Was Jesus a Jewish Rabbi? (It Really Does Matter)

Was Jesus a Jewish Rabbi? And if so, what does that mean? When Jesus finished giving His interpretation of the Torah, the listeners were amazed. The Bible says:

“He taught them with authority, and not like their scribes.”

Matthew 7:29

If you think that all this means is that He preached really confidently, you’re missing the whole point. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.

In Jesus’ day the term “rabbi” was merely the name of a respected, Jewish man who lived out the Torah in front of disciples who were striving to be like him.  Unlike today, there was no formal religious body that recognized someone as a rabbi. The recognition was based as much on reputation as anything.

Torah Teacher

There were two kinds of rabbis in Jesus’ day. The first was a “Torah Teacher” or “Teacher of the Law”. Your Bible probably translates this as “scribe.” But, to be considered a “Torah Teacher,” you must be a “master of the Torah.” And this meant you had completely memorized the Torah – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah Teacher was able to effortlessly recite any passage of the Torah. They were also able to masterfully communicate truths in the Torah through parables, wisdom sayings, and various other teaching techniques. However, a Torah Teacher was only allowed to teach and expound upon accepted Torah teaching. They were not allowed to establish new teaching.

Semikah Rabbi

The other type of rabbi was called a “semikah” rabbi.  Now, there were very few of these rabbis in the time that Jesus lived. In fact, most historians thing there were only around a dozen or so in the hundred years before or after Jesus.  These rabbis were amazing because they had mastered the entire Tanakh – the Old Testament Scriptures.  This allowed these rabbis were respected enough that they were able to give new teaching.

The word “semikah” is the Hebrew word for “authority.”  These rabbis were highly respected. And to be able to call a “semikah” rabbi your own personal rabbi was the highest of honors.  

A “semikah” rabbi was only considered to have this authority, if two other “semikah” rabbis believed a man to have earned this honor, and they would convey it by standing with their hands on or over the head of the new rabbi and declare it publicly.  

Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi

Five major groups of people in Jesus’ day called Him, “Rabbi”: the Pharisees; the Sadducees; the Herodians; the Gentiles; and His own disciples.  But was Jesus a “Torah Teacher” or a “Shmeka Rabbi”, and how can we know?

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Matthew 7:28-29 ESV

And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Mark 1:27 ESV

Scripture shows us numerous times that Jesus taught in a way that was much different than the Torah Teachers; Jesus taught new teachings, and He did so with great authority.  Jesus was a Shmeka rabbi.  The Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 give us a classic example of a rabbi giving new teaching on how to observe the Torah.  Jesus uses the phrase, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…”:

• You shall not murder, but I say to you, don’t hate. (Matthew 5:21-26)
• You shall not commit adultery, but I say to you don’t lust. (Matthew 5:27-32)
• You shall not swear falsely, but I say to you don’t swear at all. (Matthew 5:33-37)
• An eye for an eye, but I say to you turn the other cheek. (Matthew 5:43-48)
• Love your neighbor, but I say to you love your enemy also. (Matthew 5:43-48)

This is why those who heard Jesus teach said that He taught with authority. It meant that Jesus must have had “semikah”.

Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi. He was elite. And He taught with authority.