In this incident, we notice the self-seeking attitude of both Yaakov and Yochanan. Messiah Y‘shua directed
His reply to the brothers, rather than their mother, as He knew that they were behind the request. They were
ambitious and wanted to rise to the position of great privilege in the Kingdom. Y‘shua taught them the great
lesson on humility (Matt 20:25-28).
His early martyrdom (Acts 12:1-2):
Yaakov suffered martyrdom about a decade after Pentecost. Why Yaakov? It seemed that Herod Agrippa,
grandson of Herod the Great (who ruled at the birth of Y‘shua) wished to increase his popularity with the
Jews and thus stabilise his political position. Yaakov was the obvious choice, probably because as ―son of
thunder‖ he was a fiery, effective and prominent leader. His zeal marked him for an early arrest and his
aggressiveness may have made him a target.
- His transformation inferred:
Yaakov‘s perception on the earlier issues, such as destroying the Shomronim and occupying the position of
importance, has certainly changed. We have seen the former, and in the latter we read of his willingness to
drink of the Master‘s cup as being the first apostle to die for the Master.
4:23 Preaching the good news of the Kingdom
―And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people‖.
(14) ―Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God,
(21) And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue,
and taught‖. (Mark 1:14 and 21)
(16) ―And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read”. (Luke 4:16)
(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised‖. (Luke 4:18)
(31) And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
(32) And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power‖. (Luke 4:31-32)
Y‟shua‟s religious attendanceEvery year Y‘shua‘s family went up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (Pesach) (Luke 2:41-43), a tradition
which Y‘shua continued (John 12:12; Mark 14:12-26). Y‘shua also kept Tabernacles (Succoth, 'booths')
(John 7:1-39). John 10:22-23 may also indicate that Y‘shua celebrated the Hanukkah festival, which
commemorated the 2nd century B.C. rededication of the Temple under the Maccabees.
―As was his custom" he also attended synagogue every Sabbath (Luke 4:16) even during his travelling
ministry (Matt 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:39; Luke 4:15, 16-27, 44).
The synagogue
When the institution of the synagogue (assembly) began to emerge, the Temple in Jerusalem was still
standing. The first roles of the synagogue were not associated with prayer, but rather with Jewish study and
gathering. The first rabbis were not celebrants of religious rites but teachers of religious texts; in fact, the
word rabbi means "my teacher".
Following the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, the synagogue assumed an additional role as the place
of communal prayer. No distinct architectural forms for synagogue buildings became standard, but the
interior design came to include features still found today: a lectern for the leader of the service, a "Holy Ark"
in which the Torah scrolls are kept, and seating arranged facing Jerusalem in honour of the centrality of the
site of the former Temple.
As the liturgy evolved and became formalised, expertise in recitation was needed as it was memorized prior
to the development of the wide-scale production of books. The knowledgeable person leading the
congregation in prayer was considered its representative – in Hebrew, sh'liach tzibbur. Initially filled by an
ordinary lay person with greater knowledge, the role developed over time into a profession called the cantor
or chazzan.