I really like the book “Velvet Elvis.” It’s author, Rob Bell, is pastor of the Mars Hill church in Michigan, a different kind of megachurch. We’ll be hearing more about him in the years ahead. He’s probably the Bill Hybels of the postmodern generation. But my first real exposure was through “Velvet Elvis.”

One part, though, made me mad.

In one of his later chapters, Bell described the educational system in Jesus’ day. This was fascinating. From roughly age 6 to age 10, kids studied the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) at the local synagogue under a rabbi’s teaching. By age 10, most students would have those five books memorized. So Jesus went through this process.

The best students went on to the next level, which lasted until around age 14. The other students “dropped out” and learned the family trade. No dishonor in that. By age 14, these better students might have the entire Old Testament memorized. Jesus, I’m confident, did.

After age 14 or 15, only the best of the best remained; the others went back to the family business. These best-and-brightest students would apply to become a disciple of a rabbi, learning to copy that rabbi in every way. The rabbi would grill the kid to see if he was worth the investment. If accepted, the kid would join that rabbi’s band of disciples and follow him everywhere.

Then, about the age of 30, you would be considered a rabbi and would begin your own teaching and training of disciples. That, of course, is when Jesus began his public ministry. But Jesus, instead of choosing from the “best of the best,” chose lowly fishermen who probably washed out at age 10. In the eyes of other rabbis, he probably chose poorly.

All of this is fascinating background and sheds enormous light on Jesus’ childhood and the whole nature and perception of his public ministry.

And that’s what makes me mad.

Why hadn’t I ever heard this before? I’ve sat through thousands of sermons and Sunday school classes and seminars, and I’ve never heard this. This is a fundamental understanding of Jewish culture and rabbinical ministry, and it illuminates so much of what was happening with Jesus and his merry band of followers. Do we just keep regurgitating the same information? Hadn’t anyone bothered to explore education in Jesus’ time?

I’ve got a stack of books by Christians about how to lead small groups. They all say basically the same thing‚Äîsame principles, same advice, same methods (except for Em Griffin, who does plow new ground). One time I was in a public library and discovered some secular books on small group dynamics. I browsed through a couple and discovered all kinds of stuff I’d never seen before. Fascinating insights into group behavior. Do Christian authors just keep recycling and repackaging stuff already written by other Christian authors?

Well, thanks, Rob Bell, for teaching me something truly new. Assuming that your info is accurate.