In 37 B.C., Herod the Great claimed the throne of Israel by brutally quelling a rebellion against Roman rule in the Galilee. He took Tzippori without a battle during a snowstorm. After his death in 4 B.C., the citizens once again revolted and the Romans destroyed the city. Antipas, Herod’s son restored Tzippori with such grandeur that Josephus declared it the "glory of the entire Galilee." Antipas ruled the Galilee and Perea on behalf of Rome from 4 B.C. to 39 A.D. Antipas’ workers were busy at Tzippori during the years Jesus was growing up across the valley in a little village.

Nazareth was nestled in the hills just a few miles away from the bustling Hellenistic jewel being created by Rome’s new friend. The two places couldn’t have been greater opposites. The city of Tzippori probably had about 25,000 inhabitants while Nazareth was a village of around 200 people. Tzippori was built as a tribute to Greek and Roman influence complete with a gymnasium, bathhouses, a theatre, and mosaics of pagan gods like Dionysius. Nazareth on the other hand, was thought to be the home of country bumpkins (like Texas A & M). A common joke “can anything good come from Nazareth” was often heard.

Not much is known about Jesus’ early life, but He wasn’t a country bumpkin! There is nothing to indicate from a Biblical perspective that He ever spent time at Tzippori. It isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. But as a young man considering the future that lay before Him, Jesus must have occasionally looked across the valley and thought about the world outside. Maybe He made a trip or two to Tzippori? Maybe Joseph could have taken his adopted Son there to find work? The hustle and bustle of a modern city like Tzippori with its Hellenistic ideas, wealth, and power must have had an impact on Nazareth and other Galilean communities. Laborers looking for work to support their families likely found it at Tzippori. Who knows? Maybe Joseph’s reputation as a “tekton” was partly established there. As his adopted son, maybe Jesus worked at Joseph’s side and observed the city’s secular culture. Some of the themes He used while He taught could have taken root in the observant mind of a young “tekton” working at Tzippori.

It’s clear that Jesus was well acquainted with the highly sophisticated people of his day. In fact, some of them even supported His ministry financially. Joanna, the wife of Herod Antipas’ finance minister was one of these influential people. One of the interests of this elite crowd was the theatre. The theater of Tzippori seated 4,000 people. Spectators sat on stone seats that were fitted into grooves in the bedrock. Though it’s unlikely Jesus attended the theater, He certainly knew about it and He used what He observed when He taught. The word hypocrite (which means stage actor) was used by Jesus to ridicule the pious acting Pharisees. His use of it also confirms the familiarity his audiences had with this cultural institution. As the best teacher of HIStory, Jesus used his understanding of culture to teach in relevant terms that communicated the Good News effectively to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Jesus used commonly understood language to convey His message. Television, music, and the Internet have created a new ‘language’ that expresses concepts our 21st century world understands. As Christians reaching out to our secular friends and neighbors, we should use their language to communicate in powerful ways with people who don’t understand our Christian ‘lingo.” The Bible teaches, we should “be in the world, but not of it” and to become “all things to all men.” Christian retreat from the secular world creates alienation with nonbelievers and we miss opportunities to share God’s love in a culturally relevant way. Isolation from culture fails will NEVER bring cultural change. If we follow Jesus’ example by appropriately using the language of culture, He will use us to tell HIStory to those around us who need Him today so desperately.