Messianic Viewpoint

Guest (Female): Shalom, and welcome to Shalom Ariel and to this our 26th message in the Gospel of Mark with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. There is a battle on the home front going on, and today we're going to hear how Yeshua, Jesus, redefines for us who is our real family.

Jesus never told us to forsake our earthly family. On the contrary, we are called to support them. We are called to honor our father and our mother. In fact, Yeshua uses the negative example of how the religious would renege their financial responsibilities to their parents by claiming that an offering should go to the temple instead of supporting their needs.

We also remember the fifth commandment. This is the first commandment of the 10 that deals with our horizontal relationship. The first four dealing with our vertical relationship with God. And with that fifth commandment, honoring your mother and your father, comes the first commandment with a blessing. Obey your father and mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

The respect for family structure is so vital to a well-functioning and God-based society. However, if our discipleship, if our growth and development in the Lord is compromised because of family, we have an important decision to make. We don't prove our faithfulness and loyalty to God by abandoning our earthly family at times like this. Instead, we prove our loyalty to God and to Messiah by hearing and doing the will of God.

Some of the choices we make might cause us to break in the relationship with our family, and this further highlights what the cost of discipleship is all about. In our desire then to honor God in everything we do, we look to the word so that we may know and carry out what is the will of God, and there in the word and in the power of unconditional love, we might even eventually see our family members coming to faith.

Remember, it was only after Yeshua died and resurrected that James, Jesus's half-brother, came to faith. So let's continue to stand faithfully by the word, honoring his commandments and allowing him to do the supernatural work of softening the hearts of our family and our friends. Be blessed as you listen into today's program, and shalom, shalom.

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): And so it is right after the mention of Judas Iscariot that the text begins to show us that the walls actually were beginning to close in on Yeshua. The situation became unbearable as it is described from verses 20 to 23. Let's begin with verse 20. And he came home, and the crowd gathered again to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. This was the ultimate moment. By the way, it was also a dream time for whoever is looking for fame. But it was not Yeshua's desires to be popular. For he came to die for the sins of the people.

If you follow the progression, by the way, of his fame, the number of people following him increased to the point that no, he couldn't eat anymore. Let me show you a chart here. In chapter 1, verse 33, we read, "And the whole city had gathered at the door." Chapter 2, verse 2, we read, "And there was no longer room not even at the door." 2:13, we read that all the peoples were coming to him. 3:7 to 10, we read that he withdrew to the sea with his disciples because there were too many in the city. Then 3:20, our verse, there were so many that they couldn't even have a meal. Then the next chapter as the break became more obvious in chapter 4, verse 1, we read that there was such a large crowd gathered to him that he got into a boat in the sea. This time he didn't go to the sea, he went on a boat in the sea. After this there was nowhere to go.

But he did not come for fame. People ask, "How come we don't have peace in the world if Jesus came?" Because he came to die first. He could have said, "I'm the King of Israel." And everybody would have followed him. So his success was not based on the praise given by others. He came to give his life for his lambs. This is one aspect of his life we should not forget.

So his success lay in the way he was to die at the proper time at Passover and at the proper place. We're going to see that his greatest miracles were there so that the way will always be opened. Again, Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth but salvation first. But even his friends and families did not understand and they turned against him. We read in verse 21 that they thought that actually he lost his senses. This verse speaks of his own people. And we know that his family is involved because in verse 31 it says that his mother and his brothers arrived and standing outside they sent a word to him and called them. But how did they come to believe that he lost his senses?

There was obviously a great pressure coming from the religious leaders, from the established tradition because Jesus went against all these established traditions. There was also a great commotion coming from the demonic world influencing the people there, the demonic world, which the Lord is about to declare to us in this chapter. They have actually their kingdom too. We are to know they're there. And so his family walked from Nazareth actually to Capernaum. Some 32 kilometers or 20 miles to come to attempt to save Jesus. They were convinced he went overboard. But there's another enigma there. An enigma to deal with. What happened to Mary? What happened?

Did she forget the revelation she received from the angel about Jesus? Perhaps she expected the religious leaders to recognize him as their Messiah. Was she also expecting the sign of deliverance like the other Jews, not being aware of the mystery he's about to reveal? In many ways Mary represents the many Israelites who were deceived into thinking that the Messiah would come first to establish his kingdom, and this is what we see even today.

In her Magnificat, you know, her beautiful song of praise found in Luke chapter 2, she spoke of the coming of the Messiah but nowhere by the way of his suffering of his first coming. She speaks of God scattering the proud, putting down the mighty from their thrones, and exalt the lowly. And recalls the promises made to Abraham. Maybe this is what influenced her, and she was expecting him to establish his kingdom.

One another important thing. Jesus had brothers and sisters. It says his mother and his brothers arrived. Later in Mark chapter 6, verse 3, we read that he also had at least two sisters. They said, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?" So Yeshua had four brothers and at least two sisters or more since it is plural. But why am I bringing this up? Why is this important?

Because the largest Christian denomination made of 1.3 billion people are taught of the immaculate conception which basically teaches that Mary had no other children. But it is written here. And so they say to defend the Mary whom they revere that brothers really means cousins, when there's another Greek word for cousin. Today many Catholic scholars by the way recognize this, yet the church doesn't. We often accuse the Jews to have gone against the word of God. But this is a human phenomenon. It's not only the Catholics who believe this. The great reformers, the Protestant Church, believed it as well.

Did you know that Martin Luther and John Calvin also believed that Mary remained perpetually a virgin? These are the father of Protestantism. When I read these things, I want to tell you, I ran even faster to the pure word of God. No wonder Yeshua insisted over and over to always go back to his word. And see that in this verse of Mark chapter 6, verse 3, Yeshua is called a carpenter. That was his work. And the fact that Joseph, by the way, you notice, is not mentioned, it's very possible that he had died, so Jesus must have taken care and provided for his family. So he knew what it's like to be a head of a family and to work and to provide for his own.

And when I read this, I'm reminded of a great passage actually that I always mention in relation is John 14 where he says, "In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. But I go and prepare a place for you." So he will provide for his spiritual family as well because our Jesus is still a carpenter. He builds houses, right? Now when you consider all these things, what we have read so far, we may wonder how Jesus actually felt about it. Actually, the Bible tells us. It does through a prophecy found in Psalm 69.

The theme of this Psalm, by the way, is that of reproach, shame, insults, and dishonor which was felt by David when he was rejected as a king of Israel. Here he was abandoned by his family, friends, and nation just like the Messiah in his first coming. And this prophetic Messianic Psalm is quoted actually six times in the New Testament, twice in John, one in Matthew, twice in Romans, and one in Acts. For instance, the prophecy brings us to the cross of the Ta'av. In Psalm 69:21, they also gave me gall for my food, it says, "On my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." David was actually prophesying as it is reported in Matthew 27:34, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall. But it is in Psalm 69:8 and 9 which is quoted both by John 2:17 and Romans 15:3. It speaks of the rejection of both the Messiah and David's family.

Here we are told how Yeshua felt within this mayhem of persecution. It hurt him actually to see his family coming against him. It must have hurt him to see all these people, the religious leaders coming against him. And it says, "I have become estranged for my brothers and an alien to my mother's sons, for zeal for your house has consumed me. And the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me." This was a prophecy of the rejection of the Messiah. This prophecy also tells us what motivated Yeshua to go all the way. It is written that it was for the zeal of your house. It says this has consumed me. It was actually his great love for Israel and for every man actually that he was about to save. And this Psalm goes a long way to explain the suffering Messiah. Even in this instance, look at verse 26. As it is as if David turns around and speaks of another who is suffering. This is perhaps the moment that he realized that he was prophesying. He says, "For they have persecuted him whom you yourself have smitten." And they tell of the pain of those you have wounded. See the word wounded. Halal defined as one who is mortally wounded. This was not David. This was not Israel as some rabbis would say. It is the Messiah as Isaiah 53:5 says, "For he was wounded, he was pierced." The same word halal, for what? For our transgressions.

This then was not just a rejection of his family, but by his friend and by his nation. It was the beginning of a great suffering of the Messiah that he endured for us. But see what we've been confronted so far in this part of Mark. You know, we were introduced to Peter who will be the head of the 12 disciples, but soon, do you know he will deny the Lord three times. Then Mary comes back, but she also turns against Yeshua somehow. Then we are introduced to Judas Iscariot who followed him and literally lived with Jesus for three years, yet at the end he betrayed him. And all those religious leaders, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians who were given so many proofs of miracles and especially warnings and truth from the word of God which they should have been familiar with, then they were. But at the end they refused. Clearly, I want to tell you first, the word of God is fully inspired. No other history will be so open and sincere.

Whether it is Israel or Mary or Peter, it depicts them as they are so we can learn from them and always have our eyes fixed on Yeshua. As David wrote, "Do not trust in men in whom there's no salvation. How blessed," he says, "is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is the Lord his God." This is the blessing we ought to seek and stick close to, and among all this mayhem again, there is something that Yeshua said that is so comforting and I want to close with. This is found at the end of chapter 3. We'll come back later to cover the other verses. You know, as Yeshua's earthly family came to save him, so to speak. At least, this is what they thought. He then spoke these words in verse 33 and 35. See what it says. "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking about at those who were sitting around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brother." For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. Here he introduces a new family, new spiritual family made up of those who follow him and of them who said, whom he says there, "These are my mother and my brothers." This is where we see the doctrine of adoption, the doctrine which says that at the moment one believes in God, he or she becomes a son and daughter of God forever and ever.

And this is some great title we're given here. We are now the children of God. We're now the sons of God. Here again we see the creative aspect of the spirit. Sons of God in the Old Testament are those who are directly created by God. Man is never called a son of God, but a son of man. Angels are sons of God in the sense of being directly created. However, here, because we are born again, the spirit recreates in us a new nature so that we're called sons of God. One last point. What characterizes one who is called a child of God? It is one, it says, who does the will of God. But what does it mean to do the will of God? Jesus explains it for us in the Gospel of Luke. Here he spoke of the event, the same event, and he says, "My mother, my brother are those who hear the word of God and do it." This is what it is. He always comes back to the source. His word where God reveals his will to us and where we can always find him. It is right there. Let's bow our head in prayer.

Now, God, you are the miracle worker, the covenant keeper, the mercy giver, the salvation bringer. We pray in amazement of what you have done and has prepared for us. And also in seeing you in your scriptures. As your children, we can say that no enemy can defeat us. No hatred can stifle us. No rebuke can deter us. And so this morning our gratitude knows no bounds as we praise you for sending your word to prepare us for our eternal abode. Amen and amen.

Guest (Female): Continuing with our thoughts about family and responsibilities, we come to this segment of the program, the Q&A where Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon will address a question dealing with peace or the sword. Let's listen in.

Guest (Female): In one of your sermons, you mentioned that Jesus said that he would not come to bring peace on earth. And when I read the passage in Matthew 10, he also added that he came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Did he come to bring peace or did he come to bring the sword?

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): Thank you for this question. You know, this passage is a reality check for all believers, reminding us that our faith is very often not welcomed and is seen as very hostile to others. Let us look at this passage in the context of Matthew. Things have not changed much. So the Jewish people at the time of the Gospel then expected the Messiah to come only once to establish his kingdom. They were not taught to see the two comings with the first one being his suffering and atoning death for us. And so when Yeshua came, they were surprised that he did not establish his kingdom then. Yet there are over a hundred prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah and of the great hostility and opposition he will trigger between the first and the second coming and we're included in between there. This is reflected in what Yeshua says in Matthew 10. Let us read the three verses and see why Jesus spoke these words there and then. Verse 34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be those of his own family." These are very strong words. In the context of Matthew, it was quite clear that the conditions were already hostile. In Matthew 12, they will seek for ways to kill him, and already by Matthew 10, we know that the religious leaders have already decreed that whoever confesses Jesus as the Messiah would be excommunicated.

But see, in these words, Jesus brings them back to the Hebrew Scriptures by quoting Micah 7:6 when he speaks of family conflict because of faith. The last words are taken from Micah, almost verbatim. The Lord says through Micah,

Guest (Female): For son treats father contemptuously, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies are the men of his own household.

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): But the question is why does Jesus quote Micah? First, he always brought them back to their source, that is, the Hebrew Scriptures. And second, if this passage of Micah was quoted, it is because Israel found herself in the same condition then as she was at the time of the first century. And you know what, as she is even today. In both cases, the diaspora was soon approaching. 40 years after Jesus' words were pronounced, Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish people went to live in countries around the world as they are today. As for Micah, a little more than a hundred years later, the Babylonian diaspora occurred where Jerusalem was also destroyed. And secondly, this passage from Micah must have been well known to the religious leaders as it is mentioned a few times in their own writings, as they specifically placed Micah's words in 7:6 right at the time preceding the coming of the Messiah.

In there they placed the events of Micah 7:6 right before his coming. To mention only one because there are a few. They wrote in the Talmud in the Book of Sota.

Guest (Female): With the footprints of the Messiah, presumption increases and dearth increases. The vine gives its fruit and wine at great cost, and the government turns to heresy. And there is no reproof, and the son dishonors the father, and the daughter rises up against the mother.

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): And so when Yeshua quoted these words, they knew what he was talking about. So Jesus was appealing to the word of God and to their writings as well. Now it is clear that since Yeshua came, rare were the times of peace on this earth. And according to biblical prophecies, there will be no lasting peace until he comes back. But what about persecution within our families? This is what he's speaking about here. While today the situation of having a man against his father or a daughter against her mother is infrequent, they, however, happen. They happen. I know they happen for many of our Jewish members here at Beth Ariel. For them, it's still happening. And there are some who today are champions in rehashing the words of Jesus in verse 37. The following verse actually which says,

Guest (Female): He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): You know, this is a favorite verse of these anti-missionaries who are trying to place guilt trip on those Jewish people who believe in Jesus. I remember when I was a young believer, they had advised my family member, a family member, to post these words of Matthew 10:37 in their doorpost to make sure we see these verses when visiting. But is Jesus asking us to hate our parents? Far from it. The family unit is what is most precious to him. However, consider the context, the family members are not those we think of. In verse 21, we learn that a brother will deliver up a brother to death. He's speaking about death, and a father, his child. While this refers to the tribulation and small pockets of time over the centuries, what we must consider is that when family members begin to do these things because of one's faith, the advice in every generation is the same. We ought to put Yeshua first and let them not condemn us or condemn the God of the Bible. In response to these attacks, I remember, we have found one great verse in Joshua, which says,

Host (Jacques Isaac Gabizon): But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And praise God, we still do today. So this passage is a reality check. We are not in heaven yet. The Bible sees us in a battleground but going from victory to victory. And one more point. Many today in churches believe that this passage of Matthew is passé. They believe that Satan is bound, and that we are now in the Messianic times or in the millennium, and that the church is on its way to change the world by bringing peace to it. These are today the majority in the visible church and especially adopted by the Catholic Church and today many evangelical churches. For them, the word of Jesus in Matthew 10:34, when he says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword," should be changed to, "Now the church has come to establish peace on earth." But notice, by the way, how history just repeats itself. The condition of the church today in its majority is in the same predicament as the Jews were at the time of Jesus. They both expected or expect a new world without evil. The Jewish people expected peace without the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The majority of churches today expect peace without the end-time prophecies. Now, a last word. While there is conflict and persecution, the believer, the believer, those who accepted Yeshua as their personal Savior, is well protected. He's sheltered and always given the proper tools to confront any situation he or she is called to face.

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. You are also welcome to join us for our Saturday morning services. We are located at 6297 Monkland 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. If you would like to sign up for informative newsletters, log on to our website and add your name to our email list. Shalom Ariel is a listener-supported program. If you have it on your heart to donate, it will be a great blessing for the continuing ministry and outreach of Beth Ariel. Thank you and shalom, shalom.