Jesus came to a growing understanding of his Messianic calling by reading the Scriptures. He had to learn the Bible just as we must. Of course, He is the greatest theologian who has ever lived. His reading of the Bible would have been free from the problems that beset Christians who wrongly interpret passages and bring their own sinful dispositions to the text. Nevertheless, we must not imagine that Christ had all of the answers as a baby and merely waited to begin His ministry at the age of thirty without putting in hard yet delightful work on a daily basis in obedience to His Father’s will. As Christopher Wright notes, the Old Testament enabled Jesus to understand Himself. The answer to His self-identity came from the Bible, 'the Hebrew scriptures in which he found a rich tapestry of figures, historical persons, prophetic pictures and symbols of worship. And in this tapestry, where others saw only a fragmented collection of various figures and hopes, Jesus saw His own face. His Hebrew Bible provided the shape of His own identity.' …He had to study to know what to do. While He was never ignorant of what He needed to know at any stage of His life, He nevertheless was required to learn (Mark Jones).

Other Authors

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy	Italian	Italian, Appetizers	16	Servings

INGREDIENTS

16		Slices of Italian bread,
		Cut 1/2-inch thick
1/4	c	Extra-virgin olive oil
1/3	c	Black or green olivada* OR
1/3	c	(4 oz.) Calamata olives,
		Pitted or finely chopped
1/2	lb	Fresh mozzarella cheese,
		Cut in 14 1/4-inch slices
1/2	lb	Plum tomatoes, cut
		Lengthwise into 16 1/4-inch
		Slices
1/8	ts	Salt
1/8	ts	Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Brush one side of the bread slices with some
of the olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet oiled side up. Bake until
lightly browned and crusty, about 4 minutes. 2. Spread the olivada or
chopped olives on each toast, cover each with a slice of mozzarella and top
with a slice of tomato.  Brush the tomatoes with the remaining oil and
sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8
to 10 minutes.  Serve at once.
* Olivada is a puree of black or green olives packed in oil that is sold at
specialty food stores.  You can substitute tapenade or make your own. (Note
from me:  We have a batch of pesto in the refrigerator so I plan to use it
instead of the olivada.)  I also plan to use Creole or homegrown tomatoes.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdjaxxx.zip

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