Character in Context

Lest we make the mistake of thinking that all scribes are against Yeshua/Jesus, we have a wonderful encounter here and *gasp* an honest question for a change. After Yeshua answers, no one dares approach Him again—and after He brings up His own controversy about the Son of David in Psalm 110, the leadership has no choice but to follow Him or kill Him.

After being bested in their challenge to Yeshua’s/Jesus’s authority, the Sanhedrin delegation sends in the Pharisees and the Herodians, who have been plotting together since Mark 3:6 as to how to destroy Him. Then, the Sadducees, who have gone unmentioned up to this point, take a stab at tripping Him up. Exactly how does that work out for them?

When read in context, this comes off as nothing short of a terrifying political thriller. And as such, we should not be shocked to learn that this is the moment when Yeshua/Jesus purposefully signs His own death warrant—not at His mock trial but here with a terrible accusation, made in parable form against the Jerusalem power-brokers.

In the first of five (or four or six depending on which scholar you agree with) controversy dialogues on the Temple Mount before Passover, Yeshua/Jesus deftly captures the chief priests, scribes and elders in their own trap. They demand to know what right He had to shut down Temple commerce the previous day, and He demands that they take a stand on whether or not John was a prophet—putting them in the hot seat no matter which answer they give. Also, we are going to talk about the Constitutionality of the Ten Commandments and whether or not Christians can really claim that certain rights are rights at all.

The kingship of David appears to be in direct violation of the Mosaic Law—or is it? As Ruth is traditionally studied in celebration of Shavuot/Pentecost, I want to tackle this important question.

This is a very commonly misinterpreted section of Scripture when we don’t see the “Markan sandwich” which tells us to interpret the overturning of tables through the cursing of the fig tree and vice versa. We will be covering a lot of Biblical fig tree references with respect to the coming of the Messiah and the coming of judgment. We will also be analyzing Yeshua’s/Jesus’s actions in light of later Talmudic writings—which come up on his side in this. And we’re going to talk about those horrid memes about Yeshua overturning tables in light of the prophetic actions that were only His to take and not ours.

When looked at as a “Triumph”, military victor’s parade, Yeshua’s/Jesus’s entry leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, He is absolutely snubbed by the very people who would have been required to greet a conquering general or a king with full honors. As such, this is a fitting beginning for the coming condemnation of Jerusalem and the Temple over the course of the following two chapters.

As a preview of chapters 11 and 12, where Yeshua/Jesus condemns and increasingly replaces the Temple as the overlap between Heaven and Earth, we’ll be reviewing some of the “greater than” claims about Yeshua in the Bible and talking about the implications of Malachi, Isaiah and 4QFlor, which discusses the important concept of mikdash adam, the living Temple of the Qumran community.

This is our last “in the way” narrative because next week, Yeshua/Jesus and His disciples enter Jerusalem. As such, this is the most climactic and revealing of Mark’s use of Isaiah 42:16 in highlighting the kind of blindness that was currently upon an Israel looking for a bloodthirsty Messiah instead of a Messiah determined to save not only Israel but also her enemies.

Although the disciples were guilty of shooing away the disabled and children, rich and powerful men make it right up to Yeshua/Jesus without any problems, highlighting their still very worldly mindsets. This young man asks a question that weighs heavily on the minds of many, “What can I do to merit a place in the world to come?” What does this conversation reveal about him, about Yeshua, and about ourselves?