Who is He? Who are we?

0:01 We are continuing our series in the book of Luke today. As such, I'll just give a reminder of what we have talked about just briefly in the book of Luke. First of all, that Luke is writing to someone named Theophilus, and he is writing to Theophilus for a particular reason. He's writing to Theophilus as what we see in, in Luke chapter one, verses three and four. He says, therefore, your excellency, since I have carefully investigated all these things from the beginning, it seemed good to me that I too should write you an accurate and ordered narrative. So that, or for the purpose of so that you might know how well-founded or for sure are the things about which you have been taught. In other words,

0:50 it seems to me that Theophilus is already a follower of Yeshua, and now Luke is writing to Theophilus to strengthen his faith, to encourage him. Who knows, maybe he's having some doubts, maybe he's experiencing a little turmoil or, uh, distress. We don't know, but we do know that Luke is writing. So that, or for the purpose of knowing for sure about the things that he's been taught, and what we see throughout the Book of Luke are instances of the inbreaking, of the Kingdom of heaven, instances that would've been recognized at that time. Things such as the blind being able to see

1:35 the regrowing of withered limbs, the inclusion or the bringing into society. Those, uh, who were forced out, um, through their whatever, whatever, whatever, forced them out. It, it, it's varying along the way, but we see multiple different instances such as tax collectors and prostitutes and, and other thing and other occupations that would've, uh, excluded them from the rest of society at the time. So what we see is, is in other words, the healing up or the binding up of the broken hearted, which is, which is listed out in the book of Isaiah.

2:21 And as this is happening, we're seeing instances and, and it's, it's evidenced here that the king is returning. So there is on one level the king returning, but also on another level, people bringing their lives into alignment with the king of the kingdom of God. And as those two draw near the king also draws nearer, we've, we've tracked Yeshua all the way from the Galilee up to Jerusalem. We tracked him through the Stator, uh, through, uh, Gethsemane and his arrest and his, um, I guess we could call it a hearing, a trial, a pretrial,

3:08 and then a trial. And now we're coming to his execution. In fact, Yeshua is brought before Pilate. He's brought before Herod, he's brought back before Pilate. You guys ever play the game? Hot potato? I just, I feel like there's a little bit of hot potato going on here. Like we don't want to deal with this, somebody else deal with this. Uh, but in the end, pilot acquiesce and he presents a choice. This was in this, what we covered on Wednesday night. He presents a choice and he says, do you want Yeshua or, or as what most of us have read it as, um, Barabbas or Bar Abba, which is, we had a great discussion on,

3:56 on Wednesday night about the son of God versus the son of the Father or the son of father Dad, Barba versus the son of the father. It was a fantastic discussion and just a little nuance that you should pick up in the text. And at the end of the night on Wednesday night, we came away with this question, and I, I don't know if you've ever thought about it like this, but I I would challenge you to think about it this way, Barba or Barass, as some of you, if you're from Texas, you call him Barass.

4:42 If you're, if you're from Israel, you call him Barba. Uh, in either case, he's the same person. I don't know if you've ever considered that that person represents us already guilty, already condemned, but his freedom was purchased by Yeshua and they switched places. So the question at the end of Wednesday night was, what are we doing with our freedom now that Yeshua has switched places with us? And so we come

5:27 to this passage here in Luke 23. We'll be looking at Luke 23 verses 26 through 43. Today, As they led him away, they grabbed a man, Simon of Cyrene coming in from the countryside. They placed on him the cross beam to carry behind Yeshua. Now, a great multitude of people was following him, including women who were mourning and singing duress for him. But Yeshua turning to them said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but for yourselves and your children, for indeed, the days are coming when you will say, blessed are the barren and the wombs that never gave birth,

6:14 and the breasts that did not feed, then they will begin to say to the mountains, fall on us and to the hills, cover us for if they do these things. When the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? Others two evil doers were also let away to be put to death with him when they came to the place called the skull, where there they crucified him and the evil doers, one of hi one on his right and the other on his left. But Yeshua was saying, father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Then they cast lots dividing up his clothing. The people stood there watching, and even the leaders were sneering at him saying, he saved others. Let him save himself. If he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one,

7:01 the soldiers likewise mocked him, coming up and bringing him sour wine or vinegar and saying, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. Now, there was also an inscription over him. This is the king of the Jews, one of the evil doers hanging. There was jeering at him saying, aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us. But the other one, rebuking him, replied, don't you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are getting what we deserve for our actions and rightly so, but this one has done nothing wrong. And he said, Yeshua, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Yeshua answered to him, truly, I tell you today, yes,

7:47 shall be with me in gun Eden. Before I move into the passage for discussion, I want to play a song for you that's probably gonna challenge most of you in some way or another, whether it's your music preference, your verbiage preference or the description, the vivid description of Yeshua's crucifixion. Uh, so if you guys can go ahead and play that, and, and I've asked them to put the words up so that you just, in case you can't follow along, the, the, the words will be up on the screen as well.

8:45 That was put together by Mike and Tony Ray from Hakim. I'll tell you, I can't listen to it and not begin to weep because when we read the scripture, when we read, when I just read this account, it seems as if, if he, he's having a conversation like what you and I would be having on a Shabbat morning. But the reality is it's far, far different from that. We come to this first section here starting in 26.

9:33 As they let him away, they grabbed a man, Simon of Cyrene coming in from the countryside. They placed on him the cross beam to carry behind Yeshua. Now, a great multitude of people follow it. Were following him, including women who were mourning and singing duress for him. But Yeshua turning to them said, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but for yourselves and your children, again, take the description that you just heard in your mind. He's been lashed 39 times. Blood is coming down from his brow, from his, from the top of his head. He's been beaten. And he says, don't mourn for me,

10:20 but for yourselves and your children, for indeed the days are coming. When they will say, blessed are the barren and the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that did not feed, then they will begin to say to the mountains, fall on us and to the hills, cover us for if they do these things. When the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry, they're walking, yeshua's, walking, carrying the beam. And obviously he's stumbling at this point and the beam has to be given over to someone else. I wonder if Simon of Cyrene was one of his followers. It's just a conjecture. I would presume they wouldn't put the beam on someone who was standing against

11:07 Yeshua, but rather it seems like someone who would be sympathetic too. And so he carries this. Where's Cyrene just for our understanding? Cyrene is from, is Northwest Africa, modern day Libya. We also see Cyrene, uh, a synagogue of cyan Jews mentioned in Acts chapter six. He carries this cross beam the rest of the way, Whether it's the actual stake or the cross beam, it doesn't actually indicate there's this great multitude following Yeshua, including women. By the way, Luke is the only one who mentions the crowd of women that are following Yeshua

11:53 at this time. And Yeshua turns to the women. They're mourning. They're, they're singing duress. They're, they're lamenting Yeshua's, imminent death. And he turns to 'em and says, don't weep for me, but wait for yourselves and those who will see the day when this happens to you, a day when you will experience immense persecution and suffering. In fact, this reminds me of Luke chapter 19, when Yeshua is coming down the mountain and riding on the Colt into

12:40 Jerusalem, and Yeshua is weeping. I talked about this on the Shabbat, uh, however many months ago that was, they are singing to him on the side of the mountain here. Welcome or blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. That's what they're saying is he's coming down the mountainside and Yeshua is weeping. Why? Because he recognizes that it's only his followers who are welcoming him. It's not all of Jerusalem as it should be, and he recognizes that because of that,

13:26 His people like him will be marred beyond recognition. It should draw us mad. Draw us back to Luke chapter two. By the way, I just wanna say we've said this on Wednesday night multiple times, but I, I can't remember if we've said it on Shabbats or not. Luke opens up story arcs throughout the book, and sometimes we don't see that story arc until multiple chapters later, and sometimes we've forgotten about it. But Luke opened up a story arc and in Luke chapter two, and Simeon offered a baraka or a blessing over them and said to Miriam,

14:12 his mother, behold, this one, this baby Yeshua, this one is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that is opposed. So the thoughts of many hearts may be uncovered, and even for you, a sword will pierce through your soul. This story arc opened up 21 chapters ago, and here we're beginning to see it. The women are following, I can only assume that Yeshua's mother is one of them, is following behind lamenting, and the sword is piercing through her every step of the way. Every time Yeshua takes a step,

15:00 the sword pierces again and again. I can't even imagine the anguish of a mother to see her son in this state. Yeshua talked about the day, the coming days when they will say blessed of the barren of the wombs, that that never gave birth, and the breast that did not feed, then they will begin to the say to the mountains to fall on us. He's hearkening back here to Hosea chapter 10. In fact, I just, I I think I'm gonna read the, at least the bulk of chapter 10 here. A, uh, let's see. Hosea chapter 10.

15:45 A luxurious vine is Israel who produces fruit for himself. Like the abundance of his fruit. He has multiplied his altars like the goodness of his land. I'll, I'll make mention when we get to the point that Yeshua is hearkening back to like the goodness of his land. They made beautiful sacred pillars. Their heart became smooth. Now they will bear their guilt. He'll break down their altars. He will destroy their sacred pillars. Surely now they will say, we have no king for we have not feared the Lord the king. What can he do for us? They spoke words, made empty oaths, empty oaths to make a covenant. But judgment springs up as himm lock in the furrows of the field. The inhabitants of Samaria will quarrel over the calves of Bevan.

16:31 Indeed, its people will mourn over it, but its priests will tremble over it for its glory will surely depart from it. It also will be carried to Assyria as tribute to a warring king. F Ryan will receive shame and Israel will be put to shame by its own counsel. I just want you to keep in the back of your mind this story from Luke 22 and 23. And you can hear it being recounted through this, Israel will be put to shame by its own counsel. Samaria is being cut off. Her king is like a splinter on the surface of the water. The high places of Ven, the sin of Israel will be destroyed. Thorns and thistles will come up on their altars and they will say to the mountains, cover us. This is what Yeshua's directly quoting,

17:16 cover us into the hills fall on us from the days of Gibbon, you have sinned to Israel. There they took their stand, will not war over sons of iniquity, overtake them in gibbon. When I desire, I will chase in them and peoples will gather against them when they are yoked to their two sins. Though Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh, I put a yoke over her fair neck. I'll make ra pool Judah plow. Jacob will drag a harrow by himself. So for yourselves righteousness reap in accord with covenant love. Break up your unplowed ground for it is time to seek Adonai until he comes and showers righteousness on you. You have plowed up wickedness and you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of delusion. For you have taste,

18:02 you have trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men. A tumult will arise among your people. All your strongholds will be demolished as shaman destroyed bet arbell in the day of battle when a mother was dashed in pieces with her children, just so has Beth El done to you because of your great wickedness. At dawn, the king of Israel will be utterly cut off. There will be no king. They don't fear the Lord. The sin of Israel will be destroyed. The peoples will gather against Israel. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of delusion for you have trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men, quotes from Hosea that directly apply

18:47 here in this situation. Yeshua then ends this little section that I've, I've separated off with this. If they do these things, when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry, he uses himself as the proof text that the above will happen. In other words, Yeshua is the green wood or the righteousness that doesn't get caught up in fire of judgment easily. If Yeshua is righteous and is still being killed, then how much easier will it be for the remaining dry wood? In other words, the ungodly, the unrighteous, the guilty in Jerusalem to go up in flames and be killed. This is a, this is a very rabbinic argument called call the meaning.

19:37 If it's true in this light situation, then it's then it's definitely true in this, in this much greater situation. We go on, we read further in verse 32, others two evil doers. We're also let away, by the way, evil doers, evil may know them as two thieves. Um, I, I would actually reckon that they're not thieves unless you count thieving of life. So, because thievery in and of itself doesn't carry a capital punishment in the Jewish world, it's murder. It's these sorts of things that carry a capital punishment and that's what they're receiving. And Barass, who was supposed to be the third, I,

20:25 I would presume that they were actually all together. That they were a band. And I, I don't know this from reading in the text, it's just what I would presume, but that they were abandoned. And it says that Barass was a murderer. And so, or, or a, a, a rebel leader, one leading a rebellion against Rome. The, uh, others, two evildoers were also led away to be put to death with him when they came to the place called the skull. There, they crucified him in the evil doers, one on his right and the other on his left. But Yeshua was saying, father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Then they cast lots dividing up his clothes. These two evil doers, they're being led away to be put to death with Yeshua. And what we see is another fulfillment of scripture that says

21:12 that Yeshua would be counted among the criminals or the transgressors. You can see it in Isaiah 53. In fact, I just recommend if you don't have it already, you should earmark Isaiah 53 in your Bible and just always reference back to it because it's there everywhere. Uh, in fact, it, it's probably one of the most important chapters. If, if you could take a single chapter in the Tenana. It's one of the most important, uh, for us to remember because it walks through all of this. He was silent. This is what it says in Isaiah 53 7. He was silent as a lamb before its shearers. When they went to take him and put him to death. When they came to the place of the skull, they crucified him with the evil doers on his right and on his left.

21:58 The place of the skull is the translation of the Aramaic word, Golgotha, which probably you've heard if you've, if you've ever, um, read different versions, perhaps you recognize the term. Calvary Calvary is simply the Latin word for skull or comes from the Latin word for skull. And several explanations have been given. Why? Given as to why over the centuries, this place was named in this way. Uh, in fact, it's really been debated over the last 1500, 1800 years. Why was it called the place of the skull? There's multiple, uh, multiple perspectives, and I'm probably not gonna give you any of them. Just understand that it's a location that has the name, the place of the skull.

22:46 We know for certain that the location of Yeshua's ex execution, this place called Golgotha or Calvary or the place of the skull is outside of the city walls of Jerusalem. Him, Yeshua is affixed to the execution stake to the tree in this extremely painful place. You heard the song, you heard it go through every element of how he got to that place, the lashes that would be on his back. Uh, I I imagine that the, that the, the, the tree itself wouldn't have been sanded down to prevent any sort of splinters because they didn't care The people getting executed,

23:32 they didn't care if they got splinters or not. So you can think about that. He's affixed onto the tree and every time he has to breathe, he has to stand up. In order for his lungs to expand, he has to push on the nail that is nailed between this connecting his feet. He has to stand up on that to breathe. I say that because you can't speak without breath. And so every time Yeshua speaks, he has to go through this pain of standing up, going up this rough hume tree as he's affixed to it. He has to stand up, take a breath,

24:19 and say what he can. And what does he say, father, forgive them for? They do not know what they are doing. Now, I don't know about you, but I know myself very well. I know that those are not the words that would be coming out of my mouth if I were in the same situation. And, and not because I try to be like Yeshua, but because I know that in great pain and suffering

25:06 character is revealed. And I don't know that any of us have the character to be like Yeshua. I hope that we would, but to think about everything that has happened, and he's remained silent this whole time until he says forgive them. He pushes himself up, takes a breath and says, forgive them for they know not what they're doing. In the midst of this trial and suffering, he continues to operate in his role as Kohan Kohe gaol before the Lord. Do you know that Yeshua today is interceding on our behalf?

25:54 And he was at that moment as well. He never stopped even in the midst of pain, great pain and great suffering, he continued to intercede on our behalf. Now, I say our behalf because it was every one of us that put him there. And it's important for us to understand that it was not just the crowd of Jewish people at that moment. In fact, there's a, a verse in Matthew 27 25, and it says this. All the people said, all the Jewish people said, his blood is on us and on our children.

26:42 That verse has been used in this, this, um, understanding has been used for centuries to justify the persecution and dare I say, the crucifixion of the Jewish people as a whole and as an in, as an individual. So I'm saying that because it's not just the Jewish people that put 'em up there. It's everyone. We're all culpable, we're all guilty. But those people who maintain that argument that it was the Jewish people who crucified Yeshua fail to read this verse, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing.

27:31 You see, you can have one approach, but if you ignore the other, then you are, you have an incomplete story. It's important to recognize That Psalm 22, this, this little section ends here, verse 34 ends with they, then they cast lots dividing up his clothing. Psalm 22 says this, for dogs have surrounded me, a band of evil doers has closed in on me. They pierced to my hands and my feet.

28:22 I can count all my bones. They stare, they gape at me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments. This was a prophetic word written by King David concerning this moment with Yeshua. The people stood there watching verse 35, and even the leaders were sneering at him saying, he saved others. Let him save himself. If he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one, the soldiers likewise mocked him, coming up and bringing him sour wine or vinegar and saying, if you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. Now,

29:09 there was also an inscription over him. This is the king of the Jews, one of the evil doers hanging. There was jeering at him saying, aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us. Lemme just pause here for a moment. I also want you to remember the one jeering at him is on a cross. He's, he's gone through the same thing that Yeshua has. Every time he speaks, he has to stand up, take a breath to utter some words. But the other one, rebuking him, said, don't you fear God since you were under the same sentence. We are getting what we deserve for our actions and rightly so, but this one has done nothing wrong. And he said, Yeshua, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Yeshua said to him, truly, I tell you today, you shall be with me in paradise and gun Eden.

29:57 We have Four different reactions here to the crucifixion of Yeshua. The leaders who are there, who have been advocating against him. They say he saved others. Let him save himself. Also referencing Psalm 22, where in Psalm 20 says, am I scorn of men despised by people all who see me mock me? They curl their lips, shaking their heads, rely on otai, let him deliver him. Let him rescue him since he delights in him again, fulfillment of what is written as a prophetic word. The soldiers, they also are standing around him. If you're the king of the Jews, save yourself.

30:45 This one's a little bit different. You see Yeshua with the title, the King of the Jews was a political, became a political enemy to Caesar and therefore to Romans. So this would've been a, a political challenge, a a, a challenge of rulership. And they're saying, if you're really the king, prove yourself. Show me, show me, show me that you can save yourself. I just want you to notice Yeshua is quiet before all of these. And then they give him vinegar to drink, which is another Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69 22

31:32 for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to dream. And then one of the evil doers, one of the ones on the cross, said, aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us. You see, the leaders are jeering at him. The Roman soldiers are saying, Caesar one, the other rebel here is saying, save yourself. And while you're doing that, bring me along. Now he is jeering at him, but also he knows enough to say, well, if you're gonna save yourself, bring me too just in case he's covering all bases here. But really he doesn't believe it's gonna happen. He's mocking Yeshua in this state.

32:24 These reactions, by the way, in my mind, recall another story arc that Luke opened in chapter four in this story arc. It was the enemy, the adversary who took Yeshua out and offered him three different opportunities, if you will, to save himself. So we again have 19 chapters later, another opportunity for Yeshua, another three opportunities for Yeshua to save himself and what Yeshua began in Luke chapter four. He finishes all the way in Luke 23.

33:11 Why can I say that? Because he made it through the temptation. The trial without failing the trial is, can I get my gratification? Now, you see this part applies to all of us. What what, what the adversary is offering him in Luke chapter four is, here's all of the kingdoms. You just bow down to worship me. You can have it. Now, Yeshua knows the kingdoms are all his at some point in the future. So the trial is, do I get my gratification? Now, you see, as Americans, we would all fail this us because we all want our gratification. Now,

33:59 very rarely can we put off to the future something that's supposed to be in the future. But this happens multiple times, three different times. And this is the final opportunity for Yeshua to seize everything in the moment and and to capture it. Or does he let it slip away knowing that he's walking in full obedience to the Lord? You see the challenge at hand, what they are challenging and what they're mocking him and jeering him at him. They're saying, if you wanna save others,

34:45 just save yourself right now. Again, it's a shortsighted under understanding of saving or salvation. He may, if he hops off that cross, he may save himself and them right now, but not for eternity. He loses that opportunity. He understands that to do something at this point in the process would be to be disobedient to the Lord, the other evil doer. Now, this evil doer is very interesting because

35:33 he's, again, he's there on the cross. He's gotta stand up, probably beaten just like Yeshua was. He also has to stand up, go through the effort to get oxygen in his lungs so that he can speak. And he says, don't you fear God, we are getting what we deserve for our actions here. He's recognizing that his actions were wrong. We are getting what we deserve for our actions, but he's done nothing wrong and he received the same sentence. He turns the issuance, says, remember me. When you come into your kingdom,

36:19 the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. According to Proverbs chapter one, verse seven, this evil doer says, don't you fear God, I I'm just gonna make a point. Up until this point, neither one of them feared God, which is why they're there. They've been doing all of this stuff and they've, they, whatever, whatever their crime is guilty of, they've been doing all of these other opportunities, seizing these opportunities to push their own agenda forward. Without consulting, God Having no fear of him. They've been, they've gotten themselves to this point and up there He now says, don't you fear God? He recognizes,

37:09 and at least in the way I read it, he recognizes That he's been in the wrong. He doesn't mock Yeshua in his suffering. In fact, he and the other evil doer, I presume were walking, uh, if I can use this terminology, we're walking as one or we're hand in hand or their actions reflected one another up until this point. However, here he doesn't mock Yeshua. He's acting contrary to the other evil doer who's about to die. And if we understand this, that the other, that, that they were operating in like fashion up until that point, then actually this represents, if you will, a turn away from the way he had been behaving prior to

38:00 a, an active turn, if you will, from his evil ways. And Yeshua's response truly, I tell you to, you'll be with me in gun Eden. Your your, your pa your version probably says paradise. Uh, the Greek word that's used here is for par is the Greek word for paradise, but it's also the same Greek word that's used to describe the Garden of Eden and the SubT. And when you say gun Eden, it's far more Jewish in nature because Jews think about g Eden, a return to that state of relationship of wholeness, if you will, Coming to gun Eden is the restoration of all things.

38:48 Paul writes in two Corinthians chapter five, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and at home, from the Lord. You see this principle, what the principle I, uh, grew up learning absent from, absent from the body, present with the Lord. You see the same thing here. Yeshua says, today you'll be with me in Eden, when the evil doer becomes absent from the body, he will be present with the Lord. So what does this mean for you and me here at em?

39:39 First of all, before I get into the applications I already have written up, first of all, I just would challenge you when you read scripture, don't forget what's already happened because it changes the way a message is delivered. When you think about Yeshua standing up there, please don't take what I'm about to do as blasphemous. But if Yeshua said, Lord, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing, it's far different to, to understand that he's been beaten within an inch of his life. He's been pierced through the side and he's there on the cross and he's has to stand to get oxygen in his lungs just for the purpose of him saying, forgive them.

40:27 And maybe that's all he can get out before he collapses, and he has to do it again before they know not what they're doing because he, the pain is so great at that moment. To understand that is very different than to understand, to read the passage and say, father, forgive them for they know not what they're doing. Those are two very different understandings when we come to scripture. So please, when you read the scripture, remember what's happened. Recognize the position that the person is in, whether it's Yeshua or anybody else in, in in scripture. It applies all the way through. Recognize what is going on, and it will give you a better ability to understand what they're going through at that moment.

41:15 It may give you the gift of mercy. Sorry, I couldn't help it. I was just going back to earlier when I was talking about my strengths and my weaknesses. It may give you the gift of mercy. It may not, but it may. So let's here, I I've come, I I have a couple questions for us to walk away with this. Number one, I want all of us to understand that the Lord is faithful to his covenants. Yeshua appeared forward and saw the coming destruction of Jerusalem that is being made certain in this text by his own crucifixion.

42:00 If Yeshua is the embodiment of Israel, then his crucifixion foreshadows the coming suffering and destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Rome. In fact, Roman soldiers surround him in his death and in the death of Jerusalem, Roman soldiers surround Jerusalem. If this is true in his death, if he can see the great suffering that's going to happen, certainly the certainty of it because of his own great surfing suffering as a foreshadowing of what's going to happen. If that is true, then how much more so if this is true in his death, how much more so will it be true in his resurrection?

42:49 You see, Yeshua suffering and death were a guarantee of the coming, suffering and destruction of Jerusalem. And if that's the case, then his subsequent resurrection is a guarantee. It's not just a, maybe it's a guarantee that Jerusalem and Israel will one day again be resurrected from the dead. And this has happened in our day, the rebirth of the Jewish state of Israel and the Jewish capital of Jerusalem. I want you to think about that for a minute. All of Yeshua's followers, well, maybe not all of them, some of them, John, maybe just John, saw

43:39 the guarantee of the destruction of Jerusalem. It, You see, when Yeshua was crucified, it made it for certain that that was going to happen. John saw it. We who didn't see his resurrection have seen what his resurrection guaranteed, which is the resurrection of the state of Israel and the Jewish capital Jerusalem to be witness to that is extraordinary enough. But that's not it. That's not where the story ends.

44:25 God is faithful to his covenants. Therefore, if we repent and attach ourselves to the God of Israel, whether we are physical descendants of Israel returning to our God or whether we are Gentiles repenting and attaching ourselves to his people, we can be certain that the Lord will be faithful to his covenants. How do we address Yeshua? This is my my second point. How do we address Yeshua? Are we like the leaders, the soldiers, or even the evil doer that mock Yeshua understanding only the present situation? Do we tempt Yeshua to save himself and even us if he just does what we want him to do? I don't know about you,

45:14 but do we ever, do we ever think about that? God, can you just do what I, what I want you to do for once? Like it would be really nice in my life if you could just do what I wanted to do. Or do we fail to see the long-term goals that Yeshua is working toward? Do we miss the long-term when we only look at the short term? Let us exercise the fear of the Lord as the other evil doer did while on the cross and turn from our previous ways of mocking and seek the Lord and His kingdom. And then we too shall see the Lord in Edin

46:05 Ave, our Father in heaven. Lord, we come to you on this Shabbat, we come to you on this Shabbat Lord, seeking your mercy and your grace and your compassion. Lord, teach us how to be like the evil doer who turned to Yeshua and said, remember me please, and not to be like the others who were mocking him,

46:54 telling him to save himself. Lord, cause us to turn to you, Lord. And I lift up your people in Israel today and throughout the nations, Lord, asking that you would reveal Yeshua as our messiah, as the king, the rightful king of Israel, even though the sign said Yeshua is the king of Jew, of the Jews. And this was a mocking sign. But Lord, it stated the truth. Lord, I ask that today you would open up the eyes of your people

47:45 to our messiah, to our king. Sure Lord, and I lift up your people in Tel Aviv right now as they just experienced a, a shooting terrorist attack. Lord,

48:31 I ask for your mercies to exist, for your grace and your compassion, Lord, to cause the hearts of your people to turn to you to today. We bless you and praise you in Yeshua's name. Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

49:53 In the name of our Messiah, Yeshua, A man Shabbat Shalom.