This passage has several references to the Old Testament, and it was specifically written to prove a point.The Old Testament is broken into types of literature, one of them is prophecy. There are major and minor prophets recorded in the Old Testament. A good example of major prophets would be Isaiah or Jeremiah, minor prophets would be Haggai or Malachi. There are others, I offer these just as a quick example. One note, when the prophets were talking to Israel about events current in their day, they would occasionally mention something from the future about the deliverance of Israel from it’s enemies. So many different prophets over many years offered insight into this final deliverance that the people began to develop a persona around the prophecies. That is to say, the prophecies began to outline a person. This person came to be known as Messiah, the deliverer….even though all this was happening 500 years or more before the birth of Christ.
Zechariah 9:9 prophecies that the Messiah will come gently, riding on a donkey. Everyone knew this prophecy, so that’s why this passage is recorded here. Mark is simply saying “Jesus is the Messiah that we have been waiting for”. (the Zechariah reference wasn’t listed in my reading today)
Jesus quotes Isaiah when he says “my house is a house of prayer”. In Isaiah 56, where this quote is found, the Lord speaks of impending salvation, and how many people who are from other lands will also come to Jerusalem and worship. Mark quotes Jeremiah when he says “you have made it a den of robbers” from Jeremiah 7, in that chapter Jeremiah is pronouncing doom upon Israel because they have abandoned true worship and begun worshiping idols…and in God’s house no less! Even in Jer 7 where the prophet is saying “God is going to remove himself from you” there is still a glimmer of hope. You can hear the love of God for His people as He pleads with them, even at this late date, to change their ways and worship Him. God is willing to rescue us right up to the last minute before our fate is sealed.
So in this chapter today, we have Jesus referencing both salvation and judgment. The choice is ours, and we make it by deciding what to do with the reality of Jesus Christ. We can accept that He is who He said He is, or we can reject it. Choosing Jesus sends you down a pathway toward heaven and salvation, and choosing the opposite sends you toward hell and judgment. The paths seem to run almost side by side for awhile, it may not seem like your decision to reject Christ has much effect at first, but trust me, that road soon veers off into a very dark and lonely place that you don’t want to go.
Even then, it’s really never too late to reach out to Jesus, He wants to save us. After all, He is, and has always been, the Messiah, the Deliverer.
Choosing to Follow The Messiah,
PR