you you Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levitam. Shabbat Shalom everyone. Take your Bibles please and open it to the Gospel of Mark. We are studying in the Gospel of Mark. Today we are in Mark Chapter 11. This is the chapter that tells us and presents before us Yeshua. The Lord Jesus, our Mashiach, our Messiah, as He's arriving to the city of Jerusalem in anticipation of becoming the Sacrifice Lamb, the Redeemer, the Savior. of sinners. He's going to be the one that's going to give his life a ransom for many. Well, in chapter 11 of the Gospel of Mark we see, first of all, the fact that he presents himself to Israel as the King of the nation of Israel. And so, please follow me in Mark chapter 11. I'll read the first 26 verses for this ministry meeting for today. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem unto Beit Pagay, to Beit Oni, at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And he saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you. And as soon as ye entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never men set. Loose him, and bring him. And if any men say unto you, Why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him, and straightway he will send him away. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without, in a place where two ways met. And they loosed him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, Why do ye loose the colt? And they said unto them, even as Yeshua had commanded, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, to Yeshua, and cast their garments on him. And he sat upon him, and many spread their garment in the way, and another cut down branches off the trees and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that follow cried, saying, Hoshanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hoshanna! Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hoshanna in the highest. And Yeshua entered into Jerusalem. and into the temple. And when he had looked around about upon all things, and now the even tide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. Verse 12. And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry, and seeing the fig tree far away having leaves, he came, if happily he might find anything thereon. And when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. For the time of figs was not yet. And Yeshua answered and said, Unto it no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. And they come to Jerusalem and Yeshua went into the temple and he began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves. and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and the chief priests heard it, and thought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come, he went out of the city. In the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursed is withered away. And Yeshua, answering, said unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive. If ye have ought against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. And I'm going to stop here with verse 26 of this 11th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, to refresh our mind, in our previous ministry meeting we saw how our blessed Lord Jesus, our blessed Lord Yeshua the Messiah, was on the way to the city of Jerusalem knowing very well what was going to happen to him when he will arrive to the city of Jerusalem. But while he was on the way, he was the one who was teaching the disciples, instructing the disciples, and just to remind you that all along he knew what was going to happen to him. To remind you that in our previous chapters, in chapter 8, verse 31, it says, In chapter 9 and verse 31, He taught the disciples, and He said unto them, The Son of Man is delivered unto the hands of men, and they shall kill Him, and after that He is killed, He shall rise on the third day. And then the chapter, the 10th chapter which we have gone over in our previous meeting together there once again the Lord Yeshua the Messiah reminded the disciples that when they will arrive to Yerushalayim He's going to experience suffering, sorrows, rejection and ultimately be killed but He will rise on the third day. And He said in chapter 10 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him. But the third day he shall rise again. So from all this, beloved brothers and sisters, we learned that though he very well knew that he's going to suffer and to be killed ultimately, he never moved for a moment. As a flint he went all the way, as a rock, as a solid rock, he went all the way to the city of Jerusalem. And now finally, in chapter 11, he arrives to the city of Jerusalem. What will he find out? What will the people be like when he will arrive? Will the people accept Him? Will they reject Him? Will the people acknowledge Him? This is the people of Israel, the Jewish people. Will they acknowledge Him as the Messiah and embrace Him? Or will they ultimately reject Him and eventually, as He has already predicted, that He will die? So notice in this 11th chapter, it's a very moving chapter because he's now presenting himself as the Messiah of Israel. He's presenting himself now to the nation represented by the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, in a sense is a city that represents the whole nation of Israel. Will the nation accept Him and embrace Him? Well, look what we have before us, beloved brothers and sisters. In the first 11 verses of this 11th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we have the fact that Yeshua is now presenting Himself before Israel as the King of Israel. You know, the promise of a coming king, the promise of a coming Mashiach was already foretold by our forefathers in so many passages in the Hebrew Scripture. And so notice, he is now presenting himself as the king, but now he's preparing himself now to appear before the city, before the people, of Jerusalem in the first six verses of this chapter. So, look what we read. First of all, in verse 1, Yeshua and His disciples arrive to Mount of Olives. Yeshua and His disciples, notice that, I'm going to read that, when they came now to Jerusalem unto Bethpage, as it says in the English, and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sendeth forth two of His disciples. Now notice, they would arrive to the Mount of Olives, in fact, He's standing there on Mount of Olives, right below the slopes on this end of the Mount of Olives, you have those two little towns, one of them called Beit Peg and the other one called Bethany. In other words, the one Beit Pagay in Hebrew, and Pagay simply means the house of an unripe fig, and the other one called Bethany, and that Bethany called the house of affliction. So you just imagine this is the mountain of olives right across, this is the Kidron Valley below, and going up the mountain you see the Temple Mount, which is today of course occupied by other buildings. But you can see, you can just look back in your mind and envision 2,000 years ago, Yeshua the Messiah is now ready to present himself before Israel as the King of the nation, and here we see him viewing Mount Moriah, viewing the Temple Mount, arriving to the mountain called Mount of Olives. Mount of Olives, in Hebrew, Har Hazaytin, was a mountain that he spent many times there. He taught there on Mount Olives. He prayed there on Mount Olives. He preached there on Mount Olives. The Olivet Discourse, he taught there for Mount Olives. This is a place that he spent much time. In fact, Bethpage and Bethany, specifically Bethany, or Beit Ani, is the house where Eliezer, Lazarus in English, Eliezer in Hebrew, Miriam and Martha lived. And many times he has spent a visit with Eliezer, Martha and Miriam, her sister. In fact, on this place called Beth-Ani, or Beth-Ani in Hebrew, you remember he raised from among the dead Eliezer, Lazarus. And he says, Lazarus, come forth. It is right here on the Mount of Olives and it's just on the slopes of this mountain while the whole mountain itself is called Harazitim, the Mount of Olives. Now he's ready to present himself before our nation, the nation of Israel. And so what does he do according to verse 1? He's sending two of his disciples to go to the close by town in order that they will bring to him a colt that was prepared for him. And so in verses 2 and verse 3, Yeshua instructs these two disciples to go and bring a colt to Him upon which He will be sitting down and beginning His journey down from the slope of Mount Olive through the Kidron River and all the way up to Mount Moriah because he's going to go into the Temple which stood at the time when Yeshua came at his first coming. So notice these two interesting verses. He said unto them, verse 2, Go your way unto the village over against you, and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt. That word for colt in Hebrew is ayir, or aton, it's a young donkey. But notice he said, ye shall find a colt, and he add these words, whereon never a man set. Loose him and bring him. And if any man will say unto you, why do you do this? Ye will say, the Lord has need of him, and straightway he will send him hither. Now it is so amazing that Yeshua, the Messiah, was the one that gave us the word of God. We know that God gave us the scripture by divine inspiration. And through the Hebrew prophets, Again and again the Hebrew prophets predicted that the Messiah will come one day, and how He's going to come, that at His first coming He's going to be riding on a donkey, presenting Himself in humility before the nation of Israel. Now we read, by the way, the prophet Zechariah, and I would like to read that verse to us as well one more time, in the prophet Zechariah, Zechariah wrote about 500 or so years before the Messiah came, and look what Zechariah said predicting the first coming of the Messiah. He says to Jerusalem, notice again Jerusalem is mentioned, Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king cometh unto thee, he is just, notice, having salvation, but then he add, he is lowly and he is riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the fall of an ass. You see, the prophet Zechariah predicted that when the Mashiach will come at his first coming he will come in humility he will not come in power and in authority and in rulership as he will come in his second coming but he will come in humility as Zechariah predicted by divine design he says rejoice Jerusalem rejoice daughter of Zion your king is coming he's coming but when he's going to come He's going to be the one that will come to accomplish salvation, and he's humble, he's lowly, and he's riding upon a colt, upon a donkey. Now, can you imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, how the Word of God is being fulfilled before the eyes of the nation of Israel? are waiting for the Messiah to come there was a messianic anticipation the people of Israel were longing for a coming Messiah to relieve them from the oppression that they were under the Roman occupation in the land they were longing for the Messiah And when He came, as we will see it in a moment, they didn't quite recognize Him and accept Him as the King of Israel, the King of the Jews. So, Zechariah predicted it and Yeshua fulfilling it. Zechariah looked at the coming of the Messiah, at his first coming, in humility. And Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, is, you might say, unfolding before the people of Israel the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah. So, he says, we read here in the 11th chapter, in verses 2 and 3, Go to that city, to that town, You will find a cult, and notice it says here, where we never remain set. Now I was pondering this expression. You know, a donkey is a stiff-necked. It reminds us of humanity. And the human race will not let God lead them. You might say, take charge over them. The donkey is a representation of humanity, rebellious, disobedient, and a donkey that have never been set upon is a donkey that if you will sit upon that donkey, he will kick, he will throw you off him, he will not allow you until you break him, and then he's able to allow you for you to sit on him. But here we find it is amazing how the Bible is so rich because here we can see that when they brought that donkey to him, even though that colt was a colt that was not trained, Yet the master can sit on him and control him because he would listen to the Messiah, the servant of Jehovah and will allow him to sit upon him and to take him on the way to the city of Jerusalem. So, notice how wonderful, they have gone verses 4, 5, and 6 of our passage in Mark chapter 11, verse 4 said, go now you can see that he knows everything ahead of time he's telling to the two disciples he says I know what's gonna happen you're gonna find a cult there and I know that somebody will ask you why are you losing the cult and you will tell them the master is looking for him Yeshua wants him and they will allow you to take their cult to bring it to the Lord Jesus the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in full control of Even though he's soon going to be taken and be rejected and be crucified and die on a Roman cross, yet he's in full control. You know, the beginning from the end, the end from the beginning, and he's still moving forward towards the city of Yerushalayim. And so, in the next verses, beloved brothers and sisters, Verses 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 He is now Jesus the Messiah presenting Himself before the people of Israel as the King of Israel Now I want to pause here for one more thought before we're going to move along In the book of Daniel, in fact I would like you to turn with me to Daniel chapter 9 In the book of Daniel, in chapter 9, the prophet Daniel received a revelation from the Lord, from God. In chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, God said to Daniel, through the angel, of how things will come to pass with respect to the restoration of the people of Israel. And so Daniel, we read in chapter 9, And then I'll read some of the verses there, verse 24, the angel Gabriel speaking to Daniel, and he said to Daniel, Daniel, 70 weeks are determined upon your people, your people is Israel, and upon your holy city, your holy city is the city of Jerusalem. In other words, 70 weeks, this is 70 times 7, 490 years, Daniel, is determined upon your people when they are finally going to be restored as a nation and then he tells him those 77 or 490 years what they will accomplish in verse 24b it says to finish transgression number one to make an end of sins number two to make reconciliation, number three, to bring everlasting righteousness, number four, to seal up the vision and prophecy, number five, and to anoint the Most Holy One, or the Temple. He gives him six reasons, or six things that will be accomplished after 490 years that determine upon the people of Israel. And then Daniel was told by the angel in verse 25 that the beginning of the 490 years will be, verse 25 of Daniel chapter 9, and know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the prince shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks the street shall be built again and the wall even in troubleless time and after verse 26 after 483 years he says the messiah shall be cut off now i'm not going to go through the dates right now with you in this ministry meeting But Daniel was told by the angel Gabriel that certain amount of years will pass by until the time will come where the Messiah will be cut off. In other words, he prepared Israel through the prophet Daniel that the Messiah will have to die after a certain amount of years and eventually accomplish redemption and salvation for Israel and as well for the nations of the world. And so we understand, beloved brothers and sisters, that we are here in Mark chapter 11 that the time has arrived for the Messiah to give his life a ransom for many and so I'm back in Mark chapter 11 after we read Daniel 9 we also read Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9 and we see him calling that cult to come, they brought that donkey, that little donkey, and now notice what we read in the next verses, verse 7 on, we find that the people placed garments on the cult and set Yeshua on that little donkey. Notice that verse 7 I'm reading here, and they brought the cult, To Yeshua they cast garments on Him and He sat upon Him, upon that coat. Now to remind you that that coat never men sat on Him. To remind you that that cult, that donkey represent the human race rebellion in lack of submission and disobedience. We're going to see it in a moment. And that's the reason why the Messiah had to come down to this world. And if that colt represents the human race, we can see that the Lord is able to tame this donkey and eventually sit on that donkey and begin his ride, you might say, his travel from Mount of Olives down the slopes crossing the Kidron Valley and climbing up to Mount Moriah where the Temple in Jerusalem once stood. But he sat on the donkey. The donkey submitted to Yeshua, the Messiah. No rebellion. He didn't kick. He didn't throw him off his back. It shows us that the animals will listen to the Messiah, but man, because of sin, is still rebelling against him. So he sat on the donkey, as it says here in verse 7. And notice he began now his journey, his travel towards the city itself. So in verses 8, 9 and 10, the multitude of Israel cried out. Look at this amazing cry that we find in these verses. Many spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches of the trees and strode them in the way. You see what they did? They cut branches, they lay it before the Mashiach Yeshua as His sitting on the donkey and in a sense they are kind of showing to them that these people who were obeying him shows to everyone he is the one that is going to be the king of Israel. We are in a sense some call it the triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem. They cut trees, they straw them in the way, even their clothes, some of them spread their garments in the way and they allow him to walk over the branches and the leaves and the clothes and the garments and so on until as he walk all along the way towards the city of Yerushalayim. And what do they say? Beloved brothers and sisters, notice in these verses they are quoting the word of the Lord. To remind you that these were the people of Israel, they didn't have any New Testament written down in their hands, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, was living in their midst. They have the Tanach, the Hebrew Scriptures, in their hands. And those that believed on him understood, to the measure of light that they had, that he was that promised King of Israel. I want to read just the verse in Matthew chapter 21. In Matthew chapter 21 we read in verse 5, Tell ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king cometh unto thee, Mik, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the fall of an ass. This is Matthew 21.5 quoting what the people said as they were reading Zechariah chapter 9 and verse 9. And you can just imagine. what it must have been. Branches are cut, branches are placed on the ground. The covering, the clothes of the head of many of them who believed on Him, they laid it on the ground and allowed Yeshua the Messiah to step upon it as He's going towards the city of Jerusalem. And notice the cry. In verse 9 of our chapter, they went before him and after him and they cried saying, Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hoshana means save now. Hoshiana, save, please save. Hoshana. And then they said, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. We read in verse 10, blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hoshana in the highest. Now you see, brothers and sisters, those that cried these statements about Yeshua, the Messiah, were those who anticipated the coming of the Mashiach, the coming of the Messiah. They read the Word of God and they understood from Zechariah Chapter 9, and from Daniel chapter 9 and from the book of Psalms that when the Messiah is going to come he's going to ride on a donkey he will enter into the city of Jerusalem and they were quoting what the psalmist of Israel has said Baruch haba b'shem Adonai blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord They were reading the Scriptures and they were quoting what the people, the Psalmists of all and the writers of all were writing in the Hebrew Scriptures. Turn with me to Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is the passage which these men and women, of course, who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah, They were the ones who were quoting what the Hebrew writers were speaking. And notice that, how wonderful to see the fulfillment that was spoken by the prophets of old. The psalmist, of course, is a prophet as well. And he prophetically wrote in Psalm 118, in verse 22, the stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, here's that word, Hoshana, save now, I beseech thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Verse 26, Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. They were literally reading the text from the Word of God or at least knowing it by heart and they were crying this aloud and they were, you might say, proclaiming to all that the Messiah has come. Baruch haba b'shem Adonai. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Now, let me just clarify here that one of the biggest problems that Israel have had in past history and still today is not understanding that when a Messiah will come, he will have two appearings. He will come once in humility in order that ultimately he will become the sacrificial lamb. He will be coming the first time to be rejected and despised by men. but he will also come a second time and he will be a ruler, a king of kings and lord of lords. But you see, these people who cried for this assumed that when he's now coming, he's going to establish the Messianic kingdom and Israel will be delivered from the Roman oppression and he will establish that which was promised by the prophets of Israel. They did not quite understand and grasp the fact that he must suffer and die before he will take the place as the King of Israel. So even though they cried and they quoted the Hebrew Scriptures as we read, Hoshanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hoshanna in the highest. They were longing for the restoration of the nation and the establish of, notice, the kingdom of our father David. God promised to David that in a future day he will raise up a man and this man will receive a kingdom which shall never end, 2 Samuel chapter 7 and that his throne will remain forever and that his kingdom will never ever have an end. David received that promise. These Jewish men, women, boys and girls who have cried this cry were hoping that that's the coming kingdom that was promised to our father David. Hoshana in the highest. Save now. Deliver us now. Bring about the promised kingdom. That's what the desire from the Lord. We know very well that before this kingdom can be established there must be a condition suitable for the king to be received and not to be rejected. repentance of the nation, confession of the nation that they have sinned against God is necessary in order for the kingdom to be established. And so notice that Yeshua now finally, as it says here in verse 11, Yeshua enter in Jerusalem and into the temple. And notice that, beloved brothers and sisters, when He finally have arrived, To the temple in Jerusalem, that is again, he had been there many times, but now it is, you might say, the last days. A few days later he is going to be killed and he is going to be crucified on a Roman cross and he will die as he had predicted. So he's entering finally into the temple, notice verse 11, he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple, and when he had looked round about, notice that, he's looking about upon all things, and then it was already evening, he went out back to Bethany with the 12 disciples. Go back, I want to show you that picture once again so we can kind of see in our mind how it happened. The people coming down on the slopes on the Mount of Olives. They are cutting branches. They are laying the branches on the ground. They take the garments, they put it on the ground, and he is riding, sitting upon a donkey, upon a colt. He is crossing the Kidron Valley, and he began to go all the way up to the Mount Moriah, where the Temple once stood. He finally arrived to the Temple, there on Mount Moriah, and when he arrived to the Temple, he is looking around. And as he's looking around, he's in a sense inspecting. Is Israel waiting for the Messiah and ready, prepared for the coming of the King? He's inspecting the condition that's existing right there and then in the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. And you notice it is amazing to see how verse 11 clearly says that he looked around. He looks round about upon all things, in a sense, he's examining to see what went on there in the temple in the city of Jerusalem. And you know, brothers and sisters, the inspection that he did there in the temple reminds us how God is viewing the condition of his people. You know, God does inspect how do God's people conduct themselves. He's observing to see how they behave. In past history, He inspected how the people of Israel have behaved and if they were ready for the coming of the Messiah, for the coming of the King. And I would like to suggest that He's inspecting today the manner and the behavior whereby you and I behave today. In the book of Revelation we have the Lord is appearing, you might say, observing the condition of the seven churches of Asia Minor, from Ephesus all the way to the Laodicea. And He's observing, He's inspecting and He sees what is the condition that exists here in this locality. Are the people of God ready? Are they living for me? Is their heart right with God? And so he's inspecting. He came, he finally arrived to the city of Jerusalem and he's inspecting the condition that existed there among the people of Israel. Now, we did not read that in the Gospel of Mark. But in the Gospel of Luke, we learn that Yeshua knew very well the condition of the people of Israel when he came at his first coming. As he coming down the slopes of Mount of Olives, and going up to the Mount Moriah, he cried that cry that we find out it's found more than once in the Gospel of Luke. Listen to that. He said, Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. which killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto thee. How often, you can hear the heart of the Lord, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen does gather her brood under her wing, but ye would not. He said to them, Behold, your house shall be left unto you desolate, and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me until the time when you will say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. You see, he knew the condition that existed among the people, our own nation, in those days when he came at his first coming. And he cried, he longed to restore the people of Israel. O Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered you as a hen gather her chicks, but you do not want. You do not want to be gathered. In other words, there was a rebellion that existed in the time of the first coming of the Messiah. Look at another verse in Luke 19. There we read another very interesting verse, verses 41, 42, and 43, which Yeshua, as He coming down the slopes of Mount Olives and going up to the Mount Moriah, in chapter 19 of the Gospel of Luke, it says, listen to that, When He was come near, He beheld the city and He wept over it. And He said, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, thy shalom, but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that Thine enemies shall cast a trench about Thee, and compass Thee round, and keep Thee in on every side. And they shall lay Thee even with the ground, and Thy children within Thee. And they shall not live in Thee one stone upon another, because Thou knewest not the time of Your visitation. You can just imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, here where the Temple once stood. Yeshua coming down going up to the Mount Moriah entering into the temple and on the way he's weeping he's crying and he says oh he says oh if you only knew the day of your visitation but you do not know And he already predicted as he was approaching the city of Jerusalem, he went, it says in Luke 19.45, he went into a temple and he began, and that's what we're going to read here in our chapter in the Gospel of Mark, when he finally arrived to the city of Jerusalem, he found the reality, the true condition that existed in the temple in the city of Jerusalem. But he wept over the people. He wept over the city. He longed to have gathered the people back to himself. That's the wonder of the love of the Mashiach for Israel, the nation, but also the love of God towards all the nations of the world. The Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua came to accomplish the work of redemption. So back please to Mark chapter 11 and from verses 12 all the way to verse 14 we find out that the Lord is actually pronouncing judgment on a fig tree which is really representing the people of Israel. Notice and I'm reading in verse 12, and on the morrow, now it's the second day, he went back to Mount of Olives, to Bethany, he's coming again now, and on the morrow, when they were come forth from Bethany, he was hungry, and seeing a fig tree afar off, having leaves, he came, hoping that he might find anything thereon. And when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. For the time of the figs was not yet. And Yeshua answered and He said unto it, He was speaking to the tree, and He says, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard this. Now these three verses are interesting because now we find out that he shows us through this symbol, through this picture of the fig tree, he shows us that there was no fruit that he wanted to see from his own people. He expected that when he's going to come, he will find fruit for God, represented by the fruit on that fig tree. And that's why he's approaching, he sees a tree, and remember, his disciples follow him, and as they follow him, he's teaching them spiritual lessons. And so on the morrow, He sees a fig tree on the way from Bethany into the city of Yerushalayim and he's coming nearer and nearer and nearer to the fig tree. What does he see? Only leaves, but no fruit. No figs. And so you know what he does? He pronounces a judgment on that tree. He's speaking to the tree. He's saying to the tree in verse 14, no man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. His disciples observed what he was saying. Now again, there is a great lesson here, beloved brothers and sisters. You see, God is expected fruit from Israel. Israel were the chosen people. Israel had the responsibility to be a light to the nations of the world. And as long as they were submissive to God through godly men as Moshe, as Joshua, and all those men of old, the godly men, they could be a testimony to the world. But when they departed from the Lord, there is no fruit for God. There's no figs, you might say, no fruit for God, only lives. And it is very similar, and I don't want to only look at Israel in a negative way, it speaks to us about the assembly, the church, the Ecclesia. As long as there is merely external profession without inner reality, God is not pleased with it. He demands fruit from his people that will be a blessing to the world around him. He comes, he arrives to the tree, what he says? Nothing but leaves. When I read about the fig leaves, it reminds me of Adam in the Garden of Eden when sin came in. He and Eve cover themselves with fig leaves, represent human works. not divine works, represent man's achievement, an external appearance without inner reality. That's what we really learn here from this passage. And how we can apply this to ourselves when we are not bringing fruit for God. We only have nothing more than just leaves without any fruit. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians chapter 5 verse 16, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. He continues on and he speaks about the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God in the same 5th chapter of the book of Galatians. No fruit, nothing but leaves. It represents the fact that God did not receive from Israel the fruit that He intended for them to give for Him. As God many times do not receive the fruit from the church, from the body of Messiah from whom He is expecting to receive fruit for Himself. So notice now what Yeshua does. Yeshua in verses 15, 16, 17 and 19 after pronouncing judgment upon the fig tree, Yeshua now cleansing the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. Can you imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, where the Temple of God became now a place where there was merchant buying and selling and business and all these kind of things that existed in the house of God, in the house of God. And so we read in verse 15, they come into Yerushalayim, they arrive again, Mount Olives, down the slopes, up the slopes of Mount Moriah, into the Temple in Jerusalem. And what does he do? He began to cast them out, the one who sold and bought in the temple, and he overthrew the tables, and the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And he would not suffer that any man would carry any vessel therein. You see, he's coming, what does he see? Buying and selling. What does he see? Money changes. In a sense, what was done there, instead of using the house of God, Beit HaMikdash, to be a place of praises that would rise up to God's nostrils. There was that which is done religiously, you know, buying and selling and as it says, he's changing money and all these kind of things around in the midst of God's people and instead of being occupied with God and it become like, you might say, a place where business transactions have been carried on. And by the way, you notice that he turned over the seats of them that sold doves. Why does the word doves mention there? Because there were also lambs sold there and other animals. Doves are the little birds that only the poor could afford to come and to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord. According to the book of Leviticus, God had allowed the poor who could not afford to bring maybe a big lamb or a calf or something large sacrifice to offer those doves upon the altar. If you remember when Yeshua the Messiah was born, that his mother Miriam in Luke chapter 2 and his father Yosef, his stepfather, they brought these doves to the temple, Luke 2. In other words, you can see the heart of the Lord for the poor, for the ones who are unable to provide for themselves. while the rest are making, as it says here, buying and selling and changing money and continuing on right in the middle of the Temple of God there in the city of Yerushalayim. And so the Lord was unhappy. Apparently, it was not only the external condition that represented by the fig leaf that had only leaves, But apparently when you come into the temple itself, internally he sees the condition that things were just not right. And so we find out that he turned the tables, he overthrew them, the seats, the money changers and so on that were sitting there and selling and buying and then in verse 17 we read that Yeshua proclaimed the word of the Lord through the prophets. He said to them, he taught them and he said unto them, is it not written, my house shall be a called of all nations, a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. You see the temple, Beit HaMikdash, was given to Israel the nation to be a place where Israel will lift up their voice in prayers and praises to God. And the many of the nations of the world will come into this temple and lift up the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But look what happened. Look what happened when the people were not right in their spiritual state. My house, it is written, he's quoting Isaiah 56, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, Beit Tfilah, a house where the people who will believe on me will lift up their voices and cry to me with all their needs and lift up my name in the temple of God, in Beit HaMikdash, but look what happened. You have made it a den of thieves, quoting Jeremiah chapter 7 and verse 11. In other words, you have turned around that which I've intended the temple to be and instead of using the house of God as a place of prayer and praise, you have made it a den of thieves. In fact, beloved brothers and sisters, he exposed the condition of the people at that time by charging them and challenging. By the way, this was not the first time that he cleansed the temple. He had already done so according to John chapter 2 in the early days of his ministry. And now in the last days of his ministry he cleansed it once again. In John 2 and verse 16 you have done the very same thing three or three and a half years earlier. Now that he is just about to become the Lamb of God, the Mashiach, the sacrifice, he's cleansing the temple once again and saying, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves. You know, that shows us that Israel as a nation was not ready to accept the Messiah in repentance and turn around Him reigning over them as the King of Israel. But we know that it was not possible because the Messiah had to die for sin. Sin had to be paid for. And therefore, in the next verses, you can see that we are heading on towards the time that Yeshua will give His life as a ransom for many. And so, I'm moving along. From here on, beloved brothers and sisters, Verses 18 and 19, the spiritual leaders, this is the scribes and the chief priests, sought how they might slay him and destroy him. It is exactly what he knew was going to happen. He predicted that, he said, behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man shall be delivered. This is chapter 10 and verse 33. He will be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribe. They shall condemn him to death and they will deliver him unto the Gentiles. And they shall mock him, scourge him, spit upon him, and ultimately kill him. And on the third day he will rise again. So here we can see the fulfillment of what He has already said to the apostles. So now the scribes are angry. They are not happy. The chief priests are not happy at all. We read in verse 18, they sought how they might destroy Him. For they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine. The ordinary Israelis, specifically the people who came from the Galil, they have already were overwhelmed with the person of Yeshua the Messiah. But the leadership, the leadership is the one that were not happy with the fact that he was acknowledged by the people. They were afraid of the people because the people were astonished at his teaching. He didn't teach like the scribes. He didn't teach like the chief leaders of Israel. He was the man of God who presented the Word of God in humility and in authority. So we move along because we are just about the last portion of this passage. In the last verses, beloved brothers and sisters, verses 20 to 26, after he pronounced judgment on the tree which represented, the fig tree represented the nation of Israel, and also publicly denounced the fact that they have made the house of God like a den of thieves. He's publicly declared that judgment is going to come upon the nation who did not accept the Messiah at His first coming. And so in verses 20 to the end of this passage, verse 26, Yeshua teach the disciples of the importance to believe God, to believe on Him and to follow after Him. And so look at this passage and I think this is very precious because Yeshua shows us here that in spite of Israel's failure, in spite of Israel's disobedience, eventually it is important to learn the truth of forgiveness. God ultimately intend to forgive and restore Israel after He will, first of all, will discipline them. And finally, let me just read those verses for us. Verse 20, it says, In the next morning, this is now the third day, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, Rabbi, Rabbi, behold the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. You see the fig tree was cursed earlier, now the following day they are coming, what do they see? That the fig tree is now withered away. And because the fig tree here is a representation of the nation of Israel, the testimony of Israel to the world, which God called Israel to be a lie to the Gentiles, or Lagoim, it will wither away temporarily until ultimately He will restore them when He will forgive Israel in a future day and restore them to the place of blessing and a testimony for Him here in this world. So Peter said, look, The tree that you cursed is withered away. And Yeshua now explaining to them in verse 22 on. And notice how it's almost like it's out of context, but the context is here. He said to them in verse 22, Yeshua said unto them, have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou moved, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye will receive them, and ye shall have them. Peter, disciple, have faith in God. Change your ways. Don't have this way that I saw the nation at my first coming. You have a different lifestyle. You have faith in God and you will see that you will eventually be blessed. Now some people took this verse that he says, you know, if you will pray, you want to cast this mountain to the sea, it's going to happen. Now listen, God does not want us to rearrange the universe. We're not going to say take mountain and I want you to move to the sea and this sea, I want you to move to this side. No, but it's mountains of challenges and conflict that exist in our lives. Beloved brothers and sisters, the life of God's people involve many mountains. of conflict and challenges and it is possible with the Lord's help if we have faith in God to receive and respond from Him if we only believe. You remember what Pastor Paul said, I can do all things through the Mashiach which give me strength. Yeshua, Jesus said in John 15, without me ye can do nothing. Faith in God, the God of the Bible, the God and Father of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, is essential if we are going to be successful in overcoming mountains of conflicts and problems in our lives. And finally, Brothers and sisters, listen to this. And with this, I'm gonna close for this meeting. Verses 25 and 26, the essential need of forgiveness when we are asking from God in prayer to help us and to answer our prayer. And when you stand praying, he's saying to the disciples and to those who follow him, forgive. If ye have ought against any, that your Father which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven will forgive your trespasses. Now reading this passage I was saying to myself, wait a minute, it seems to be out of context It doesn't seem to fit the whole event that happened here. He's coming to Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim was not in a condition to accept the Mashiach. And then the Lord said to them, you have made my house a house of thieves, and instead of having it a house of prayer, you are not ready to receive me. And then he cursed the tree represented by the fig tree representing the nation who will wither away temporarily and not be a testimony for the Lord until the future day. And if you read it in the context, you see that he is applying this as well to a future day when Israel eventually will be forgiven and a restored nation in a future day as the prophet Hosea said, and bear with me and I'm done. Hosea chapter 14 verse 1, Take with you words, and turn to the Lord. Say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. So will we render the calves of our lips, the praises of our lips, the offerings of our lips. Ashur shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods, for in thee the fatherless findest mercy. I will heal their backsliding, God is saying of Israel. I will love them freely, God is saying of them, for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as a dew unto Israel. He shall grow as a lily and cast forth his roots as a Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as the Lebanon. They that dwell under the shadow shall return, they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine. Their scent, their wrath, shall be as the wine of Lebanon. God Though judging Israel, declaring that they will be the one that will be cursed for that season because of the rejection of the Messiah at their first coming in a future day, Israel eventually will return to the Lord and ultimately will be a blessing to the world in the coming day. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, this passage deals with the presentation of the Messiah as the King of Israel, but misunderstood by the nation, and eventually despised and rejected, and He will go to the cross where He will become the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. Well, may the Lord bless His Word. Can we say Amen to that? You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitam. Gideon teaches God's Word from a Hebrew messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0, or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom.