Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The Servant of All


By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this teaching is available at:
The scripture reading for this teaching is John 13:1-30
Preparations for the Passover had been completed. All was now in readiness to celebrate the most important Passover of all.
Luke 22:7-8 NKJV 7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."
As Peter and John prepared the Passover at which Yeshua would give His life so that others could have eternal life, Judas Iscariot was also making preparations.
Matthew 26:14-16 NKJV 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
The scriptures go on to describe the last Passover meal Yeshua shared with His disciples. In this description we see contrasting behaviors and motivations of Yeshua and Judas’ actions.
The events set in motion with the preparation of the Passover play out as the Passover began. Yeshua had one last opportunity to demonstrate the depth of His love for His disciples. John’s gospel describes that love and contrasts it with Judas’ betrayal of that love.
John 13:1-2 NAS95 1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
Even as the meal began, part of Yeshua’s awareness is focused in the upcoming betrayal by Judas.
Matthew 26:20-21 NKJV 20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."
The disciples couldn’t conceive that one of them would actually betray Yeshua. They had lived together with these men and with Yeshua for the past three years. At Yeshua’s announcement that one of them would betray Him, each one of the disciples sought to establish his own innocence by asking in essence, “I’m not the one am I?
Matthew 26:22-24 NKJV 22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" 23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."
First Fruits of Zion in The Chronicles of the Messiah explain that Yeshua is describing the ritual of the karpas which involves dipping a vegetable twice in red wine vinegar. The modern observance of this ritual is that of dipping the vegetable, specifically parsley, into salt water. Like many rituals of the Passover, it has multiple meanings. First Fruits of Zion explains:
The meaning of the ritual is obscure, but according to some opinions, it represents the betrayal of Joseph whose brothers dipped his coat in goat’s blood—the event that initiated the descent into Egypt. It may also represent dipping the hyssop into the lamb’s blood.[i]
Both meanings can apply to Judas dipping his hand into the dish at the same time that Yeshua did. Judas’ betrayal is a betrayal of Yeshua’s blood poured out for Him. The writer of Hebrews warns that those who know the Torah of God but reject it are subject to judgment. The writer, then, applies that same concept to those who know that salvation comes through the blood of Yeshua but reject it.
Hebrews 10:29 NKJV 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
Judas, who just happened to have dipped his hand at the same time that Yeshua did, understood the reference to the dish and that Yeshua knew Judas would betray Him.
Matthew 26:25 NKJV 25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."
As the disciples speculated who among them was the traitor, the discussion degenerated to boasting about who was the best disciple.
Luke 22:23-24 NKJV 23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. 24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.
This was not a new argument; the disciples had engaged in this same type of discussion before. One time, James and John’s mother got involved lobbying for her sons to have the seats of greatest honor in Yeshua’s kingdom! At the Passover meal,Yeshua, once again, rebuked them for behaving like the Gentiles who were without God.
Luke 22:25-26 NKJV 25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' 26 "But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.
Yeshua had stated before that the greatest among them would be the one who serves.
Mark 9:35 NKJV 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."
How could Yeshua get this message through their heads? The fact that they were once again arguing about who was greatest shows that they still didn’t get the message! Yeshua had only this one evening left to convince them that His kingdom was ruled differently than the world. That in His kingdom, service to others was the most prized action and was associated with the character trait that would lead to the greatest reward! Yeshua decided to demonstrate in a way that could not be denied. Yeshua begins by explaining that He comes as a servant.
Luke 22:27 NKJV 27 "For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
Yeshua, then, knowing His place in the kingdom of God, set it all aside and began to wash the disciples’ feet.
John 13:3-5 NKJV 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
The act of washing a guest’s feet was a duty of a slave of the house. It was a duty that only the lowest of servants was expected to carry out. First fruits of Zion in The Chronicles of the Messiah explains that although a slave was expected to wash the feet of guests, it would be beneath even his dignity to be expected to remove the guests sandals to do so. So, only the act of removing the sandals to wash the feet would be of lower caste than that of actually washing the feet! Yeshua took on the lowest of duties. First Fruits of Zion explains:
Yet another [passage of the Talmud] says, “A disciple must render to his teacher all the service that a slave renders to his master except that of loosening his shoe. In other words, the disciples considered it beneath their own dignity to wash the Master’s feet, how much less should He have washed theirs.[ii]
The disciples were all both outraged and embarrassed! Their own Master was performing a duty to them that only a slave was expected to perform!
It was a duty that they would not even consider doing for their beloved Master! Peter, as usual, the impulsive one, immediately cried out against Yeshua washing his feet!
John 13:6-8 NKJV 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." 8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."
Yeshua told Peter that he would understand Yeshua’s actions after He had completed them and explained. Yeshua continued to wash all the disciples’ feet delaying the explanation for after He had finished.
John 13:12-16 NKJV 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
The context of Yeshua’s words was that He knew that He was sent from God and was returning to God. Yeshua’s own Master was none other than God the Father. If serving others as a slave was not beneath Yeshua whose own master was God, than serving others was certainly not beneath the dignity of a disciple! This lesson was not about washing feet, but about serving others and performing even the tasks that are considered the lowest of the low! Yeshua, who loved His disciples to the very end, was demonstrating that love here!
However, Yeshua hints at a deeper meaning when He says it is necessary for Yeshua to wash their feet if they are to have any part of Him. We go back to the Torah and the requirements of the priests to wash their feet in the laver before approaching God.
Exodus 30:18-20 NKJV 18 "You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 "for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 "When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die.
When Peter understood that he needed to allow Yeshua to wash his feet, He offered up both his head and his hands for washing as well.
John 13:9-10 NKJV 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
Yeshua stated that they had already bathed and the rest of their body was already clean. Before participating in the Passover, Yeshua and all the disciples would have undergone a mikvah or ceremonial cleansing. Only those who were ritually pure could participate in the Passover.
Then, as part of the opening rituals of the Passover Seder, Yeshua and the disciples would have already ceremonially washed their hands before drinking from the first cup of the Seder, the cup of sanctification. So, at this point only the feet of the disciples, which would have become dirty in the walk from the ceremonial baths to the location of the Seder, would need to be washed again. Only their feet, with which they interact with the world in an intimate way as they walk through life, needed to be cleaned once again.
Yeshua refers to the state of their cleanliness when He told them He is the vine and that they are the branches who abide in Him and produce fruit.
John 15:3-4 NKJV 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Once we have our entire bodies washed, we are clean and sanctified before God. Paul writes to Titus that we are saved by the washing that comes through faith in Yeshua.
Titus 3:3-6 NKJV 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Paul again writes in his epistle to the Ephesians that we are both cleansed and sanctified through the word.
Ephesians 5:25-26 NKJV 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Although all the disciples had undergone the mikvah and had their feet washed, Yeshua stated that not all of them were clean. He was, of course, referring to Judas Iscariot who, even as Yeshua was washing his feet, was planning to betray Him! Once again, the identity of the traitor would be revealed through a ritual of the Passover Seder. This time it was at the time when the matzah is declared to be the “bread of affliction” and is dipped into the bitter herbs and charoset. Eating the lamb, the matzah and the bitter herbs together is called the korech or binding because it binds the elements that God commanded to be eaten during the Passover together. Rabbi Yechiel Lichtenstein, as quoted by First Fruits of Zion in The Chronicles of the Messiah explains:
But here Yeshua dipped and gave it to Judas, for it is the custom until today that the host does this dipping [of korech] of the Passover and bitter herbs in the charoset; he divides it among all the guests, as we know.[iii]
It is after Yeshua served Judas the korech, the lamb, bitter herbs, and matzah together, that Judas immediately leaves and rejects God’s Passover sacrifice!
John 13:30 NKJV 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.
John makes the obvious statement that it was night. Remember, that Yeshua stated that He was the light and they were to walk in the light not the darkness.
John 12:35-36 NKJV 35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
Judas rejected the light and did not receive the blessing of becoming a son of light! What exactly did Judas reject? If Judas left as soon as the meal was complete, then he would have participated in receiving the matzah, the bread that Yeshua blessed and broke for them.
Matthew 26:26 NKJV 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
Judas would have received the cup that Yeshua stated was the blood of the new covenant. Yeshua stated that they were all to drink it!
Matthew 26:27-28 NKJV 27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Judas betrayed the body and blood of Yeshua. Judas betrayed the love that Yeshua had for him! He truly trampled the Son of God and insulted the spirit of grace! Judas rejected the New Covenant! It is right that Yeshua later calls Judas the son of perdition!
John 17:12 NKJV 12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
The word perdition is translated from the Greek word ap-o’-lia, #684 in Strong’s Concordance meaning ruin, loss or destruction. Judas lost the salvation offered to him! His end was ruin and destruction! Judas demonstrated selfishness, pride, rejection and unbelief.
But Yeshua kept all the others that God gave to Him. He demonstrated His love for them by serving them physically as He washed their feet and served them the Passover meal. He served them spiritually as He broke His body for them and poured out His blood to establish the New Covenant. Immediately after Judas had gone out and into the night, Yeshua stated that now, the Son of Man is glorified.
John 13:31-32 NKJV 31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 "If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.
The betrayal had been set in motion; Yeshua would be delivered to the hands of the Jewish authorities and Roman officials. He would pour out His life on the cross for His disciples and for us. This is His love for us! At this time, Yeshua gave His disciples a new commandment.
John 13:34-35 NKJV 34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
The commandment to love each other is not a new commandment. Loving your neighbor as yourself is a commandment of the Torah. Loving God above all is the first and greatest of the commandments! Loving one another is a new commandment because it was given to be observed after Yeshua died on the cross. Yeshua’s words that He would humble Himself to wash His disciples’ feet even though He was sent from the Father and would return to the Father remind me of Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5-11:
Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As Paul said, we are to have the same mind as that of Yeshua. So, we are to love one another as He demonstrated His love for His disciples then and now. As Yeshua washed the feet of His disciples then, we are to wash each other’s feet now. As Yeshua demonstrated His love by coming as a servant, we, also, are to be servants! As He was and is the servant of all, we, also, are to be servants of all!
Study Questions:
1. Passover is called the LORD’s sacrifice in Exodus 12:27. Zephaniah writes about the day of the LORD’s sacrifice in Zephaniah 1. In what was this fulfilled when Yeshua was rejected as the Passover sacrifice? In what way can it be understood that it will be fulfilled again?

2. Yeshua said that unless He washes their feet, the disciples would have not part of Yeshua. What is required of them and of us to have a part of Yeshua?

3. John writes about the evidence of love in 1 John. What evidence does John cite?

4. Judas chose to walk in darkness as described by Yeshua in John 12:35. What does Paul say in Ephesians 5:1-14 about walking in love and light? What does John say about walking in the light in 1 John 1? What does this mean in our daily lives?

5. In what way is Judas a son of Perdition or loss? Paul calls the Antichrist the man of sin and the son of perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Compare the description of the actions of this man in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. How does Judas fit the description of an antichrist as described by John in 1 John 2:18-19?

© 2018 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.




[i] The Chronicles of the Messiah. D. Thomas Lancaster. First Fruits of Zion. ©2014 D. T. Lancaster. P.1463.
[ii] The Chronicles of the Messiah. D. Thomas Lancaster. First Fruits of Zion. ©2014 D. T. Lancaster. P.1464..
[iii] The Chronicles of the Messiah. D. Thomas Lancaster. First Fruits of Zion. ©2014 D. T. Lancaster. P.1473.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

His Hour has Come!


By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/0g-JNpWcE4Q
The scripture reading for this teaching is John 12:20-41
Yeshua had left the Temple and retired to the Mount of Olives where he spent the remainder of the day teaching his followers and disciples.  It was two days before the Passover and the city was crowded with pilgrims from throughout the land coming for the festival. Jerusalem had a permanent population of around six hundred thousand at that time. Josephus records that nearly two and a half million people came to Jerusalem for the Passover.
Matthew 26:1-5 NKJV 1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." 3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
Events were rapidly coming to a head.  Yeshua knew that His time remaining with His disciples was short, however there was still some important work to accomplish.  The Chief Priests and some of the corrupt Scribes and Pharisees were determined to arrest and kill Yeshua.  They did not want to have Him killed on the Passover, and they didn’t want to arrest Him at the Temple or in the presence of large crowds which followed Yeshua constantly. 
For the last several days, since His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and His clearing out of the merchants and moneychangers from the Temple courtyards, Yeshua had spent His time with the people bringing the message of repentance and the kingdom of God.  The chief priests were clearly afraid that if they attempted to arrest Yeshua during the festival, there would be an all-out riot.  They needed to find a way to arrest Him privately, away from the crowds of followers and admirers at the Temple.
The people were enamored with the teachings of the Master Yeshua and hung on every word.
Luke 19:47-48 NKJV 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
Yeshua continued to come to the Temple daily and even some Gentiles came to learn at the feet of Yeshua.
John 12:20-21 NKJV 20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
As Yeshua’s reputation grew, word of His teachings and the kingdom of God reached the Gentiles of the region.  When this group of Gentiles approached Philip, seeking an audience with Yeshua, Philip then relayed their request to Andrew, the brother of Peter.
John 12:22 NKJV 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
Yeshua did not reply directly but answered with an announcement that His hour had now arrived.
John 12:23 NKJV 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
Many times, throughout His ministry, Yeshua had said that “His hour had not yet come.”  But now it is different, this time “the hour has come!”  Many Gentiles were now coming to Him seeking the kingdom of God.  This may have also been a foreshadow of things to come in the apostolic era just around the corner.
After receiving the company of Gentiles, Yeshua begins to once again teach His disciples and followers with a series of parables, all of which speak of the necessity of His death and glorification.  He began with the Parable of the Seed that dies.
John 12:24 NKJV 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
This parable uses a common Rabbinic metaphor to illustrate resurrection from the dead.  The apostle Paul later used the same illustration to make a similar point.
1 Corinthians 15:34-38 NKJV 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
Yeshua was comparing Himself to the kernel of wheat which had to die in order to bring new life and bear much fruit. First Fruits of Zion in their work The Chronicles of the Messiah expand and explain this parable by comparing it to similar parables found in the synoptic Gospels in this way.
The hour of the Son of Man can be compared to the seed sown in the soil.  If it fell on hard ground in remained and did not bear fruit, but if it fell on loose soil, it went down into the ground and died, sprouting forth, and bearing fruit. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.[1]
Yeshua often told His disciple that the one who loses one’s life would save it.  Yeshua states this principle again but in terms of loving one’s life.
John 12:25-26 NKJV 25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Obviously, this statement by Yeshua was not intended to be taken literally.  The metaphor is intended to illustrate that one who loves God more then one loves his own life will receive eternal life.  Perhaps this was a prophetic warning to His disciples who would face unimaginable persecution in the years to come.  John, in Revelation speaks of this point.
Revelation 12:11 NIV 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Yeshua was telling His disciples that to follow Him and be a disciple and to serve Him, means willingly following Him even to the point of martyrdom!  Serving Him means to take up His yoke of discipleship. Yeshua spoke of this in terms of taking up one’s cross.
Matthew 16:24 NKJV 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Yeshua did not have a death wish, but He clearly understood the necessity of His death to accomplish His mission and the purpose for which He was sent.
John 12:27 NKJV 27 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.
Just as He was teaching His disciples to follow Him, Yeshua rejected the temptation to put His own life above the will of God.  He addresses the Father in a public prayer.
John 12:28-30 NKJV 28 "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
This is the third time a voice from heaven responds to Yeshua and confirms His mission and purpose.  And once again there are other witnesses who hear the voice! Many heard and did not understand it and dismissed it as thunder while others said that an angel had spoken.  As we learned in a previous teaching, the Hebrew term for a voice from heaven is Bat Kol, which literally translates as “daughter of the voice” and indicates an echo.  Yeshua explains that this echoing in the thunder is not for His sake, but for the sake of those gathered around Him.  They heard God speak directly!
In addition to glorifying the Son of Man and sanctifying the name of the Father, Yeshua’s next statement announces the impending demise of Satan.
John 12:31 NKJV 31 "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
Satan is, or more accurately was, the ruler of this world.  It is through the atoning work of Messiah Yeshua that the hour of his demise had arrived. It is by Messiah’s death that Satan is rendered powerless!
Hebrews 2:14 NKJV 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
With the demise of Satan and his dominion over the earth, Yeshua states that if He be lifted up above the earth, all will be drawn to Him.
John 12:32 NKJV 32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
Yeshua being lifted up above the earth refers to His glorification and calls to mind the words of Isaiah 52:13 where he says that “My servant will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.” Yeshua’s words also bring to mind a previous conversation that Yeshua had with Nicodemus.
John 3:9-15 NKJV 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Yeshua’s statement in John 12:32 makes a strong allusion to the prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53.  Through His suffering and death, He has indeed drawn people from all nations to Him.
The “lifting up” Yeshua spoke of also hints of the resurrection of the Son of Man and corresponds to the words expressed in the Psalms.
Psalms 9:13-14 NKJV 13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.
Many of those gathered around Yeshua still did not understand what Yeshua was trying to tell them about His own coming death and resurrection.  When Yeshua spoke of death and martyrdom and being lifted up, they were perplexed and asked Him what He meant.
John 12:34 NKJV 34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
With this question, they were bringing to the forefront the problem with their current understanding of the nature of Messiah.  The scripture that the questioners were referring to indicated that the Messiah would rule forever.
Genesis 49:10 NKJV 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
And from the Psalmist:
Psalms 72:17-18 NKJV 17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things!
Could Yeshua remain Messiah if He was not to reign from the throne in Jerusalem forever? All the prophetic promises in the Torah, prophets and writings were flooding from their memory.  What about the promise of universal peace in the Messianic Age?  What about the Torah going forth from Zion? What about the promise that in the Messianic age each man would sit under his own vine and fig tree?  These same objections to Yeshua’s Messiahship are raised to this day by mainstream Judaism. 
Instead of answering these objections directly, Yeshua deflected them and continued to warn them about His imminent departure. He warned them that while it is still light, they should walk in the light because a time of darkness was soon to arrive.
John 12:36 NKJV 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
Yeshua concluded His public teaching with this one last prophetic announcement.  His teaching from here on would be private and only to His inner circle of disciples.  Yeshua knew that he had only a short time left to be with them and He was urging those around Him to persevere through the coming darkness.  Yeshua spoke about those who had rejected Him and recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah.
John 12:37-38 NKJV 37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"
Yeshua’s statement and recall of Isaiah’s prophecy harkens back to the opening of John’s gospel.
John 1:10-11 NKJV 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
The apostles found the general rejection of Yeshua as Messiah troublesome and saw this rejection as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecies about the Messiah.  The religious leaders did not accept Yeshua’s claim of Messiahship.  He did not, at this time take the Throne of David, subjugate the nations and overthrow Rome, gather the remaining exiles home to the land, and usher in the Messianic Era.  He did not fulfill these offices of the Messiah.
The allusions to Isaiah in John’s gospel remind his readers that, even though Yeshua did not, at that time fulfill all the prophecies concerning the Messiah and the nation of Israel, He did fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 53 as well as others.  John’s gospel presents the Jewish rejection of Yeshua of Nazareth as Messiah as a sovereign act of God.
John 12:39-41 NKJV 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
The Gospels and Acts are full of examples of Jews who did become believers both during and shortly after the time of Yeshua.  The Passover was fast approaching, just two days away.  Many thousands of people were descending on Jerusalem for the Feast.  Yeshua spent this time teaching and admonishing His followers about what was about to happen to Him as well as warning them about what they were to expect in the coming months and years. Of all His closest disciples, only John would die a natural death.  the others would face tremendous persecution and tribulation at the hands of their fellow Jews and government authorities.  This same urgent message is for us today as well.
The common belief at the time was that, in addition to the suffering servant Messiah, He would be followed almost immediately by a conquering King Messiah. Yeshua was trying to explain to them that this was not the case. It would be a long time before the light of the Messianic age would once again shine on this world, and we are still waiting for Yeshua’s return.  In the meantime, are we are to be busy going about continuing His work and carrying on the legacy of the disciples.  Are we following in Yeshua’s foot steps and working to further the kingdom of God in our small part of the world preparing the way for His return?  Are we following our Rabbi, the Master Yeshua, and making disciples and passing on His words and message of repentance as He instructed us?
Study Questions:
1. Throughout Yeshua’s ministry He continually stated that His hour had not yet come.  Here, just two days before the Passover, Yeshua now declared that His hour has now arrived.  Yeshua specifically said in John 12:23 that, “The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.”  In the gospel of John, how is the term “glorify” or “glorification” used and how does it relate to Yeshua’s statement in John 12:23?

2. In John 12:28 a voice from heaven answers Yeshua’s prayer.  What two other times did a voice from heaven speak in Yeshua’s presence with others to witness?  Who else among the apostles also heard a voice from heaven speak to them?  Scripture please.

3. Throughout Yeshua’s earthly ministry we have seen that many people came to believe in Yeshua as Messiah.  This includes many among the prominent Pharisees such as Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin.  Nicodemus may have kept his belief in Yeshua secret and hidden from other members of the Sanhedrin.  There were many other “secret” believers among the rulers who also kept quiet. (John 12:42:43) Is it a good thing or a bad thing to be a secret believer?  Is there a role to be filled by secret believers who choose, for whatever reason, to remain in their synagogue or mosque? What is Yeshua’s instruction regarding this point?

4. Yeshua fulfilled the prophecies regarding the suffering servant but did not at that time fulfill the prophecies concerning the conquering king.  How did Yeshua assure His followers and disciples that He would yet fulfill these prophecies as well?

© 2018 Moed Ministries International.  All rights reserved




[1] FFOZ, The Chronicles of the Messiah. D Thomas Lancaster. Vol. 5 P 1418

Friday, August 17, 2018

When Will These Things Occur?


Moed Ministries International
The Video Version of this teaching is available at:
The scripture reading for this teaching is
Yeshua leaves the temple for the last time and looks back seeing the magnificence of the temple building. Perhaps he got melancholy or even teary eyed because His disciples comment on the grandeur of the temple.
Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
Instead of agreeing with His disciples and expressing appreciation of the beautiful temple, Yeshua chastises them for not seeing beyond the physical and tells them that the temple they are admiring will be utterly destroyed! The disciples are taken aback and can’t stop thinking about Yeshua’s words. Could Yeshua really mean that the temple would be destroyed? How did this relate to the coming kingdom of God?

When Yeshua and His disciples arrive at their destination on the Mount of Olives overlooking the temple, the disciples immediately ask Yeshua when these things will occur.
Matthew 24:3 NKJV 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Yeshua’s words recorded in Matthew 24 and 25 are a direct answer to these questions. In order to understand the words of Yeshua in these two chapters, we must understand not only the question, but the context of the question. Yeshua had just completed four days of teaching in the temple. Luke records that at Yeshua’s triumphal entrance to Jerusalem before He began to teach in the temple, He stopped and wept over Jerusalem’s failure to recognize that Yeshua was sent by God to redeem them.
Luke 19:41-44 NKJV 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Matthew reminds us of this event by placing it right before Yeshua’s proclamation that the temple will be destroyed. Matthew clearly wants us to associate these two pronouncements of Yeshua. However, while Luke focuses on the physical destruction of Jerusalem, Matthew focuses on the emptiness of Jerusalem’s existence while Yeshua is not there.
Matthew 23:37-39 NKJV 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"
The word translated as “desolate” is eremos, number 2048 in Strong’s Concordance meaning lonesome. Jerusalem will be left lonesome until they once more see Yeshua!
Over the four days from the time that Yeshua entered in triumph to Jerusalem, He cursed a fig tree proclaiming judgment on the present generation; He cleaned out the temple pronouncing that it had become a den of thieves; He told a parable about the owner of a vineyard going away for a long time before returning to judge his servants; and He condemned the practices of the scribes and Pharisees.
After these four days of hearing about coming judgment culminating in the shocking statement that the temple of God would be destroyed, the disciples asked these questions. At this time, the disciples have recognized that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God. Their questions would reflect their belief that He was indeed the Messiah. Alfred Edersheim in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah relates that Jewish belief at that time about the coming of the Messiah varied widely. However, the general stages of His coming transitioning from the present world to the world to come followed similar lines. He writes:
This happy period would begin with ‘the days of Messiah’. These would stretch into the ‘coming age’ (Athid labho), and end with ‘the world to come’ (olam haba).[i]
Edersheim goes on to describe the general belief about ‘the days of Messiah’:
Suffice it to say, that, according to general opinion, the Birth of the Messiah would be unknown to His contemporaries; that He would appear, carry on His work, then disappear—probably for forty-five days; then reappear again, and destroy the hostile powers of the world… Ransomed Israel would now be miraculously gathered from the ends of the earth, and brought back to their own land, the ten tribes sharing in their restoration, but this only on condition of their having repented of their former sins.[ii]
The disciples would have recognized that the days of Messiah were coming to an end and the coming age was soon to begin! However, the days of the “disappearance” of Messiah were not forty-five days. The disappearance is still continuing! So, the question about when these things will happen was more than about the coming judgment on Jerusalem. The disciples wanted to know when the days of Messiah would become the ‘coming age’ and ‘the world to come!’ “What are the signs of your coming,” they asked. “And what are the signs of the entire completion of the age?”
As we examine Yeshua’s answers to these questions, we need to realize that many of the events He described already happened during the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 CE, and later, in the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel in 135 CE. But which parts are which? The answer is not always clear cut. Also, prophecy tends to be cyclical, so those events that have already been fulfilled may yet be fulfilled again.
Yeshua begins His answer to the disciples by warning about the rise of false prophets. He is returning but not in forty-five days!
Matthew 24:4-8 NKJV 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Yeshua cautioned that hearing about turmoil and disaster throughout the world is not the sign of His return although these types of things must happen in this world. They are all symptoms of a bigger picture, that of the beginning of sorrows. But what are sorrows? The word “sorrows” is odeen, number 5604 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a pang or pain, especially of childbirth. These are the inevitable pains leading up to the coming of the Messiah. These pains include conflicts between nations as well as disturbances in the creation itself!
Yeshua warns that this interim time is not the time when He will again be seen in Jerusalem. He goes on to explain that these days will include personal tribulation as well as turmoil between nations. He again warns that it is a time of false Messiahs.
Matthew 24:9-12 NKJV 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The word translated as “offend” is skandalizo, number 4624 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to entrap, trip up, or stumble. Many people will be entrapped, tripped up and stumble leading to betrayal and hatred! This has been going on since the beginning of the days of Messiah as both Jew and Gentile stumble over faith in Yeshua!
1 Peter 2:6-8 NKJV 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
Yeshua goes on to say that this transition time of tribulation will continue until all nations hear the gospel!
Matthew 24:14 NKJV 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The word “end” in this verse is not the same Greek word used by the disciples in their question about the signs of the end of the age. This time, the Greek word used is telos, number 5056 meaning to set out for a definite point or goal. The word “come” is hay-ko, number 2240, meaning to arrive. Yeshua is referring to arriving at the goal!
All of these things were fulfilled in the forty years between the ascension of Yeshua and the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. The destruction of the temple could be understood as arriving at the goal of judgment on Jerusalem! At that time, the gospel of the kingdom had gone out to all parts of the Roman world. However, the days of Messiah are continuing and will continue until He makes His reappearance. In that sense, wars will continue, famines will continue, earthquakes will continue, tribulation will continue, stumbling over Yeshua will continue!
Yeshua, then turns to describing events that will happen in conjunction with the destruction of the temple.
Matthew 24:15-22 NKJV 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
When the Romans surrounded Jerusalem in 68 CE, the believing Jews fled the city and refused to enter it again. Anyone who did enter the city found that they were trapped and couldn’t leave. They were caught up in the destruction that followed in 70 CE. Josephus records that following the destruction of the temple, the Romans used the temple mount as a place for their own sacrifices.
And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations of joy.[iii]
Yeshua went on to warn against false Messiahs who would rise up and show signs and wonders.
Matthew 24:23-26 NKJV 23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 "See, I have told you beforehand. 26 "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.
One particular false messiah rose up and fooled many people in 135 CE when Simon bar Kochba was declared the Messiah and led a massive revolt against Rome. This resulted in a huge slaughter of the residents of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people from Israel! Jews throughout the land were either killed or taken into captivity. Once again, believing Jews heeded Yeshua’s words and fled Jerusalem before the destruction of the city!
The warning against false messiahs continues! In contrast, Yeshua says that He will come as a flash of lightning from east to west!
Matthew 24:27 NKJV 27 "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Yeshua’s return will be after days of great tribulation. Tribulation has been going on since the time of Yeshua’s ascension. Persecution has been targeted against Jews and Believers in Messiah by both Jew and Gentile alike! It will continue until Messiah appears!
Matthew 24:29-31 NKJV 29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Alfred Edersheim explains in The Life and Times of Jesus the Mesiah that the Jewish belief at the time of Yeshua was that the sound of the trumpet would usher in the coming age marked by the wars of Gog and Magog and repeated attacks on Jerusalem. However, descriptions of the specific characteristics of this time vary widely.
It is at this time that we will see the coming of Yeshua. Yeshua says that His coming would not be hidden but that everyone would see and hear it! We are not to be fooled by proclamations of the Messiah coming in any way other than openly with great power and glory!
However, the Jewish expectation was that the Messiah would disappear and reappear after an absence of only days! Peter and the other apostles confirmed this expectation when they asked Yeshua at His ascension if this was the time He would establish His kingdom.
Acts 1:6-7 NKJV 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Yeshua’s answer only conveyed the fact that only the Father knows the times or seasons of the coming of Yeshua. Yeshua said the same thing in His answer to these two questions.
Matthew 24:36 NKJV 36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Yeshua goes on to describe the days leading up to His coming as days much like any other. People would be going about their business eating, drinking, marrying, and having kids. Yeshua wraps this up with an illustration of a homeowner constantly on alert for housebreakers.
Matthew 24:42-44 NKJV 42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The point is not that we should be watching for thieves, but that we should be watching for the coming of our master. Just like a homeowner has no idea when a thief may break into his house, and so must be prepared at any time, we, also,must we be prepared for the coming of Yeshua at any time!
Yeshua, then, turns His attention to a series of parables emphasizing the need to be prepared! The first of these is the illustration of two servants, one of whom is found working when His master returns while the other one abuses and mistreats his fellow servants.
Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV 45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 "and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 "and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The warning here is to those who would be leaders who would have authority over others. Their focus is not to be on when or if the master returns; it is to be on taking care of the household left to them in trust!
Yeshua follows this illustration with the parable of the ten virgins. All ten are asleep when the bridegroom comes because his appearance is delayed. However, five of the virgins are still prepared and go out to meet the bridegroom. The other five are not prepared because they neglected to put oil in their lamps.
Matthew 25:3-5 NKJV 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
The foolish virgins seemed surprised when their lamps went out and demanded some oil from others. This indicates that each individual is responsible for their own salvation and needs to be prepared at any time for Yeshua’s coming. Alfred Edersheim explains in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah:
The foolishness of the five virgins therefore consisted, not (as commonly supposed) in their want of perseverance—as if the oil had been consumed before the Bridegroom came, and they had only not provided themselves with a sufficient extra supply—but in the entire absence of personal preparation.[iv]
Finally, Yeshua concludes with the parable of the talents awarded to the servants of a master who went on a long trip. The servants were to use their talents for the benefit of the master while he was away. When the master returned, he demanded an accounting of how they had carried out their responsibilities. Each servant must be prepared to give an accounting of his actions while the master is gone. When Yeshua returns, He will ask that same accounting from us. Isaiah speaks of the time of the coming of salvation:
Isaiah 62:11 NKJV 11 Indeed the LORD has proclaimed To the end of the world: "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.'"
The word “reward” is sakar, number 7939 in the Strong’s Concordance meaning payment of a contract, a salary, reward or wages. Yeshua confirms this promise in His final words recorded by John in Revelation.
Revelation 22:12 NKJV 12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Yeshua never really answered when these things will be; instead He gave the disciples warnings about hardship to come including persecution, tribulation, and the rise of false prophets and messiahs. These things began immediately after Yeshua ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came in power upon the disciples. These things will continue to happen until the coming age when He will appear in such a way that there is no doubt He is the Messiah. In the meantime, we are to be carrying out His instructions faithfully no matter how long it is until His appearing. Finally, we are to be watching for His coming!
Study Questions:
1. Revelation 21:9-10 calls Jerusalem the bride of Christ. Bereisheit Rabbah identifies the temple in Jerusalem with Sarah’s tent. Paul compares Sarah to the heavenly Jerusalem. Describe the foreshadow of Yeshua that begins with the binding of Isaac and ends with Isaac taking his bride into Sarah’s tent.

2. Matthew 24:9 begins with the word “then” which, in English, indicates a definite sequence of events. However, the Greek word we translate as “then” is #5119, tot’-eh, meaning then or at the same time indicating concurrent not sequential events. How does this change our understanding of Matthew 24:8-12?

3. Isaac was out in the field when his bride Rebaccah arrived. How will Yeshua be out in the field when His bride arrives?

4. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 that Yeshua comes like a thief in the night to those in darkness however we are in the light. Compare Paul’s discussion with Yeshua’s illustration of the homeowner and the thief in Matthew 24:36-44.

5. What are the similarities of the parables Yeshua told in Matthew 25? What should we be doing as we wait for Yeshua to return?

© 2018 by Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.




[i] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 775.
[ii] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 775
[iii] Josephus. The Works of Josephus.  “The Wars of the Jews”. Book 6, Chapter 6, line 316. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1987. Page 743.
[iv] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. ©1993. Page 789.