Reframing Jesus — The best way to understand a person is to see them live, talk and relate to people in their own setting. Eventually we want to ask, "what does Jesus mean to me?" but we first want to ask, what was his original day to day life like? Our first goal is to see him in his own setting — to Reframe him:

Historical Frame …
When did Jesus live? What was happening in the world around Jesus? How did he address the the world in which he lived?

Political Frame …
What were the political tensions of his day? Did he feel them? Were his followers influenced by them? Can we understand his story in light of the political strife around him?

Social Frame …
Who made up the various social groups in the villages and cities where Jesus traveled? Did he engage or ignore different groups? Did he break social norms?

Religious Frame …
Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Chief Priests — they were the religious leaders. What did they think of Jesus? What did he think of them? The local synagogue, the one Temple — the places of religious life and worship. How did he engage them?

Family Frame …
What was it like to have Jesus as your first born child, or your older brother? How does it feel to be rejected by your home town, or to hear that your mother and brothers think you are crazy? Where does your support come from?

Personal Frame …
What were Jesus personal habits? What held his life together? What kept him sane when his whole world was falling apart? What can he teach us about following a rhythm of life?