The Jerusalem Talmud...
"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the Western Light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the temple by night, and get up in the morning and find them wide open." (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p. 156-157) [The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE]The Babylonian Talmud...
"Our rabbis taught: during the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the lot ['la-Jehovah'] did not come up in the right hand, nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine, and the doors of the Hekel [Hekel] would open by themselves." (Soncino version, Yoma 39b)In the painful years that followed the 70 CE destruction of the Temple, two different versions of Jewish thought, Jewish history, and Jewish commentary began to be written. One was written in Palestine, and became known as the Jewish Talmud, the other in Babylon and became known as the Babylonian Talmud. Both passages agree that around 30 CE, things changed radically.
The Miracle of the Lot
As we discussed during out last visit. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would blindly draw two stones to place upon the heads of the lambs before him. One stone, white 'la-Jehovah'; would declare one lamb the sacrificial lamb to be given God. The second stone, black 'la-Azazel'; would declare the other lamb the scapegoat to be sent out of the city, carrying the sins of the nation on it's head. For thousands of years, the Priest would randomly select a white stone or black stone in either hand. It was seen as a sign when the right hand was found to be holding the white 'la-Jehovah' stone that God had accepted their sacrifice. But for 40 years in a row, from the year 30 CE to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE, the Priest's right hand grasped the black 'la-Azazel' stone every single time. The chances of that happening are 2 to the 40th power, or 1 in 5,479,548,800.
The Miracle of the Red Cloth
Taking the Scapegoat's scarlet cloth, torn in two, the High Priest for thousands of years had tied half to the lamb, and half on the door of the temple. Every single year to this point, the red cloth on the door turned white as a symbol that the Lord God had accepted their Day of Atonement sacrifice.
"Come, let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
The Miracle of the Temple Doors
During those 40 years, as they secured the temple doors each night, when they awoke in the morning, they found them wide open. The leading Jewish scholar at the time Yohanan ben Zakkai, rightly declared it as a sign the temple would be destroyed. The Jewish Talmud states,
"Said Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to the Temple, 'O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, 'Open your doors oh Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars.' (Zecharaiah 1:11)' (Sota 6:3)
The Miracle of the Temple Menorah
Our fourth miracle is that no matter what the priests did, the most important lamp of the Menorah refused to remain lit. Earnest Martin states,
"In fact, we are told in the Talmud that at dusk the lamps that were unlit in the daytime (the middle four lamps remained unlit, while the two eastern lamps normally stayed lit during the day) were to be re-lit from the flames of the western lamp (which was a lamp that was supposed to stay lit all the time it was like the 'eternal' flame that we see today in some national monuments)...Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple
"This 'western lamp' was to be kept lit at all times. For that reason, the priests kept extra reservoirs of olive oil and other implements in ready supply to make sure that the 'western lamp' (under all circumstances) would stay lit. But what happened in the forty years from the very year Messiah said the physical Temple would be destroyed? Every night for forty years the western lamp went out, and this in spite of the priests each evening preparing in a special way the western lamp so that it would remain constantly burning all night!" (The Significance of the Year CE 30, Ernest Martin, Research Update, April 1994, p.4).
One day, Jesus is sitting in the Temple. Now, I don't know if you have ever been to church, but let me fill you in on the unwritten rules. Besides the ones about staying out of Sister So and So's favorite seat, the most important rule of church going is this... When they pass the offering plate, mind your own dang business. Jesus, of course, couldn't care less about the pomp and circumstance that we perform in order to feel better about ourselves, and so, near the end of Mark chapter 12, we find Him breaking that exact rule.
"Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts." - Mar 12:41 NLTI've never been in a position to be one of the "rich people" who "put in large amounts," but I would imagine that if I ever were, or if I ever become one, I'd probably be pretty excited that Jesus had chosen this particular day to peep in on the plate. Perhaps He would see how "holy" I am, and how "giving" I am, and be impressed with how "sacrificing" I am.
Obviously, like most people, I'm stupid. And Jesus rarely gives eye to the one that is seeking attention. Least of all when one is using an act to publicly prove his "godliness" that is founded in selfishness and insecurity.
Jesus is, of course, not fooled. Nor are the "rich people" the reason He is hovering over the offering. Mark goes on...
"Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins." - Mar 12:42 NLTThis part I have played. Well, not exactly the widow part, but you get the picture. It's different for kids, but when you're a grown-up in church, and the offering plate comes around, the absolute LAST thing you want anyone to notice is the disgusting, look-at-how-poor-I-am, he-probably-doesn't-even-tithe sound of COINS clinking into the bottom of the plate. I have nearly cried in relief at the site of a felt-lining on the bottom of a brass offering plate. Put it in quietly. Don't look around. Nobody will be able to see what a loser you are.
This, I imagine, is the feeling in the room as the widow approaches the collection box. Head down, eyes on her feet, shame oozing from each pore. What Jesus does next probably stopped hearts.
"Jesus called his disciples to him and said..." - Mar 12:43 NLTWhat?!?!
Not only is Jesus hovering over the collection box, the offering plate. Not only is Jesus watching. But now, He's gathering a crowd. Gesticulating. Waving. Gathering His guys. Not only that, but in this tomb of silence, Jesus begins to speak...
"Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on." - Mar 12:43-44 NLTI imagine that statement like a silent thunderclap in the room. This Jesus is not unaccustomed to turning over tables in the Temple. With one comment, He turns their "church" on it's ear.
It is in this environment, and in this frame of mind the Jesus walks out of the Temple at the beginning of Mark chapter 13. His disciples with Him.
Understand that to the Jewish culture, the wealth of the temple is a thing of pride and national identitiy. When Moses's tabernacle in the wilderness was built with tapesty, fine linen, silver, and gold. All of those expensive items came from the Jewish people who had spent the last couple hundred years as slaves! But, if you re-read the Exodus, you see that the Egyptian people loaded them up as they walked away. Gold, Silver, wealth, all of it. Like the plunder of a conquering King. That is what the wealth of the temple represented to them. That God favored them. That He would always make a way where there was no way.
And so, Jesus is walking out of that ordained Temple, having just praised the lowliest of givers, and His disciples reach out to defend this symbol of their nation.
"As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, "Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls." - Mar 13:1 NLTThere's no doubt that the disciples rarely understood Jesus. I imagine that this irritated and frustrated Him sometimes. And so, Jesus replies. The word of Jesus are never to be taken lightly. Least of all when He seems a little stormy.
"Jesus replied, "Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!" - Mar 13:2 NLTThe End of the Line
Jesus dies, the sacrifice is completed, the earth cracks open, and dead people begin to walk around Jerusalem.
The miracles that have maintained the Jewish faith in their favor and calling from Jehovah have ceased. The veil is rent. The temple gates which take 20 people on each side to open, somehow will not remain closed at night. The menorah will not remain lit.
But, people do not give up power easily. So, the sacrifices continue. The priests close the gates each morning, hoping no one noticed them being open. They attempt to stitch closed the temple veil, each morning it is re-rent. Nothing works.
The lineage of the High Priest, unbroken for thousands of years, handed down directly from Aaron, the brother of Moses, had existed without fail whether Israel had a temple or not. From the end of Caiaphas's ministry in 37 CE, there are 15 High Priests in the next near 30 years.
Finally, for the first time, when unable to find a direct or indirect descendent of Matthian Ben Theophillus in 66 CE, the Zealots, showing their political power, cast lots and name Phannias ben Samuel the new High Priest. He dies in the destruction of the Temple 4 years later.
The miracles have stopped.
The line of High Priests is forever broken.
The temple is destroyed.
What exactly is it about the work of Christ that caused such a massive shift? What exactly is it about mankind that so refuses to give up it's final vestiges of power?
"The Glory of the Lord has Departed"
We find this in one of the most poignant foreshadowings in scripture. Thousands of years before, Eli is Israel's Judge. He is 98 years old, he is fat, he is blind, and he has not passed on the honor of the office to his derelict sons. The Children of Israel are in battle with the Philistines, and Eli is sitting beside the road, awaiting news. Let's pick it up in 1 Samuel chapter 4...
"A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief. Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town. "What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli, who was ninety-eight years old and blind. He said to Eli, "I have just come from the battlefield--I was there this very day." "What happened, my son?" Eli demanded. "Israel has been defeated by the Philistines," the messenger replied. "The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured." When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel's judge for forty years. Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. "Don't be afraid," they said. "You have a baby boy!" But she did not answer or pay attention to them. She named the child Ichabod (which means "Where is the glory?"), for she said, "Israel's glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead. Then she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured." - 1Sa 4:12-22 NLTWatch for Part 4, coming soon...
