In this episode of What Jesus Read, we continue our first-century journey through the Torah by exploring Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, books that shaped Jewish identity, hope, and expectation in the time of Jesus.

We look at the Exodus not merely as ancient history, but as the living national charter of Israel. A story of liberation, divine presence, covenant, and purpose. Under Roman occupation, first-century Jews didn’t see Pharaoh as a relic of the past. Rome was seen as Pharaoh reborn, and the Exodus as a promise still unfolding.

From the revelation of God as “I AM”, to the plagues as judgments on empire, to the crossing of the sea and God’s dwelling among His people, we explore how these texts were understood spiritually, politically, and theologically in Jesus’ world. We then move into Leviticus as the architecture of holiness, a blueprint for how a holy God could dwell among imperfect people. And finish with Numbers as the story of what happens when trust falters, faith wavers, and humanity resists transformation.

Along the way, we examine themes of wilderness purification, covenant identity beyond bloodline, the meaning of holiness, rebellion and mercy, non-Israelite worshipers of YHWH, messianic expectation, and why first-century Jews believed they were still living inside the Exodus story.

This episode sets the foundation for understanding why Jesus’ claims, actions, and identity resonated so powerfully and so dangerously in His time.

Most Christians today read Genesis through the lens of original sin. Jesus and his 1st-century Jewish audience did not.

In this episode we step into their world: Eden as (possibly) a heavenly paradise, the “Fall” as mortality + moral responsibility (not corruption of nature), the serpent as a tool of the Adversary, giants, long lifespans, the Flood, Babel as the origin of anti-empire theology, and the shocking fact that “salvation” in Jesus’ day meant cosmic liberation from death, evil powers, exile, and alienation from God—not primarily “forgiveness of personal guilt.”

Discover why Jesus’ earliest followers believed he was reversing the expulsion from the Garden and bringing humanity back into the Divine presence—on a renewed earth.

A mind-shifting, historically grounded dive into the Book of Genesis as Jesus and his followers heard it.

Dive into the world Jesus and his first followers actually lived in. This premiere episode lays the foundation for the entire series by exploring the backdrop for the religious texts that shaped 1st-century Jewish life — the scriptures Jesus knew, quoted, and fulfilled.

Discover why literacy rates were low (only 3–10% could read), yet scriptural knowledge was remarkably widespread through synagogue readings, oral memorization, and rhythmic Hebrew poetry designed to be remembered and debated.

Travel through a sweeping biblical and world timeline from King David to the turbulent Roman occupation, and meet the five major Jewish groups of Jesus’ day:

- Temple-based Sadducees (the collaborating elite)

- Middle-class Pharisees (teachers of everyday piety)

- Apocalyptic Essenes (desert separatists behind many Dead Sea Scrolls)

- Cosmopolitan Hellenistic Jews (allegorical thinkers who influenced early Christianity)

- Rural Pragmatists (the Galilean peasants, fishermen, and taxpayers who formed the core of Jesus’ audience)

Learn which books were considered sacred (Torah, Prophets, Writings) and which popular “commentary” texts — like Enoch, Jubilees, and Wisdom of Sirach — were widely read in synagogues yet later excluded from most canons. We also unpack the Septuagint (the Greek Bible Jesus and the apostles most likely heard and quoted) and how modern translations were developed.

Whether you’re a lifelong Bible reader or simply curious about the historical Jesus, this episode equips you to hear the scriptures and Jesus' gospel the way the original crowds did — against a rich, divided, and explosive religious backdrop.

Next episode: We begin the journey with Genesis and its first-century meaning.

Subscribe now and step back into the world that heard “The kingdom of God is at hand” for the very first time.