Jesus was a devout first-century Jew. Thus, the calendar from the Torah (or Moses’ Law) in the Hebrew Bible established his yearly rhythm.

Holy-days restricted Jesus’ activities. Holiday Feasts required travel to Jerusalem.

The following are key days and weeks.

• Sabbath, the seventh day of the week
• New Moon, the first day of the month
• Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in Jerusalem, seven days during the first month, spring barley harvest
• Feast of Weeks in Jerusalem, seven weeks after Passover, third month, spring wheat harvest
• New Year, the first day of the seventh month
• Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month
• Feast of Huts (or Tabernacles) in Jerusalem, seven days during the seventh month, fall fruit harvest

On Sabbath and New Moon the Torah ruled that businesses were closed, and people could travel only a limited distance. These restrictions are called Sabbath-rules.

The Day of Atonement included Sabbath-rules for work and a fast from food.

All adult males had to attend the three major Feasts in Jerusalem (1 Unleavened Bread, 2 Weeks, and 3 Huts).

Jesus lived by the rules of the Torah. The Torah established the schedule through which we better understand the weekly, monthly, and yearly rhythms of Jesus’ experience.

One day in October at 8am, SpendaYearwithJesus will send this text-message:

Heads down, Jesus and disciples shuffle silently in shoulder-to-shoulder traffic up the stairs to the Men’s Court on Temple Mount.

I can’t think of anyone who enjoys getting stuck in traffic. And I haven’t met anyone (yet) who hasn’t been pleasantly surprised by the thought of Jesus getting stuck in traffic.

There is something life-changing about the intersection of Jesus’ experience with our experience.

Scratch that. Life-changing evokes images of inheriting unexpected millions. There is something day-impacting about the intersection of Jesus’ experience with our own daily activities, especially with the seemingly mundane and boring.

Jesus’ life story reads like ours with wake-up routines, work, meal-times, friendships, conflicts, and even getting stuck in traffic.

Pausing to reflect on our shared daily experience with Jesus is more than a pleasant diversion. The significance of Jesus’ life infuses the rhythms of our daily lives with consequence.

No one likes getting stuck in traffic, but getting stuck in traffic with Jesus seems a little more bearable.

Check out an overview of the story at spendayearwithjesus.com/story.php

Sign-up for the text messages at spendayearwithjesus.com/signup.php