My brothers, he knew my name! And he not only knew who I was, he knew everything about me! As I was getting ready to follow him this day, I all but ran into him as I was making my way down the street. On seeing me, he smiled at me, and invited me over to speak with him. As I made my way to him, he called me by name, and he told me of the struggles he knew I was going through, I was left awestruck, like a child not knowing what to say. I so wish you could meet him, my brothers. There is a warmth and and a familiarity to him that leaves you feeling like you have known this man forever. And as he spoke to me, he told me why I had come to Jerusalem. Letting me know that it was not Rome that stood as my greatest enemy, but my own sin. Explaining to me how my sin was keeping me from having the relationship the Lord God longed to have with me(Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23). A relationship, he came to the world to restore between the Father and each of us(2 Corinthians 5:18-20). He also told me that, this day, I would come face to face with that truth. That this day, I would decide, if I would follow him or continue to chase after Rome. And as he put his arm around me, he told me that I would see many things this day that would help me form my answer.
Standing before him, my brothers, I did not fully comprehend his words, or what it means to follow him. Each of these past three days, was I not doing that now? And I wondered how I could have a relationship with the Lord God? How could I do any more than to know the Lord, and to praise and honor Him? And in my mind I could not help but wonder, why would the Lord want to have a relationship with me?
As we were all making our way back to Jerusalem, one of his disciples that they call Simon Peter, ran ahead to the fig tree Jesus had cursed yesterday(Mark 11:20-26). As we all looked ahead, we were amazed. Overnight, the tree had completely withered and died. I waited for one of his disciples to ask him how all this related to Israel, but before they could speak, Jesus spoke to them. With each word he took their focus from a dead tree to a living God. He explained how when we have faith in the Lord, His power will always be on display. That it is not enough for us to have faith in faith, but that the object of our faith must be on a living God who is worthy for us to place all our trust in. As Jesus explained this, he spoke words that touched the very depths of my soul. He pointed to the mountains, and said that if we had true faith in God, we could command the mountains to move, and they would move. His words showed us that with God, all things are possible(Matthew 19:26). He taught us how faith is not just an outward assertion, that faith is found in our inward actions and attitudes. Faith is so much more than just what the religious leaders have told us. Faith is not just the outcome, faith is our trust in Him that leads to the outcome of His will.
Thinking about these words, I heard someone say something that also stuck with me. They talked again about the fig tree, as we had seen it withered. He talked about how our faith is also like that tree. That faith without the Lord would soon wither, but faith grounded in the Lord, would be seen as a tree that was greatly nourishing, as its roots would be feed by grace, and its branches would be filled with our good works for Him. As I heard these words, my mind went back to the words Jesus had spoken to me earlier. And although I did not fully understand all I had heard, I knew the words I had just heard were bringing me face to face with that truth.
As we made our way back to Jerusalem, and returned to the Temple, I watched as the religious leaders approached him(Mark 11:27-33). With each step they made toward him, you could all but see arrogance and anger coming from them. As he came to the Temple area, preparing to teach the vast amount of people who had gathered, they questioned him, asking him where he had gotten the power and the authority to speak and act, doing things like cleansing the Temple, as he had yesterday. As Jesus heard this, I watched as he turned to them, and asked a question back of them. Telling the religious leaders he would gladly answer, if they would just answer his question.
Jesus spoke these words to them, “ "Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer me." As they heard the question, you could see the concern on their faces as they looked to each other. There was a long pause waiting on them to answer what I thought was a simple question. But I heard one in the crowd begin to explain, if they say John the Baptist was baptizing all by the authority of God, then they are admitting he was sent by the Lord. And as he had said that Jesus was the Messiah(John 1:15-36), then the religious leaders would be admitting that Jesus holds all authority. If they say he was only baptizing people by man’s authority, then they will find themselves turning on a man who is very popular amongst the people, and is remembered by the people as a true prophet. To do so will cause this crowd to turn on the religious leaders themselves.
In response, they found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. And in doing so, they did what we have seen them do best for years. They said nothing. They answered that they did not know. And in response back, Jesus told them he would not tell this lying brood by whose authority he had acted. But as I continued to listen to him, I soon realized that both the religious leaders and all of us were being given that answer in his next words.
Jesus then began to teach, even as the religious leaders continued to stand there. He told us the story of a man who built a vineyard(Mark 12:1-12). And after putting everything in place, he leased the land to vinedressers, and went away to another land. As he was there, he sent one of his servants back to see how the vineyard was doing. But they badly beat the servant, and sent him away. So the owner of the vineyard sent another servant, and he was stoned. So he sent another, and this one was killed. Several more servants were sent, all either beaten or killed. So finally the owner of the vineyard sent his only son, expecting the vinedressers to respect and honor him. But they killed him also, believing in doing so, the inheritance would now be theirs. In doing this they did not realize, the vineyard owner would come and destroy each of the vinedressers, and give the land to another.
Jesus then spoke two verses from the Psalms to them that we all know well. “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.”(Psalm 118:22-23) On hearing this, you could all but watch the anger of the religious leaders brewing, but they realized they could do nothing to him with the crowd that stood in front of them that day.
The words Jesus spoke left me searching my soul for the truth. And in hearing his words, the words of our father poured into my mind again, as I remember the words he taught us from Isaiah, where this great prophet had also described Israel as the vineyard, and the Lord as the owner of the fields(Isaiah 5:1-7). If God is the owner of the fields in the story that Jesus was telling us. And he, Jesus, is the owner’s son, who held authority from the owner, then that leaves the vinedressers as the religious leaders and the people of Israel. I now understand how God has given him the authority if he is the Messiah, but is he also saying that Israel would look to kill the Promised One? How could this possibly be?
I then heard another group of Pharisees ask Jesus a question, one that was obviously a trap they were looking to set for him(Mark 12:13-17). They actually started by praising him, telling him they knew he was honest, and taught the ways of God. They then asked him if it was lawful in the eyes of the Lord for Israel to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus then answered them by asking for a coin, a denarius, my brothers. In looking at the coin, he asked the Pharisees whose image they saw on it? They quickly answered him, by proclaiming , “Caesar”. Jesus then looked them in the eyes, and said these words I remember well. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” With astonished looks on their face, they walked away in silence.
As I heard these words, I was puzzled. How could I honor anything that was concerned with Caesar, knowing the oppression the Romans has brought to our people? But as I stood there, I asked the man who I had heard speak before, if he could explain to me what these words meant. He looked at me and smiled, then began to explain to me how we recognize the civil authority of Caesar when we use the coin of Rome to buy our goods, and to obtain those things we all desire. In us taking advantage of the benefits that Roman rule offers us, we are obligated to submit to them, and pay Caesar the taxes he might ask for, as long as those things did not infringe on our service the Lord God calls us to. He then reminded me that the reason Israel was now under the authority of Rome was because we had failed to honor the authority of God. He then went on to explain to me, how we are both citizens of earth and heaven. And as important as it is that we render to Caesar those things we owe to Rome, it is even more important that we render to the Lord the things that we foremost owe to Him. We give the coin to Caesar because it is his image we see stamped on it, and we give ourselves in full to the Lord God because it is His image that we see stamped on us. Caesar we give our coins, God we give our lives. As I heard his words, a could all but feel a spear of truth piercing through my soul. I began to question what I had for so many years been doing, as I spent my life looking to overthrow Rome, instead of offering it to the Lord.
I then heard a group of Sadducees ask Jesus a question also, again looking for a way to trap him(Mark 12:18-27). They reminded Jesus that under the Law, when a man dies and leaves his wife behind, that his brother is to take his wife as his own(Deuteronomy 25:5-10). They then painted for Jesus a scenario where the first six brothers all die, and the wife is passed to the seventh brother. Then on presenting this situation, they asked a question about the resurrection which the Sadducees do not even believe in. Asking when the resurrection occurred, whose wife would she be in heaven?
On hearing this, Jesus quickly answered by telling them they had failed to come to understand the truth of Scripture, or to know the power of God. He explained to them that there would be no marriage in heaven, the way we see it here on earth. This hit me hard, and I again could not understand. As you know my brothers, I so miss my Deborah, and my life has not been the same since her death. I began to wonder what the words of Jesus were saying to me, would I not see her again in heaven?
Once more, this kind man explained to me the words Jesus spoke. He explained to me how there would be no need for marriage in heaven, as our life would then be eternal, not physical the way it is here on earth. There would be no need for procreation in order for life to continue, as in heaven, all would live with God forever. It is not that I would not see my Deborah again, but that things in heaven would just not be like things are here, in this world.
As I tried to grasp all I had heard, my brothers, I heard the religious leaders ask a third question. This time, they asked Jesus, “which is the first commandment of all?”. But Jesus answered them by saying that we should first love the Lord with all our heart, and second we should love our neighbor as ourselves. But as the religious leaders agreed with him, I thought about the hypocrisy in their words, as their actions showed me a group of men that did neither. And as Jesus continued, he made his point to these scribes, warning all about them(Mark 12:35-40). He reminded them that they claimed the Messiah would be the son of David. They believed and taught that the Messiah, the Christ, would come from the lineage of David, but he showed them how they failed to teach that David had proclaimed the Messiah would be his Lord. He then quoted the words of one of the Psalms to them. “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’”(Psalm 110:1). With these words, you could hear Jesus question these scribes, those that claimed to be experts in the Scriptures, showing them just how little they actually knew at all. And as he spoke these words, showing all how little these “so-called” teachers actually knew, he warned all listening, the relationship these men had with the Lord was far more for show than it was based in substance.
As Jesus finished speaking these words, he called his disciples to him, as he said there were things he wanted to teach them privately while he still had time. And as the crowd began to disperse, I soon found my way back to Bethany. This time, I returned there alone, my brothers. All I have heard, all I have seen, was all the company I could possibly need for each of my steps back. So much I thought I knew, was now showing me how little I actually knew at all. With each step, his words to me from that morning keep coming back to me, reminding me that I would see so much this day that would weigh on the decision I would soon have to make. As I neared Bethany, I realized just what that decision is. I have all the facts, I have been shown all the truth. Now I must decide, I must make a decision that will forever change my life one way or another. I must answer the question, is Jesus the Promised Messiah? And if I answer “yes", my brothers, I know my life will forever change, as my life will now be his, and no longer just my own.
So much to think on this night, my brothers. So few hours until the dawn of tomorrow, and so many words of prayer I still have to speak.
Meshach
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