A geographical glossary of the NT: everywhere from Antioch to the wilderness.
Some political and religious background that helps explain the reaction to Jesus as He tried to reach the Jewish people.
Differentiating between modern habits, opinions and Scriptural authority.
Customs and commands: laying on of hands.
Distinguishing culture from command: foot-washing.
Trying to understand when incidental, cultural issues are separate from specific commands of God. The "holy kiss."
The most important question of all: who is going to heaven? Both heaven and hell are real places, not myths. What is the "church" that Jesus built? Do modern denominations fit the pattern of the New Testament?
Reactions of Jesus' contemporaries; why Jesus is rejected by many, accepted by some. The danger of using Jesus for our own purposes.
A look at Matthew 18 relative to preventive and corrective guidance on handling sin.