Messianic Viewpoint

Guest (Female): Shalom and welcome to Sholom Ariel and to this, our 99th sermon from the Gospel of Mark with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. But God demonstrates His great love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us. Love means sacrifice, and true love means letting go or giving up not something that doesn't mean that much to us, but something that really means a lot to us.

In light of what Yeshua did for us, what are we willing to give up and give over to Him? Ephesians 1:22 says, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the body of Messiah." And the scriptures say that He is head over each one of us. So, as we continue the sanctified life with the Messiah as our head, let's keep giving up more and more until He truly has all of us, until He has our whole heart. After all, our heart, our very being, is what should matter the most to all of us. Are we willing to give it all to Him? Be blessed as you listen into today's program and shalom.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: As for the crucifixion, it was a horrible way to die. The crucifixion was described by those who witnessed it as the worst extremes of the tortures inflicted upon man. This is what Cicero, a Roman philosopher from the first century BC, described it. They used a 35-centimeter or 14-inch spikes to nail the Messiah on the cross through His hands and His feet. And then the body was raised. At this point, every movement became so painful.

But this was only the beginning, for the most excruciating of it all was when during three hours of darkness, He took all the sins of the world unto Himself. This, I want to tell you, we cannot understand. We cannot fathom the extreme pain of the Holy One receiving all the evil of the world unto Himself. We need to ponder upon these things. All of these things are given to us beginning in verse 16 and with such a concentration of prophecies as each moment seems to have been predicted.

What is the reason, by the way, of these many prophecies we're going to encounter? It’s that they're like a bump in the road for the people to stop and realize the great evil that was done and the great salvation which followed in Yeshua. Let us look at this rich text. It all begins when the Roman soldiers started their mockery. And in verse 16, it indicates that the whole Roman cohort took part. That's a lot of people. You're talking about 600 people. But this may be an indication that it must have lasted a long time for all in turn to be present in a small courtyard of the Praetorium.

They dressed Yeshua in purple, the color of the king's garment. Then they addressed Him as, "Hail, King of the Jews." They began to beat Him and spit on Him, kneeling and bowing before Him. But little did they realize that they were actually the subject of a prophecy that was given 700 years before. Isaiah predicted this moment when he reported the words of the Messiah in Isaiah 50:6: "I did not hide my face from insult and spitting." He did it for our sake.

And around the same time, Micah, speaking of nations laying siege to Jerusalem, as it was when the Romans came to Jerusalem, he said they have laid siege against us. With a rod, they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. And they did. He is the king and the judge of Israel. Now notice what the Romans did. We learn from verse 17 that they made a crown of thorns and put it on Yeshua. And then we learn that they took a reed, a mock scepter, and beat Him on the head. What happens then? The thorns must have pierced the skin and His face must have been all bloodied.

We need to know that. Isaiah spoke about this moment when he said in Isaiah 52:14: "So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of man." This is what it took the Messiah to die for us. And the crown of thorns has its weight of significance. Do you remember what happened when Adam and Eve sinned? In Genesis 3, the ground was cursed and the Lord told them, "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread." But this, I want to tell you, is the curse that Yeshua took upon Himself.

The Hebrew words "thorns and thistles" both refer to large and small thorns. Yeshua, who is called the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15, was here in Mark beginning His task to free the first and all the Adams in between and give them salvation if they desire it. After this mistreatment, we learn in verse 22 that they brought Him to the place of Golgotha, which is translated "the place of a skull." The word Golgotha is from the Aramaic Gulgulta or the Hebrew Gulgolet for the word "skull." But where is Golgotha? No one really knows.

But we know a few things. Now bear with me a little, there's something great in there. First, it was outside the walls of Jerusalem, for any execution was done outside the city to keep the sanctity of Jerusalem as prescribed by the law, in Leviticus especially. Second, John tells us that it was near a garden or near a tomb, perhaps a cemetery. Third, it was also on a busy road or the cross was clearly visible for there were many passersby. And crucifixion was done so that they may be seen and be warned.

Some believe that it could have been on the Mount of Olives, which was also a cemetery since the time of David. And if it was, could it have been at the same place where they offered the Red Heifer on the Mount of Olives? From this vantage point, many passersby on the lower Jericho road could have seen the crucifixion. But why the Red Heifer? Among the sacrifices, the Red Heifer so well depicts the Messiah, the sacrifice of the Messiah. The ashes of the Red Heifer mixed with water were necessary for the functioning of the temple.

This is why today they are still looking for the perfect Red Heifer for the soon-building of the third temple in Jerusalem. And up to this day, this Red Heifer is a paradox in Judaism, but can only be explained by the death and resurrection of Yeshua. The oddity with the Red Heifer is that the one who received the water of the purification was cleansed, but the one who applied it was unclean. The question Rashi, Abravanel, and many other rabbis asked was, "How can a clean thing come out of an unclean?" They could not resolve this dichotomy.

Who is this person who purifies while carrying evil in him? Look unto Yeshua and you will understand. He became sin for us so that we might be saved. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21. The answer is there: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." There the Red Heifer fulfilled, who was crucified at Golgotha. You do not need to look for another. The truth is that Yeshua was sinless and He carried sin, our sins, everyone's sin, so we can have salvation.

But why do I mention the Red Heifer in the context of Mark 15? Mark gives us a strong indication that Yeshua was crucified where the Red Heifer was as well. In the Mishnah, the Jewish oral law, it is written that when the high priest offered the Red Heifer, he could see directly the door of the temple. One of the most moving moments, I want to tell you, in my trips in Israel is when I stood, the last trip, when I stood at this place and looked directly through the East Gate and imagined the temple right there.

And there's one thing we read at the end of the account of Mark about the centurion who was standing next to the tav, to the cross, and who said in verse 39, "Truly this is the Son of God." But see that just before, we read that the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. See how the Spirit placed this information of the tearing of the temple with the position of the tav on perhaps the Mount of Olives. This reminds us of the high priest when he sacrificed the Red Heifer and could look at the temple, the door of the temple.

It is then a possibility that Golgotha was at the same spot where the Red Heifer was sacrificed, thus encompassing all sacrifices Yeshua fulfilled. And if true, I want to tell you, this is wonderful. The next verse in the account, verse 23, tells us that they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. Why do you think He did not take it? Remember He made a promise in Mark 14:25 during the Passover. He says, "I will not drink it until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God." He kept His promise for us.

And it goes very fast as the events and prophecies are flowing together. After this, we read of another prophecy that was then fulfilled. We read in Mark 15:24, "And they crucified Him and divided His garment among themselves." This is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of David in Psalm 22:18, which reads: "They divided my garment among them, for my clothing they cast lots." This is what they did. It cannot be more precise.

Now, there's something else to consider with the robe. Yeshua had to change garments twice after He was whipped, from the purple garment to His own. When you have an open sore and put a garment over it, a healing process begins to occur with coagulation of the blood. When they removed the robes, it must have been so painful as the wounds in His body opened again. That must have been painful.

Moving to the next verses, as we look at the crucifixion, we are given some specific period of time, three different hours during this day of the 14 of Nisan. Each of these hours is very significant. First, we're told in verse 25 that it was the third hour when they crucified Him. The third hour corresponds to 9:00 AM. This is the time when the morning sacrifice, when the first lamb, was sacrificed. It was also the time when the gates of the temple would open up. Yeshua was already on the tav and ready to take on the sins of the world unto Himself.

At this time, two more prophecies were distinctly fulfilled. The first is seen in verse 27 when he says they crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. And the next verse, it explains that it was fulfilled as written in Isaiah 53:12. All the scripture was fulfilled which says that He was numbered with transgressors. Next, we read in verse 29 to 32, we read of those passing and shaking their heads in mockery at Him. We read of priests who joined the mocking.

If there's a place I want to tell you where we find the luckiest people in the Bible, it is here. They were very fortunate that He actually did not come down the cross. But He would not want to be anywhere near them at the White Throne Judgment. But unknowingly to them, there is one prophecy which plainly describes their action. This is found in Psalm 22 again, the chapter of the crucifixion, verses 7 to 8: "All those who see me ridicule me and shoot out the lip and shake the head, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him.'"

This is basically what they were all saying. And again, these prophecies are given for those who may have a doubt about who the Messiah of Israel is. It is actually clearly depicted in the Tanakh. Such clear prophecies must not be thrown away. It is now that we come to the next hour mentioned, the sixth hour. There's something really powerful in here. By this time, Yeshua was on the tav for three hours, but something happened then. See verse 33. When the sixth hour came, darkness fell upon the whole land until the ninth hour.

And so, there were three hours of darkness over the whole land. It was not an eclipse of the sun, which lasts less than 10 minutes. And another reason it was not an eclipse is because it was the Feast of Passover, which falls on a full moon when solar eclipses cannot occur. But there is something else that is very important here. We have just enough time to mention it and then expound it the next time, the next study.

The sixth hour of the day of the 14th of Nisan was a very significant hour for the Jews of the first century. It was the precise time the rabbis decided that the people were to begin to get rid of the leaven from their dwellings, as God predicted in Exodus 12. And then they had to carry this leaven outside of Jerusalem and to burn it, just like it is written in the Mishnah and also in the Talmud. And as they were there outside the city, carrying their leaven, who was there? Yeshua already was there, taking all the sins of the world. And there was darkness, complete darkness.

I want to tell you, it is extraordinary that this very moment God decided to bring darkness over the whole land, as if to call them to consider and to go and see who was actually on the tav. Many other signs were given and especially at the end of the three hours of darkness, something we will consider again in our next study. To conclude, it is my prayer that we all come to full realization of the great suffering that the Messiah went through so that we may have also eternal life.

So far, and just before He went to the tav, you know that there were at least six declarations of His innocence from the people who would not have expected it from. A first one was from Judas Iscariot, who said, "I have betrayed innocent blood." It was not a confession to salvation, but only a regret. Then Pilate, actually, he said it three times. Then Herod Antipas also, who questioned the Messiah, deemed Him innocent. And this woman, Pilate's wife, who probably never met Jesus, in verse 19 calls Jesus the righteous man because she was warned through the dream. In all these people, as wicked as some may have been, did proclaim His innocence. It is also my prayer that many will see who He really is and come to Him for eternal life. Amen.

Let's bow our heads in prayer. We thank You, Lord, Oh God, for Your amazing grace revealed in Yeshua HaMashiach, who continually sanctifies us and cleanses us through Your wonderful Word and by Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for being so involved in the lives of every one of Your sons and daughters. May we sense today that You are here in this very place, filling this very room here at this very moment among us. May we sense Your protection and concern for each of us. May we have peace in our heart and a zeal to go and proclaim Your glory to others, for You're coming so soon, Lord.

And so, Lord, I pray for this whole congregation of believers listening to this prayer. Some today need healing. Some need revival in their hearts. Some need restoration in their friendships. Some need forgiveness of their sins. Lord, today we need You. And for those here this morning who wonder if they've been left behind, who fear You've forgotten them, teach them that Your delays are not denials. All this we pray in Yeshua's name. And to the congregation: the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and lift up His countenance upon you. Amen. Amen and amen.

Guest (Female): Welcome to this segment of our program called the Q&A with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. And the question that is going to be addressed today is about Jacob and his brother Esau. What actually transpired there and how involved were the parents, Isaac and Rebecca, in all of this? We have a lot to learn, so stay tuned.

Shalom. I have heard all too often the nickname given to Isaac's son, Jacob, that of usurper, someone who stole the birthright from his older brother, Esau. The inheritance though was not stolen, was it? It seems like it was actually sold off by Esau for just a bowl of soup. Yet we see that Jacob did later lie to his father. So, what can we make from all of this? Thank you.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: This, by the way, is a great question that the Bible asks itself. How could a man go on stealing something that is his to begin with? Did Jacob forget he owned it, or did he consider more important the things of this world so that he lost actually sight of God? God gave it to him and made a covenant actually with Jacob, not with Esau. When Israel was in Egypt, we read in Exodus 2:24: "So God heard their groanings and God remembered His covenant with whom? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." The covenant was then between God and Jacob, not Esau.

And Jacob knew it. So why did he steal Isaac's blessings to Esau? To answer this question, there's an exceptional chapter in Genesis where this incident is related and where we see that Jacob seems to have forgotten who he was. And let us not blame him too much, for he is very much a type of many of us when we also forget all that the Lord has given us and promised to us, and we act like Jacob, like Israel of course, who forget God's covenant with them. So the place is in Genesis 27 and often overlooked chapter.

This text must be among the many proofs that the Bible is the inspired Word of God because no one would write such an account of his own people. It is such a mess, really. Everyone is doing something wrong. Tempers flare up, lies, accusation, character assassinations, it is all there. And these things are coming from individuals of great faith. We're talking about Isaac, about Jacob, about Rebecca. How could it be that people so spiritually minded could fall so low?

Isaac, the one who typified so well the Messiah as the one who was willing to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah, I don't know what happened to him. In this chapter, he is so enamored that he became in love really with his son, Esau. Isaac obviously wanted Esau to inherit the blessing of the firstborn. Isaac wanted Esau to be the ancestor of the seed of the Messiah, yet Rebecca must have told Isaac that God clearly said that it was not for Esau, but that it was for the younger brother, Jacob.

It was through Jacob that the promised seed was to come. And Rebecca received actually the prophecy, but perhaps Isaac did not believe his wife or perhaps he forgot. And Rebecca, seeing this, panics and forgets God as well and takes upon her to fulfill the prophecy, but she does it through deceit. And what bold deceitfulness we read in there. And here is Jacob, following every word, every commandment from his mother like a good Jewish boy. At no time does he complain about the evil behind the action. He just follows whatever she says.

And here Jacob is asked to play the bad guy, but he does such a pitiful job. After all, he was the Tam. Tam in Hebrew meaning the blameless one, the perfect one, but this is not the character we see in this chapter and in this situation. And with all of them is Esau. The worst of them comes out. When he finds out about this scheme, he is so overwhelmed by a feeling of victimization. He weeps out of pain and regrets and complains that Jacob stole his birthright.

Did Esau actually forget that he just sold it? And so, now that he feels so betrayed, he decided to kill Jacob, at which point Rebecca panics even more and sends away her beloved Jacob. And there the history of Jacob and his 12 sons, that is the nation of Israel, begins to take shape. This is how actually it happened. And God is so completely absent from this chapter. Man takes over. This is where we find the answer to this question in this very unusual chapter of the Bible.

But this is the Bible. All characters and events are genuine and are truthful. There's no cover-up. This is a book where the inner self of man is fully exposed. All of this is here for our learning, for our admonition. Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, these are at times our names. They are our family, they are us. We of course do not have the time to go over this great chapter, but let me give you one point, one point: the triggering element.

Let's see how it all began. The chapter opens up with the main problem. Isaac has a preferred son, Esau, to whom he was ready to bestow the patriarchal blessing. Did Isaac forget that the blessing was prophesied to Jacob? This division was hinted in chapter 25:28, where we read, "And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob." You see, you have two clans in the same family, one against the other. This preference of a child over another is at the core of the problem.

Isaac, being the head of the family, triggers this family feud. What happened to Isaac? I don't know, but one thing is clear is that he was not walking with God at this time. When God is not part of a believer's life, when the Word is forgotten, reality becomes distorted. Strange thoughts grabs the mind and bad judgments becomes part of one's life. Isaac, the man of faith, was about to go ahead on against this prophecy of God. This led of course Jacob to lie and to pay dearly for his action.

For after this event, did you know that he spent 20 years away from home, working for Laban in Mesopotamia, because he feared his brother, Esau. This is where Israel was born. This was the consequence of sin. I encourage you to look into the study of this great chapter 27 on Genesis on our website. When it comes to favoritism, let's not forget Yeshua, Jesus’ example. Did you know that during His three-year ministry, He knew from the beginning that one of His disciples was going to betray Him?

Yet for three long years, none of the 11 had any clue that Judas Iscariot was not one of them. And so, they surely could not see it through Jesus’ behavior. He loved the 12 of them all the time, unreservedly. How much more should we love our children and love them unconditionally? Isaac and Rebecca drifted away from this important precept concerning family and the children.

Guest (Female): Sholom Ariel is a daily radio program emphasizing the Jewish perspective of Scripture. God is not through dealing with Israel, nor will He renege any of the promises He has made to her. Our teacher for this program, Jacques Isaac Gabizon, is a Messianic Jewish believer and Messianic leader at Beth Ariel Congregation right here in Montreal.

If you've been encouraged by the messages, we'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at 1-888-685-5902 or you may write us at info@bethariel.ca, B-E-T-H A-R-I-E-L all one word. You are also welcome to join us for our Saturday morning services. We are located at 6297 Monland Boulevard, corner of Madison in NDG.

The message is given in English, but we do offer simultaneous translation into French and Russian. Services begin at 11:00 AM. We have Shabbat school for children of all ages up to and including teens. You may also download audio messages from our website at bethariel.ca and enjoy other in-depth teaching from Jacques Isaac.

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