757. The Chazan - Posture of Teachers

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 10
Listen from:
Luke 4:20. He closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down.
1. The position of the “minister” in the synagogue bore no resemblance to that of the minister in the Christian church. He was called chazan, and, in the time of Christ and for several centuries afterward, was the lowest servant in the synagogue, his duties resembling those of the sexton in one of our churches. He had charge of the furniture, and kept the building in good order, preparing it for service, and summoning the people at the appointed hour. It was also his duty to call out the names of those whom the ruler of the synagogue selected to read the lesson of the day, and to hand to them the sacred roll, receiving it from them when the reading was finished. It was the chazan who “delivered” Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus, as recorded in verse seventeen, and to him Jesus gave the book when he had done reading, as noted in the twentieth verse.
2. Sitting was the customary posture of a teacher when instructing his disciples. Hence, when Jesus rolled up the manuscript and returned it to the hands of the chazan, he sat down on the platform instead of going back to his seat, because he wished to address the people. This custom is also referred to in Matthew 5:1; 23:2; 26:55; John 8:2. See, further, note on Acts 22:3 (#852).