Tag Archives: Messiah

Gospel of Mark

Triumphal Entry 4: That Prophecy (Zechariah 9:9)

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Perspective..
I’m passing through London on a train, looking at the skyline. I can see a series of tall buildings. Skyscrapers. My eyesight is pretty good and I can see them clearly. Now I know London pretty well, but if I didn’t, I would be hard pressed to be certain which block is nearest or which one is furthest away. Understanding perspective can be a challenge.

Chapter, Verse and Context..
In ancient times, Scripture was not divided into chapters and verses. There’s no question that the introduction of this device has made it easier for us to find and reference specific parts of Scripture, but there is a downside. Even before chapters and verses, students were able to find their way through Scripture, but their familiarity was based on context and themes. But even then, things were still open to interpretation. Once again, getting the right perspective is a challenge.

A Familiar Verse..

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

We’ve learned this verse. It’s familiar to us, but it was never really intended to stand alone. Understanding the context is critical to understanding what is going on as Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Our Perspective..
This seems straightforward. We make the connection to Jesus, righteous and virtuous, riding a donkey on Palm Sunday. We see him as Messiah, greeted by a welcoming crowd, waving palm leaves and shouting ‘Hosanna’.  For  us, this Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the child born to be King (2 Sam 7:12-13), and the suffering servant (Isaiah 53}. His resurrection defines him as One who conquers death. So when we read this we see Jesus, coming as King, riding on a donkey, ready to suffer for our salvation.

The Crowd Perspective…
This crowd is really excited. There is joy. ‘Joy’ doesn’t really convey what is going on. This is exuberance. This is sheer jubilation. Why? Because they know all about the prophecies of Zechariah. and they believe that Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. After the long winter of God’s silence, his Son is here! They are shouting ‘Hosanna’  – the word means ‘save now’. This crowd believes that Jesus, riding on his donkey, is capable of delivering salvation.

Sounds pretty similar to our interpretation. But this crowd is looking at a very different Messiah from the one we see.

The Jewish Perspective..
This crowd is almost exclusively Jewish, and their cultural lens is very different from ours.  For them, Zechariah is a great prophet, but the prophecy doesn’t stop at the end of what we call verse 9. In reality, they know the prophecies of Zechariah better than we do. They knew all of it. For them,  there was a wider context. The themes of these prophecies were in their DNA.

To catch a glimpse their perspective, their interpretation, their context, we need to look beyond verse 9.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem, 
and the battle bow will be broken.

In the Jewish mind, the coming Messiah will rid Israel of it’s enemies. He will rid Jerusalem of the chariots and war horses of their oppressors (v10). He will restore peace to Israel ‘from sea to sea, from the rivers to the ends of the earth,‘ (v10) He will free those who are captive (v11), he will restore their security and wealth – he will give them hope (v12). He will give Israel victory over the gentile oppressors (v13). This messiah will bring physical, literal and long lasting restoration to the nation of Israel (v14-15).

This is their expectation of the coming Messiah. This is the ‘restoration’ which the coming Messiah would bring to Israel.   Here is their messiah. Here is their King. This is the Messiah they are so excited about.This is the ‘salvation’ which they believe that Jesus will deliver.

The idea of this messiah facing his death in Jerusalem in a few days time was not on their agenda.

Two Very Different Perspectives..
The first part of the prophecy speaks of a King riding a donkey, symbolic of his coming in peace. That’s the part we focus on. This second half speaks of the King who will come in force and power. One Messiah. That’s the part which the Jews were focused on.

Two prophecies.. One Messiah..
You start to get the picture. There are two very different, but entirely accurate, expectations of the Messiah. The suffering servant and the conquering hero. These two descriptions of the Messiah, both rooted in prophetic writings, look as if they are in conflict with each other. Actually, they’re not. We all need to adjust our lenses so that we can see the bigger picture.

It’s a bit like my story about the London skyline. We’ve effectively got two prophecies about the Messiah. Both are familiar. They both foretell the coming of the Messiah. Each of them relates to a specific point in history. The problem is that it’s not the same point. When we read them, our spiritual eyesight doesn’t tell us which is the nearest and which is furthest away.

 The End Piece..
Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. In that, we agree with most of this excited crowd.

A few days after this exuberant scene, Jesus is arrested, tried and crucified. To us, his death, and the resurrection to come, affirm that He is the Messiah.  His journey leads to seismic, universal and eternal change. Light overcomes darkness. The veil over God’s sanctuary is torn. Good triumphs over evil. Life is victorious over death.

To this Jewish crowd, however, his death is profoundly undermining. Their Messiah should defeat the Romans, not be killed by them. So, what about the conquering prophecy of a Messiah  who will restore peace and deal with Israel’s enemies?

After his death and resurrection there was a 40 day period when people, lots of people, saw Jesus face to face. There were many, many witnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). At the end of that 40 day period, he was taken up into heaven. You can read that part of the story in Acts 1. Notice verse 11:

‘this Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.‘ Acts 1:11

Did you notice the words, ‘Jesus […] will come back..’ The theme continues throughout New Testament writings.

The teaching of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John are crystal clear. These are the guys who had been taught directly by Jesus. He will be back, and when he returns, it will herald another time of seismic, universal and eternal change. This time, justice and peace will be restored. Jerusalem will be restored. The enemies of the redefined Israel will be dealt with and crushed, and the Kingdom of God will be restored.

Jesus often said that those around him were so close to understanding, and maybe that was true of this crowd.

I don’t think that there’s any doubt that many people in this noisy crowd did, in that moment, believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were anticipating the imminent fulfilment of the wrong part of Zechariah’s prophecy. It’s a question of perspective. The one which they thought was nearest, was actually furthest away.

Christ has died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Gospel of Mark

Jesus Predicts His Death 2: Mark 9: 30-32

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Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

Mark 9:30-32

Horsham: 28th November 2024

In Mark Chapter 8, Jesus and the disciples were in northern Israel, close to the city of Caesarea Philippi. In verse 28 we read about a conversation in which Peter recognised Jesus as the Messiah. This was a turning point in Christ’s relationship with his disciples. At that moment, we might argue that his teaching style changes. Gone are the careful, coded lessons of the parables. Jesus knows that his death is coming soon and he is determined to prepare his disciples for what follows.

Jesus told the disciples directly not to tell anyone else that he was the Messiah. Then, for the first time, he spoke to them about his coming death. On that occasion the Peter argued with Jesus. To the disciples, the idea of the Messiah being put to death in this way was absurd. Peter drew a strong rebuke from Jesus.

By the time we reach todays passage, the disciples have continued their journey, walking south, back to the Galilee area where Jesus had spent much of his time and performed many of his miracles. Once more, he teaches them about his coming death. His return to this affirms the importance of this lesson. It is, perhaps, the most important thing they have to learn. Jesus knows what lies in store for the disciples after his death, and he needs to prepare them. Once more, he is really direct.

‘He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ‘ (v31)

Once more, they don’t get it. The Messiah? Killed? Resurrected? To the disciples, none of this makes sense. They can’t get their heads around it. This time, no-one’s going to argue with the teacher.

  • Perhaps they are remembering Christ’s response to Peter when they were in Caesarea Philippi.
  • Perhaps they are still struggling with the idea that Jesus isn’t measuring up to their expectation of the Messiah.
  • Perhaps to them, the idea of resurrection didn’t make sense.
  • Perhaps they are embarrassed that they just don’t understand.

Whatever they thought, no-one was going to ask questions.

They say nothing.

‘They did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.’ (v32)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Peters Confession of Christ: Mark 8:27-30

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Peters Confession of Christ

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Mark: 8:27-30

17th October 2024: Horsham

The purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. Mark wants you, the reader, to see who Jesus is, and to respond.

There have been a number  of points already when Mark has shown us Jesus in conflict with the religious leaders of his day. There were argument because Jesus healed of a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the sabbath. There were the Pharisees, grumbling at the front of the crowd when Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic. Most recently in Mark’s gospel, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees on the shores of Galilee when they demanded a sign of his Lordship. The Jewish leaders, Herod Antipas, the Romans and everyone else is taking a view on who Jesus is. Each time, as he relates these stories, it’s as if Mark is saying, what about you? Which side are you on? What do you think about this? In these verses, it’s happening again!

it would be normal for a rabbi to teach as they walked along, and at this point in the story,  our group of followers have walked a long way. Jesus has taken the disciples on a journey, leading them north, beyond the borders of Israel, to the Mediterranean cities of Tyre and Sidon, and then inland, to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was probably teaching the disciples in preparation for his death.

Whilst there would have been some Jews living in the region, this was a largely pagan area under Greek / Roman influence with temples dedicated to Baal, and the Greek god Pan. Against this background of disbelief and spiritual darkness, Jesus asks the disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ (v27).

Most people, they say, thought Jesus was something pretty special. Some said John the Baptist. That’s a bit strange, because John been alive at the same time as Jesus, but had been recently murdered by  Herod. The idea that he had somehow been resurrected would be deeply troubling to Herod and everyone else.  Some other people say he is Elijah. Elijah was the greatest of Old Testament prophets, and it was thought that his return would herald the coming of the Messiah. Again, the assumption that Christ was a resurrected prophet, and not just any prophet. Elijah was a huge character in the Old Testament and his return was said to precede the arrival of the Messiah. Others again thought he was one of the prophets of old. All of these suggest that Jesus is resurrected. None of them suggest he is viewed as a magician or a charlatan.

‘What about you?’ says Jesus, ‘Who do you say that I am.’ Peter’s response is massive. Thee disciples may have suspected it. They may even have talked in whispers about it. But this is the moment, the first moment, when anyone says it out loud.

‘You are the Christ.’ Peter declares that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.

Jesus response is simple. This is dynamite. Let’s keep it between ourselves – for now.

End Piece

‘This passage’, says NT Wright, ‘is really the centre-point, the turning point, of Mark’s gospel.‘ From this point, Jesus and his disciples head south, back towards Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee where his public ministry has been focused. He will spend some time there, but their journey will continue on, beyond Galilee, towards Jerusalem, towards the cross.

As I said at the top of this piece, the purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. He wants you to see that, and to respond to it.

So, answer the questions. In your culture – in your world, who do people say that Jesus is? If you ask around, the answers might surprise you.

Mark doesn’t want you to stop there, and neither does Jesus. They want your response. Allow Jesus to look directly into your eyes as he asks the question.

What about you? ‘Who do you say that I am?‘ (v30)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK