The Red-Letter Words of Yeshua ~ Part 139

In our last post, we examined the final days of Yeshua’s life and ministry. In this post, we walk with Yeshua as He returns to Yerushalayim for the final time. Yes, we are still on Tuesday.

The Greatest Commandment

I’m sure most of you are familiar with this passage, so I’m not going to spend time dissecting it.

³³ When the crowds heard how He taught, they were astounded; ³⁴ but when the P’rushim learned that He had silenced the Tz’dukim, they got together, ³⁵ and one of them, who was a Torah expert asked a sh’eilah (authoritative question) to trap Him: ³⁶ “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?” ³⁷ He told him, “‘You are to love Adonai, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. ³⁹ And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.” ^[1]

Mitzvot (singular mitzvah). A mitzvah is a commandment; traditionally, there are 613 mitzvot for the Jewish people to obey in the Torah.

Yeshua Asks the P’rushim About Ancestry

⁴¹ Then, turning to the assembled P’rushim, Yeshua put a sh’eilah to them: ⁴² “Tell me your view concerning the Messiah: whose son is He?” They said to Him, “David’s.” ⁴³ “Then how is it,” He asked them, “that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord,’ when he says,

^44′ Adonai said to my Lord,
“Sit here at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet” ‘? ^{(Psalm 110:1)}

Your enemies under your feet. In the ancient Near East, warriors would stand on the necks of their defeated enemies as a sign of victory.

⁴⁵ If David thus calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?” The great crowd listened eagerly to him. ^{[2] 46} No one could think of anything to say in reply, and from that day on, no one dared put to Him another sh’eilah. ^[3]

In our next, we continue to follow Yeshua into Yerushalayim for His Crucifixion by the end of the week.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] Mattityahu 22:33–40.
^[2] Mark 12:37b.
^[3] Mattityahu 22:41–46.