Messianic Viewpoint

Guest (Female): Shalom and welcome to Shalom Ariel and to this, our 17th sermon from the Gospel of Mark with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. The Pharisees fasted two times a week. That means they fasted at least 100 times throughout the year. And depending on how religious you are, today's Jews can fast at least one day on the Day of Atonement, or if you are very, very observant, you can be fasting on 14 different occasions or even more during the course of the year.

But for anyone fasting with formality and without faith, its value becomes full of flaws. John's disciples fasted, perhaps mourning for their leader who most likely was in prison at the time. But who should have been their leader now? The bridegroom had been identified. He is the great shepherd to whom the disciples were to pledge their loyalty.

If they had, they would see the blessings that would follow: a place to lie down in green pastures, a watering hole, fearlessness, the anointing of the oil of joy, and the assurance of God's mercy and goodness. Fasting is good, but consider for a moment what kind of table the great shepherd will prepare for us: a banquet even in the presence of our enemies.

It's interesting that the Pharisees called those eating with Yeshua "sinners." It's exactly what one needs to recognize about oneself in order to have a relationship with God. God allowed these very words to come into their minds and out of their mouths as a testimony to what is true and to what is needed to be understood. God will be justified over and over again. He gives ample opportunity for all, Pharisees included, to come to the realization that we are sinners before a holy God. Be blessed as you listen to today's program, and shalom, shalom.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And before we open the word, let's bless the scriptures. You can do it with me: "Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us the word of truth and has planted everlasting life in our midst. Blessed are you, O Lord, who gives the scriptures. Amen."

Now let's open our Bibles to the second chapter of the book of Mark. The last scene brought us to a supper where Jesus was eating with tax collectors and with sinners. This according to the religious ones' assessment of whom they were. Well, they must have stood outside looking in, spying and criticizing. But there's something about this scene in that it is prophetic.

It continues in our text today. The scene itself looks so much like what will happen at the very end when Yeshua comes back. There will be a great Messianic banquet, that is a wedding, where only believers will be present and the others actually will be outside. Like in the parable of the ten virgins, when five were left outside only to realize too late that it was the Messiah of Israel who had previously knocked at their doors and invited them, but they refused.

But now the door was closed shut. They would not be partaking at the wedding banquet. This also reminds us of another parable: the parable of the marriage feast that you find in Matthew 22, when the king organized a wedding for his son, but the noblemen who were invited despised the son and did not show up at the wedding. Then the king sent his servant to go to the main highways, and as many as they find there, invite them and bring them into the wedding feast.

Sinners and tax collectors as well, and all believers today who confess their sins to God and enter the family of Yeshua—these will be at the wedding. And this theme of marriage and the Messianic banquet with its great feast keeps on as it is carried to the next scene where Yeshua now is portrayed in a new light, that is of the bridegroom and the believers as the betrothed wife-to-be. A beautiful and powerful picture of the strong and permanent relationship every believer has with our unique and wonderful creator.

Now let us go to the text and read just one verse. And there you will find what we may call a historical anomaly, something we're going to learn a lot from. What is a historical anomaly? If, for instance, I show you a picture of today's US president shaking hands with Pontius Pilate, you would know right away that the timing is wrong. They are separated by 2,000 years, and you would wonder what is in common with both of these men. So let us read verse 18 and try to figure out where is the inconsistency right there.

John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And they came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" What's wrong with this picture? What's wrong with this situation? What are the disciples of John the Baptist doing here siding with the Pharisees against Jesus? Why do we, by this point in time, even have the disciples of John named as a distinct group?

Didn't John come to prepare the way for Yeshua? So as soon as any of his disciples saw Jesus, they should move towards Yeshua and follow him. This was the ministry of John: to lead the people to the Messiah. The first disciples, if you remember, Peter and Andrew, did just that. But these guys here do not seem to have understood John's message or the message of the scriptures. And so we see in them something new: a new type of group.

But this is what happens when we forget the scriptures, when we forget the root of our faith. They did not remember how John the Baptist identified Yeshua as the Lamb of God, how he argued so strongly against some of these very Pharisees there, and how he even called some of them "brood of vipers." But here his disciples are siding with them and, worst, against the Lamb of God.

But I want to tell you something: this sets precedent in the long history of the church that was about to begin. What we have here may be considered a first Christian denomination, a new shoot like a tear out of nowhere. And the most amazing thing is that they came out while Yeshua was on earth. It's almost embarrassing for them. And today, nominal Christianity proves these consequences.

How many different Christian denominations do you think exist in the world? I'm not talking about those who differ in certain points of view or traditions, but those who have the scriptures as their own foundation. I'm talking about those who, like those disciples of John, do not have the scriptures as their foundation. The number of Christian denominations in the world is very hard to figure out.

According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, they say they came out with a crazy number. They say there are 45,000 globally. However, this number must be overly exaggerated. A fairer estimation shows that in the US, there are upwards of 200 Christian denominations. Jesus, I want to tell you, will emphasize the growth of this new movement which began there, which began in his presence, when he will speak about the parable of the sower and of the seed in chapter 4.

There the good seed was planted, but strange weeds began to spring up, which were planted by the devil himself. And the parable of the mustard seed where the spread of the tear will be bigger than the true seed—something that marked church history and the present state of the church, something we'll see, of course, later. However, while John's disciples as a whole were on the wrong path, some good people came out of it and there is something to learn from this.

You know that about 25 years afterwards, while in Ephesus, Paul met some of the people whom John the Baptist had recruited. These ones, however, were sincere. When Paul spoke of the Holy Spirit coming on the believers at Pentecost, they answered, "We've not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit or not." That's in Acts 19:2. They received a teaching, but not a complete one. When the Spirit came at Pentecost, John the Baptist's disciples were absent.

Paul explained them the scriptures and they were baptized and brought into the fold of the Lord. And there was another genuine soul as well who ended up with them and whom the Lord saved from among them. It's Apollos in Acts chapter 18, of whom it is said that he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So when he met Paul, he only had a few pieces of information about the scriptures.

It was Aquila and Priscilla, if you remember, a Jewish couple from Rome, who took this young man under their wing and taught him the word of God. These two examples show us that while a denomination may not be based on the scriptures, some of its people may be genuine believers. So we cannot just throw it out completely. We often say also that there are believers in this or that denomination or cult. It's true, but these believers will eventually find themselves having to move away from that denomination and attach themselves to the true doctrines of God.

Let us now consider the question they asked Jesus. Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? This event must have occurred, by the way, either on a Monday or on a Thursday. Why? Because this is when the Pharisees fasted. Tradition tells us that they chose these two days because they believed that Moses went up on Sinai on Monday and came down on Thursday.

So in the hope of receiving more revelation from God, they fast these two days. And to enhance the demand, these were also the days they would give charity to the poor, as the Talmud actually reports. But these days influenced the early church, which also fasted two days. However, they changed the days to Wednesdays and Fridays. And the reason they gave for the change, I want to tell you, is very sad and reflects another type of animosity against the people of Yeshua, that is Israel.

In the Didache, a book claiming to be the teaching of the twelve disciples which was circulating through the new churches at the time, I want you to see how they say it. It says, "And let not your fastings be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and the fifth day of the week. But do you keep your fast on the fourth and on the preparation of the sixth day." Here we learn how the two days of fastings were changed.

But don't you feel the animosity behind this writing? They could have formulated this reproach in a less exaggerated manner. What is given is a collective definition of the Pharisees as hypocrites, which is actually, I want to tell you biblically, far from accurate. Paul and Nicodemus were Pharisees. So was Gamaliel, a prolific Talmudic writer. He was not a believer, but because of his wisdom, the Spirit of God recorded his words in Acts chapter 5. He surely was not a hypocrite.

Not all Pharisees are hypocrites. Not every Jew is a hypocrite, as many might have concluded from this statement. Did you know that it is estimated that there were some 250,000 to 1 million Jewish believers in the first century? I want to ask you: what happened to them? Where did they go? It was this type of animosity that kicked them out of the churches. Secular Jews, I want to tell you, know this type of information.

But today we're back, praise the Lord. And we see more and more Jews coming to faith in these last days. And I'm surprised, by the way, even this past couple of months. I've seen a few, and I read this even as a sign that the Lord is coming very soon. Now back to the text. While the Pharisees and the disciples of John were fasting, we can suspect that they were surely not in a good mood.

Just imagine the scene. They must have seen the abundance of good food on the table and Jesus and the other having fun and perhaps even laughing together. Why not? Some say that there's no verse in the Bible where Jesus laughs, but there were many situations and he must have laughed with great laughter, for he was a joyful man and he loved great fellowship. And so the onlookers questioning must have reflected their frustration.

But Jesus is truly a gentle and kind individual, of course. He does not tell them that they are completely out of line. He doesn't tell them that they don't know what they're talking about. He is yet offering them another possibility to come to a saving knowledge of the Messiah whom he is. Here he's trying to appeal to their memory and to their good sense in his own answer. This is the answer he gave in verses 19 to 20.

Listen to this great reply: "While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day." As he often does, he answered them with another question. There's nothing like a question, another question, to challenge and to arouse the curiosity and to stimulate discussion.

The rabbis used this method in their teaching and so does Yeshua. In the four gospels, the Messiah asked some 300 questions. But these questions are for us as well: to provoke us to think, to participate with him in dealing with different subjects. It's like sitting next to your teacher and learning from him when you open up the scriptures and you read his words and his questions.

And see that in his answers, he emphasizes one theme: that of the bridegroom, which he mentions four times in these couple of verses, something he elaborates for us. First see how he answers them again. In this question, he appealed to their own knowledge and helps them gather information in order to make the right decision. To John the Baptist's disciples, Yeshua uses one of John the Baptist's own arguments about the bridegroom. It was nothing new here.

When John the Baptist argued against some of the Pharisees who challenged his authority and what his disciples were present, this is what he answered in John chapter 3. He says, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, and I must decrease." This is what he told them.

What John the Baptist is saying is that he is not the bridegroom; that position belongs to Jesus. But he is only the friend of the bridegroom. And to emphasize this point, he reminds his disciples that he, meaning Yeshua, must increase, but I have to decrease. Clear, isn't it? The argument is simple: while the bridegroom is present, you don't fast. In the same way, you don't go to a wedding and fast, but instead, you celebrate.

Jesus was clearly telling them that he is the bridegroom. Now we don't know what happened after this argument. I love to believe that some of them realized and joined Yeshua. But we know that the majority actually did not. And at the same time, Yeshua had a message for the disciples. Did you know that it is the first time in Mark that he is telling them that he will one day go away, hinting his approaching death on the cross?

Yes, there will be a great wedding, but before that, Jesus needs to die in order for the people to be saved. He says to them, "But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them." Verse 20: "taken away," meaning that it will be removed, that he will be separated from the disciples. This will become slowly obvious in the text as the animosity of the religious leaders will increase against him, because right in chapter 3, they decide to kill him already.

But here again, the one Greek word for our words "taken away" could be read as a prophecy that was actually completely and entirely fulfilled in the Ascension. Do you know about the Ascension of Yeshua on the Mount of Olives? The word is used only three times in this form and only in relation to the bridegroom. But let me tell you what the word actually means. It's made up of two words: the preposition "apo" meaning from, and the word "airo" which basically means to lift up.

This is the days that is the days will come when the bridegroom will be lifted up in the air from them. And it happened exactly as he said it. You know that after the resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples and with many others. He brought them to the Mount of Olives, Acts 1:12. And after pronouncing encouraging words in Acts 1:9, and after he had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight.

It must have been some great sight here. Right in front of them, he rose in the air and a cloud received him and carried him back home. While the disciples may not have understood the words of Jesus in Mark, surely they must have remembered his unique choice of words when they saw him being lifted up in the air. But there's something for us right here. I want to encourage you.

There with them on the Mount of Olives, there were two individuals dressed in white. As the disciples surely lingered because they kept on looking—perhaps they expected him to come back right away—these two angels spoke to them. And they said to them in verse 11, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven."

So while these angels must have first meant the second coming when Jesus will come from above, from the air, and stand in the same place where they were—that is on the Mount of Olives—their saying must also have been addressed to one particular group and unique group in history. And this group may very well be ourselves. Why? For we are told that Jesus will reappear before the second coming, not on the earth, but as the word "taken away" says, in the air.

And the prophecy says that we will meet him in the air. Do you remember that prophecy? 1 Thessalonians 4:17: "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." This is a pre-second coming: Yeshua coming in the air. This is how the bodily resurrection of all believers of all time is described.

And since there will be some who have not yet died by this time, it may very well be our generation. We will follow them, and at the same time given an appropriate body for our eternal abode. And the Spirit of God does not give more information about this verse but tells us one thing at the end. I love this verse, verse 18: "Therefore comfort one another with these words."

To all the Sarahs right around, the question is asked: "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" Be like Noah: by faith, he knew that the flood would come, even though it never rained on earth. But God told him. He says, "I believe it." By faith, he built the ark. Stop arguing about it. As crazy as it might be, believe it and enjoy the benefit of that heavenly hope that comes with it.

But here Yeshua had also a message for the Pharisees and to all who are familiar with the scriptures. Here, the Messiah being the bridegroom brings us to yet another much, much significant truth, brings us to yet another major declaration of the nature of the Messiah. Israel has been yearning to meet her bridegroom, as this is reflected in the Targum interpretation especially of the book of Song of Songs.

But the point is that the Targum precedes Jesus. This Song of Songs has long been considered symbolic of the love between God and the Jewish people. They say that in all, there are 10 songs relating to the history of Israel. The ninth is the book of the Song of Songs, and the tenth is the last song in Isaiah that is in chapter 30, which describes the second coming.

Up to today, they have this yearning. This is reflected also through a ceremony in the Jewish wedding. They say that just as God is the bridegroom and will come forward to receive Israel who is the bride, it became customary for the groom to take his place under the wedding canopy first and that he can welcome his bride as she walks down the aisle. But see that in the Hebrew scriptures, who is the bridegroom?

It is Jehovah himself. And in our text today, Yeshua declares himself as the bridegroom. But declaring himself the bridegroom, he also reveals his uniform nature with the Father. As we saw in the previous verses, the announcement of his very nature continues. We saw earlier that only God can forgive sins, yet Yeshua forgave sins and loudly so. He wanted everyone to know that he can do that.

We saw earlier that through God only, God that is can read men's thoughts. Yeshua reads them as well. We read earlier that as the book of Revelation describes the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days as one, so Yeshua claimed that same place of majestic authority and he says that he's the Son of Man. And we see here Yeshua himself claiming the status and privileges of the bridegroom—a function given only to God in the Hebrew scriptures.

Yeshua is the bridegroom of all believers. At the very end, we read that he will come back to wed his bride, who are all believers from Israel and from the nations as well. Revelation 19:7: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride—us—has made herself ready." The same promise is given in the Hebrew scriptures where Jehovah is the bridegroom.

And at the very end, speaking of the establishment of the Messianic times, we read in Isaiah 62:5, "And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God, Israel, will rejoice over you." This is when the believers of the Hebrew scriptures, Israel, meet the nations in faith. We are one in Christ, right? On another note, some have complained and said that it seems that God appears to have two wives: Israel and the church. Have you heard this before?

How can God have two wives? The answer is that there's only one God and there's only one wife. The difficulty comes in when we recognize the sad truth that Israel has always been pushed back into oblivion. But the church was formed by a remnant of Israel. The church was at the beginning completely made up of Jewish people. We forget this fact. Afterwards, along with the remnant of Israel, people of all nations came along and were grafted into the olive tree.

They joined the Jewish church. So the church is Jewish at its roots. Why have we forgotten this point? This is how the biblical church was and should still be defined. It is made up of the remnant of Israel and the remnant of the Gentiles. As the true Israel is made up of those who know Yeshua, so the true church should not only include but realize that its very roots are founded within the true Israel. And both together become the church.

The tragedy is that Israel has been kicked out, expelled, has been dismissed from the ecclesia by those who thought that they had the key of the kingdom. But here we're back. Jewish believers and believers, Messianic Jews are back in history.

Guest (Female): Shalom 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 .ca). You are also welcome to join us for our Saturday morning services. We are located at 6297 Monkland Boulevard, corner of Madison in NDG.

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