travel to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Once a boy reached 13 years of age, he was required to participate in these religious feasts. We don’t know a lot about Jesus’ childhood in terms of what he did or said, but we do know something about an event that happened when he was 12 years old.

Jesus in the Temple at age 12

On the first Passover feast after Jesus turned 12, his parents took him to the Temple in Jerusalem for this religious celebration. They went to offer a sacrifice according to Jewish religious law and to worship God. The travel from Nazareth to Jerusalem was long and difficult, part of the trip included a thirteen mile walk through the desert of Judea.

The Gospel tells us that after the days spent in Jerusalem for the feast, the Theotokos and Joseph left for Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and his parents did not know about it. What do you think he was doing there? He was discussing religious questions with the teachers of the Jewish law. Not only did he ask them questions, but he also gave them some answers that amazed them as they’d never heard such teaching from anyone before and certainly not from a 12 year old boy! They marveled at him.

In the meantime, the Theotokos and Joseph had traveled for a day before they realized that Jesus was not with them. Remember, they were traveling with many of their relatives and often men and women traveled in separate groups. Either Joseph or the Theotokos may have thought that Jesus was with the other parent. However as soon as they realized he was missing, they hurried back to Jerusalem in search of him.

The Gospel records that after three days they found Jesus in the Temple sitting in the midst of the teachers of the Law, both listening and asking them questions. And everyone who heard Jesus was astonished at his understanding and answers.

We are told that when his parents found him, they were amazed and his mother said, “Son, why have you behaved like this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you and worrying.”

And Jesus replied, “Why did you look for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

The Gospel tells us that Joseph and the Theotokos did not understand what Jesus said to them. What do you think Jesus was trying to say? He was revealing who he was, wasn’t he? Perhaps it was sometimes easy for Joseph and the Theotokos to forget that he really was God, the Son of the Father who is in heaven.

And then we are told that Jesus went down with them and returned to Nazareth and lived in obedience to his earthly parents.

This is a lesson for each of us…that we, too, ought to obey our earthly parents as this is very pleasing to God and we will be blessed for it.

We finish here with this Gospel verse which says, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.”