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Yeshua is the Most Important Man Who Ever Lived. The Most Important Man brought the world the Most Important Message, a message that must be believed for human beings, who are alienated from God and headed to death, not life, to Hell, not Heaven – to be reconciled to their Creator and live forever. And being reconciled to our Creator is our greatest need. Everything Messiah did, everything He said, every interaction with others that has been recorded for us in the divinely inspired book of Mark, is extremely important. We want to understand as much as we can about the Most Important Man and His Most Important Message. We want to line up our thoughts and our lives with the Most Important Man and His Most Important Message. We want to tell as many people as we can, starting with the Jewish people first, about the Most Important Man and His Most Important Message.
We are getting close to the end of Messiah’s life and ministry. Everything is intensifying. Everything is building to the most amazing climax, leading to some of the most important events in human history.
Yeshua is the Messiah and the king of Israel. The king is about to make His entry into His capital city. But He is the Messiah King of the First Coming, the Isaiah 53 kind of Messiah, the humble kind of King predicted by Zechariah: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who was familiar with the prophecy of Zechariah and helped fulfill it. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of His disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
And what Yeshua said would happen is exactly what happened. They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Yeshua had told them to, and the people let them go – which took some faith on their part, which I am sure will not go unrewarded by Heaven.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who says something will happen, and it happens – always.
Someone who knows the prophecies in the Word of God, like Zechariah 9, and works with God the Father to make the prophecies come true – all of them.
When they brought the colt to Yeshua and threw their cloaks over it, He sat on it.
Who is Yeshua? The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who is worthy to ride the horse of horses, yet humble enough to ride into His capital on a colt. And He is Someone who wants us to humble ourselves.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” – save now, or please save, which is used in Psalm 118, the last of the Hallel psalms, which praise God for various aspects of His saving power. Psalm 118 is a prophetic song which praises God for the ultimate salvation made possible by the Messiah.
And the people were also praising Yeshua using another part of Psalm 118. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “We welcome You, Yeshua, and we acknowledge that God sent You to us.” And the crowd praised God that Yeshua was the Messiah, and He would re-establish the kingdom of David. “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” And they shouted: “Hosanna in the highest Heaven!” May salvation come to us from the Highest Heaven – where God rules over all! May God use the Messiah to save us altogether and completely.
Who is Yeshua? Someone worthy of a royal procession. Someone who will, one day, have the greatest royal procession ever.
Someone who deserves to have crowds accompanying Him, acknowledging that He is King Messiah.
He is Someone who is the answer to the prayer, ho-she-ah-nah – save now. He is the Savior of the world who is able to rescue us now from Satan and the demons; sin and the sin nature; death and hell. He can save us from any kind of situation; and He can save us now and save us forever.
Yeshua is the One who is the fulfillment of “Baruch HaBa b’Shem Adonai – blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” He is Someone we must acknowledge as being sent by God. He is Someone we must welcome – or deeply offend the One who sent Him.
Yeshua is the descendant of David who will restore David’s kingdom to Israel and the rule over Israel and the nations – forever.
Many kings are primarily concerned about power and wealth. They use religion to advance their agenda, but they really don’t care about religion. Not this King. The heart of the most special city on Earth, Jerusalem, was the Temple, the most special place on Earth, where God most powerfully manifested His presence on Earth; the place where the principles of sin, sacrifice, atonement and salvation were most clearly seen. That’s where the King headed. Yeshua entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Yeshua had repeatedly told His disciples He would be rejected and killed by the leaders of the Chosen People, who should have known Him the best and have been devoted to Him the most. The Messiah had a right to expect spiritual fruit from His people, especially the leaders, yet He found very little. Yeshua knew that there would be terrible consequences for that kind of faithlessness. The cursing of the fig tree is a prophecy of the tragic rejection of the Messiah and its terrible consequences for the Jewish people. The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Yeshua was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard Him say it.
Who is Yeshua? The King who is very concerned about religion, and about maintaining the holiness of the temple. On reaching Jerusalem, Yeshua entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as He taught them, He said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Who is Yeshua? Someone who knew the Word of God so well it was there for Him whenever He needed to refer to it – like He did here, quoting Isaiah: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who wants us to be very familiar with the Word of God – reading it, studying it, hearing it taught by God-ordained teachers, thinking about it, meditating on it, applying it to all of the various situations we will confront.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who demands that the temple be used for what it should be used for – getting close to God; learning about God and salvation; a place of worship and prayer for Israel and the nations – not a place to be used as a market operated for the benefit of greedy merchants.
Who is Yeshua? The King who is deeply concerned about that most special place on Earth, the temple. And since Christians and Messianic Jews are the temple of the living God, since the Spirit of God is living in us in the most special way, Yeshua is deeply concerned that we use the temple for what it should be used for – that Messiah’s Community doesn’t get distracted by material things, but is dedicated to bringing people closer to God, and teaching people about God and true worship and the principles of atonement and salvation; and that the temple maintains its holiness.
Yeshua is Someone who had the courage to take control of the temple, even though He was not a priest who was descended Aaron, and they were the ones ordained by God to be in charge of the temple.
Yeshua is Someone who had the right to take control of the temple, because He is greater than the descendants of Aaron.
The Jewish leaders already disliked Yeshua and opposed Him. His taking control of the temple intensified their opposition, so much so that they started planning to kill Him. Mark tells us that they couldn’t kill Him right then, even though they wanted to, because the crowd of ordinary Jewish people were amazed by the wisdom of the young Rabbi from Nazareth. They liked Him and protected Him. The chief priests and the Torah teachers heard this and began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to be amazed at His teaching – to understand that He is the greatest teacher of all, the supreme rabbi and prophet; that every word He spoke is wise and true and important.
When evening came, Yeshua and His disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots – not just a little withered, but completely withered. Peter remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” A curse, which is like a prayer, but a negative prayer, can take time to be fulfilled. But Yeshua’s curse was fulfilled in one day, and the power and immediacy of that curse impressed Peter. And Yeshua used the powerful and immediate fulfillment of His curse to teach His disciples about faith and prayer.
“Have faith in God,” Yeshua answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to have faith in God, to really know God, to know what God is like and what He is capable of doing – and He is a lot and is capable of doing a lot.
Another component of faith, especially the kind of faith that gets answers to its prayers, is knowing what God wants in a specific situation.
So, first you get close to God, so that you can hear from God and find out what He wants and what He is willing to do in a specific situation.
Then, when you have heard very clearly from God – and if God tells you that a mountain needs to thrown into the sea, you have faith in God and you tell that mountain to throw itself in the sea, and you expect that to happen.
If God tells you that a flood is coming that will destroy a corrupt world, and you are to build an ark, you believe God, and you act on it and you build an ark and you pray accordingly.
If God tells you to leave your family and nation, and He will greatly bless you, you have faith in Him and act and pray accordingly.
If God tells you that, even though you are old and your wife can’t have children, she will conceive and have a son, you believe Him and act and pray accordingly.
If God tells you to return to Egypt, and that He will do miracles and use you to defeat Pharaoh, and bring a nation out of slavery, you trust Him and you act and pray accordingly.
Real faith in not simply “believing something” because you think it’s the right thing to pray for. “Lord, I believe I need a newer car; a bigger house; a raise in my salary; that pretty girl to be my wife; healing for all of my illnesses – Lord, I believe in faith for these things. I believe I have already received them and that they are mine.” No – real faith that gets its prayers answered first hears from God and finds out exactly what God wants in a situation and then stands on that faith.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to pray for things; and to learn how to pray so that our prayers are answered.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to have faith, to have confidence in God and get close to Him and hear from Him so that we can pray according to His will and have our prayers answered.
And Yeshua is Someone who knows that our unwillingness to forgive others will prevent us from having the kind of relationship with God we need to have to enable us to hear clearly from God and get our prayers answered. Anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness blocks our ability to communicate with God. Forgiveness clears the channels of communication between us and God.
The conflict between Yeshua and the Jewish leaders is intensifying. A little background: among the Jewish people, there were three areas of leadership: prophets, priests and kings. The priests had authority over the religion and the temple. The kings had political authority. But when the priests and kings failed, God would send a prophet to challenge them. Corrupt priests and kings rarely appreciated the prophets sent to correct them. That’s what’s happening here: They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Yeshua was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the Torah teachers and the elders came to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You authority to do this?”
The leaders are offended by the carpenter from Nazareth. He is not one of the priests who had God-given authority over the temple. He is not a member of the Sanhedrin. He is not a recognized leader of the nation. They believe He has no right to interfere in the temple and so they challenge His authority. And, this challenge could have been very dangerous for Yeshua. If Yeshua said something like: I have the right to do this because I am the Messiah and the Son of God, the leaders could use His answer to accuse Him of blasphemy.
Yeshua is wiser than all of His opponents. He took charge of this interaction and replied to their question with a question of His own, a question which will both tell the truth and reveal their deficient leadership. Yeshua replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism – was it from Heaven, or of human origin? Tell Me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From Heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ If John was a God-ordained prophet, and John testified that Yeshua was greater than he was (which he did), then Yeshua had the authority to do everything He did. Prophets have that authority. But that option was totally unacceptable to the leaders. They had already examined Yeshua and rejected Him and were intent on killing Him. But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” And Mark tells us that (they feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.”
If these leaders couldn’t answer a simple question – the question if John was a true prophet, how could they be good leaders? The answer is they couldn’t be. They weren’t.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who is able to get the best of every situation, and turn every confrontation, even with the shrewdest human being, to His advantage.
And He is Someone who is in control and does not feel the need to answer every question He is asked, and neither should we. Yeshua said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
So, who is Yeshua according to the 11th chapter of this divinely inspired book?
Who is Yeshua? Someone who says something will happen, and it happens – always.
Someone who knows the prophecies in the Word of God, like Zechariah 9, and works with God the Father to make the prophecies come true – all of them.
Yeshua is the King Messiah of the First Coming, the Zechariah 9 kind of humble Messiah which is reflected in the way He rides into Jerusalem – on a colt, not a great stallion.
Yeshua is Someone who want us to follow His example, and humble ourselves.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who deserves to have crowds accompanying Him, acknowledging that He is the Messiah. He is Someone worthy of a royal procession. Someone who will, one day, have the greatest royal procession ever.
Someone who is the answer to the prayer, ho-she-ah-nah – save now. He is the great Savior of the world.
Yeshua is the One who is the fulfillment of Baruch HaBa b’Shem Adonai – blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. He is Someone we must acknowledge as being sent by God. He is Someone we must welcome or offend the One who sent Him.
He is the descendant of David who will restore David’s kingdom to Israel and the rule over Israel and the nations – with peace and justice and happiness – forever.
Who is Yeshua? The King who is very concerned about religion and maintaining the holiness of the temple.
He is Someone who demands that the temple be used for what it should be used for – getting close to God; learning about God and salvation; a place of worship and prayer for Israel and the nations – not to be turned into a market operated for the benefit of greedy merchants.
And since we are the temple, Yeshua is deeply concerned that we maintain the holiness of the temple, and that we do what we should do – that we don’t get distracted by materialism but are dedicated to bringing people closer to God, and teaching people about God and true worship and the way of salvation.
Yeshua is Someone who had the right to take control of the temple, because He is greater than the descendants of Aaron.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to be amazed at His teaching – to understand that He is the supreme rabbi and prophet; that every word He ever spoke is wise and true and important.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who knew the Word of God so well it was there for Him whenever He needed to refer to it. And He is Someone who wants us to be very familiar with the Word of God – reading it, studying it, hearing it taught by God-ordained teachers, thinking about it, meditating on it, applying it to all of the various situations we will confront.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to have faith in God, to know what God is like and what He is capable of doing – and He is a lot and is capable of doing a lot.
Yeshua is Someone who wants us to have faith, to have confidence in God, and get close to Him and hear from Him so that we can pray according to the will of God in every situation.
Yeshua is Someone who knows that our unwillingness to forgive others will prevent us from having the kind of relationship with God we need to have to enable us to hear clearly from God and get our prayers answered.
Who is Yeshua? Someone who is able to get the best of every situation, and turn every confrontation, even with the shrewdest human being, to His advantage.
And He is Someone who is in control and does not feel the need to answer every question He is asked, and neither should we.
May God enable Yeshua be all these things to us and may we respond faithfully to all that He is and become all that we should be. Amayn? Amayn!