Passion Week ~ Yeshua’s Final Discourse ~ Part 2
In our last post, we continued to examine the final days of Yeshua’s life and ministry. This post continues to explore the events that occurred on Thursday Evening (now early on Friday in the Jewish culture).
Yeshua Prepares His Talmidim for Persecution
The world’s hate for Believers and Messianic Jews stems from its hate for the Messiah. The Jewish religious leaders were already plotting to arrest and kill Yeshua. Those of whom Yeshua was speaking saw and experienced what He did and hated Him anyway because they did not want to give up their sin and live righteously, which we learn in our next topic. (16:7–11).
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world; therefore, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Even though the Jewish leaders who killed Yeshua claimed to follow God’s will, they neglected to acknowledge Yeshua’s part of His will and thus showed their love for their own positions over God’s work.
The Talmud asks, “Why was the Second Sanctuary destroyed, seeing that in its time they occupied themselves with studying Torah, obeying mitzvot and practicing charity? Because in it prevailed hatred without a cause.” (Yoma 9b)
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.
16 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
They will put you out of the synagogues. (See Yochanan 9:22). Most Jewish people are staunch supporters of the principle of free speech. But in many synagogues, if a Jewish Believer in Yeshua makes his faith public, speaks about it, and attempts in conversation to persuade others to acknowledge the Messiah, he may be asked to leave the synagogue and not come back. In fact, as a Gentile, I once attended a synagogue for the first time and, in a private conversation beforehand, told its rabbi about my faith; his response was to make it clear I would be welcome to return as long as I wouldn’t proselytize. The price a Messianic Jew is asked to pay for worshipping God with his own people is often silent about God’s most important historical work! The reason for such behavior is given in the next verse.
3 They will do these things because they have understood neither the Father nor me. 4 But I have told you this, so that when the time comes for it to happen, you will remember that I told you. I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you. [1]
Next, we continue to follow Yeshua into Yerushalayim for His Crucifixion by the week’s end and explore Yeshua’s Final Discourse.
Click here for the PDF version.
[1] Yochanan 15:18-16:4.
My Heart is for Israel 