Mark 14:12-31 – The Last Supper

Read Mark 14:12-31

Have you ever attended a retirement or going-away party for yourself or a friend? Then you know the gamut of emotions, the hopes, and the dreams for the future on everyone’s minds. I don’t think Jesus’ disciples realized this dinner with Jesus was one of those occasions. To them, this was sharing the Passover meal with Jesus, which was special by itself. Knowing how the evening carried a much deeper meaning was learned after the fact.

Would the disciples have had an inkling of doom, remembering all of Jesus’ talk lately about death? If there were any doubts going into the Passover meal, Jesus cleared it all up, but then confused the issue again just as quickly. “What was all this talk about the betrayal?” they must have wondered. Continue reading “Mark 14:12-31 – The Last Supper”

Mark 14:1-11 – A Faithful Deed

Read Mark 14:1-11

What’s happening now in Jesus’ life sets the scene for the final act. Jesus continues to teach his apostles, and the teachable moment happens as the woman anoints Jesus for his burial in advance. As you might imagine, perfume of such high quality would remain strong and fragrant for several more days.

However, the point of the story is to understand the motive of this anointing. Its significance lies in the heart’s desire to show tribute and worship King Jesus. The woman was demonstrating her unwavering love and devotion in an extravagant fashion. When is the last time you did such a thing?

Continue reading “Mark 14:1-11 – A Faithful Deed”

Mark 13:24-37 – Jesus is Coming!

Read Mark 13:24-37

As I reflect and write today, I muse that Advent is just around the corner. It strikes me that this is the perfect text for what Advent does for us today. It’s like God just “winked” at us with such profound words. We look to the skies and await Jesus’ return. Here, Jesus is telling us what to expect if we’re still here to witness it.

There’s that fig tree again! But now, we see an even deeper meaning in Jesus’ example just a few verses ago. Jesus saw the signs and knew what to expect of the tree. Jesus has explained the signs we can expect to see when his coming is near. But the fig tree didn’t produce fruit in time for Jesus, and sometimes the signs we see about his coming are just the beginning; the best (fruit) is yet to come. The difference ends in that I’m not going to curse the fact that I haven’t seen Jesus yet. Continue reading “Mark 13:24-37 – Jesus is Coming!”

Mark 13:3-23 – Jesus Looks Out For Us

Read Mark 13:3-23

We now know how much Jesus will look out for us when troubles come. We’re given the privilege of hearing what Jesus was telling some of his closest followers. Jesus made it sound like these things were only going to happen during the disciples’ lifetimes, but the promise continues as we are facing the same opposition. There are so many gems in this reading.

Jesus speaks of the end times, as well as our times of persecution while we wait. You’ve probably heard people say “we’re in the end times” because of the earthquakes and wars going on around the globe. It’s not surprising, then, that we as Christ-followers are under attack for our faith in some parts of the world. Even churches and faith groups are under siege, as well as individuals standing for their religious rights. All have been mocked and scorned by society. It’s happening. Continue reading “Mark 13:3-23 – Jesus Looks Out For Us”

Mark 12:35-13:2 – Forever With God

Read Mark 12:35-13:2

Jesus covers a lot of ground here with his discussions about the Messiah, the widow’s offering, and a glimpse into the future. Jesus continues to share truth bombs to speak to his followers. Whether or not these all happened on the same afternoon or not doesn’t matter. The Gospel of Mark is a great collection of the life and teachings of Jesus.

When we hear Jesus talk about the Messiah (himself), our viewpoint is a lot different than that of his first audience. For the disciples and early followers, waiting for the Messiah to come was on the forefront of everyone’s minds. For centuries, since the prophets first foretold this Savior and promised deliverer, the people had been waiting and watching. Continue reading “Mark 12:35-13:2 – Forever With God”

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