We’re in the second part of a series considering what Yeshua’s hearers would have thought when they heard about the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven.

The relationship of first century Jewish men and women to the scriptures was a bit different from the way people, even religious people, in our time think of the Torah or the Bible. Theirs was an oral culture. Many people did not read. Even though Roman prosperity and Jewish concern for holy writings may have increased literacy, still for most people reading and writing was not a regular practice.

But the words of scripture were heard and discussed. And images and ideas floated around. They took on various shapes and were powerful stimulants for the imagination.