The Jesus I never knew

Philiip Yancey

"Martin Buber said, "We Jews know [Jesus] in a way -- in the impulses and emotions of his essential Jewishness -- that remains inaccessible to the Gentiles subject to him."  He is right, of course.  To know Jesus story I must, in the same way I get to know anyone else's story, learn something of his culture, family and background."

Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew , pages 28-29.

The corollary to this, is that unless you know something about Jesus' culture, family and background then you will struggle to understand what he is trying to say.

He was a Jew, speaking to other Jews, in their language, using figures of speech, idioms and humor familiar to them. 

If you don't know anything about what is was to be a first century Jew, then I venture to say, you won't understand what he is trying to say at all, however much you think you do.