Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
– Mark 14:37-42 (NKJV)
The disciples didn’t know and so they slept! While they were sleeping, Judas was out betraying. While they were sleeping, the mob was marching. While they were sleeping, trouble was headed their way. Jesus had told them to watch and pray, but they slept instead.
The disciples would scatter. Peter would be sifted. They would all be tested like never before. They needed to be prepared, but their bodies were tired, their minds were drifting and before they knew it, they were asleep.
There is hope in this passage because there is one who never fell asleep in the garden! While they were sleeping, Jesus was praying! This story isn’t about the disciples inability to stay awake and pray as much as it is about Jesus’ ability to intercede for those he loved. Despite his companions falling asleep, Jesus was prepared for the cross. He had met the father in prayer. He had prayed for the disciples. It’s easy to read this story as a failure on the part of the disciples, but the I think the lead of the story is Jesus’ success in prayer.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your grace. We are grateful that despite the disciple’s lack of awareness of the gravity of the moment that you, Jesus interceded in prayer. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, [even] to death. Stay here and watch.” 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things [are] possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You [will].”
– Mark 14:32-36 (NKJV)
I often wrestle with a battle of my wills. I want to eat healthy, lose weight, and save money. I also want to eat high calorie, high sugar foods, and sometimes I have sacrificed money for convenience. The other night I had a choice to make about my meals while I was out of town. I could go by a grocery store, buy some fruit and basics for a healthy meal, walk, and save some money or I could go by a fast food place, spend a little more money on food that was higher calorie and higher fat. I am grateful that this time I chose the extra steps and healthier option. (It’s not always been the case).
Here we see Jesus wrestle with two different wills on a much greater scale. In his flesh, he doesn’t desire the cross, the torment, and the shame that lie ahead of him… but he knows that this is the path that God the Father has laid out for him and so he submits his will to the Father’s will. We can say it was the Father’s will that Jesus go to the cross, but in a sense we can also say that Jesus was willing. This is what submission is, checking our will in order to follow someone else’s.
Oh that we would all submit our wills to God and seek to do his will! Indeed, this is how Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer, “your will be done.” God’s will is greater and farther reaching than our wills ever are.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We thank you for Jesus’ prayer in the garden. We thank you for the glimpse of his humanity and his perfect submission to you. We ahve boldness to come to you through what Christ has done and we have an example of how to submit our wills to yours. We ask O’Lord for your will to be done. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I [will] not [be].” 30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, [even] this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.
– Mark 14:27-31 (NKJV)
I wish someone had told me early on in my ministry that leaders give into temptation when they feel strong, not necessarily when they know they are weak. I’ve learned when things are going well really well I need to lean into Jesus and trust him all the more. I’ve caught myself once or twice about to say something stupid or snarky about someone or something only to fall on my face and cry out, “Lord save me from myself!” It’s the times I didn’t catch myself and the words got out that I lament it the most.
Peter is bold, and that’s a good characteristic to have. Jesus will use Peter and his boldness in a great way, but not until Peter’s prideful attitude is reigned in. He needs to learn that when he is prideful, he is not trusting Jesus. In the book of Acts, Peter will be bold. He will stand up and be a witness for Christ. He will wear chains, be persecuted, and tradition tells us that he will eventually be crucified, but his boldness doesn’t come from bravado or pride. The difference is that in the last chapter’s of Peter’s life his boldness came from trusting Jesus.
Lord, Let all of our boldness come from you. We don’t need a false bravado. We don’t need pride. We don’t need to be bullheaded in our circumstances. We need to be firmly yielded to you. Give us the grace and strength to submit our lives wholly to you that we might be used by you. Thank you for the lessons we learn the hard way through poor choices in our circumstances and thank you for the grace to learn lessons the easy way through trusting you and applying your word to our circumstances. We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke [it], and gave [it] to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanksHe gave [it] to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
– Mark 14:22-26 (NKJV)
The pastor stood up before the congregation and he asked a question that changed my world forever! I didn’t feel the earth move, but I knew it was a special moment…. It was the moment at our wedding where the pastor said, “who gives this woman to be married to this man?” and my wife’s father put her hands in mine. In that brief moment, we left our families and became our own family.
On one level it was a pretty normal day and nothing much really changed. But on another level, everything changed. When Jesus is speaking to the disciples they are celebrating a Passover meal where they remember how God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians. There was a lamb who was killed. Blood was put over the door post. The angel of death passed over… It was a regular holiday filled with meaning for folks then (and now), but Jesus changed something.
When it got to the end with a bit of bread and wine he told the disciples that these two elements now represented his body and blood.* Something fundamental was changing. Jesus would give his life so that we could receive eternal life.
We now take these elements on a regular basis to remember what Jesus has done. This celebration has meaning because Jesus did something meaningful. We don’t always see it or feel it at the moment, but for those who genuinely have put their trust in Christ as Lord and Savior, when ever they partake of these elements, they are remembering that their world has changed. It is through Jesus’ sacrifice that we are welcomed into the family of God.
I love celebrating the Lord’s supper because as we come to the moments where we receive the elements we are saying that our relationship with God has changed. We are no longer separated from God, but we have been adopted into the family of God. We gather at the family table and celebrate the meal that God has provided for all who have received him into their hearts.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We thank you for the cross. We thank you for the Lord’s Supper and the meaning that is packed into it. We are grateful to be part of your family. Thank you for saving us from our sins. Our hope is in you! Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
*(part of the reason I believe that these are symbols and do not become the literal blood and body of Christ is because Jesus is the one handing them out to the disciples. It’s apparent in a regular reading of the text that these things don’t become his body, but are symbolic).
In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “[Is] it I?” And another [said], “[Is] it I?” 20 He answered and said to them, “[It is] one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”
– Mark 14:17-21 (NKJV)
It seems like a million years ago that cassette tapes were being replaced by CDs and our youth group had a brand new CD Player. The cool things about CD’s is that you didn’t have to rewind them. You could punch in a number and that song/ track would play. It was great, until someone stole the youth group CD player. There was plenty of blame to go around. Our youth group just about fell apart because everyone suspected everyone else of having stolen it. We never did get to the bottom of it, but the truth is, we were all suspects because we were all sinners. Our pride wouldn’t let us admit that we at least had the capacity to steal, but we all did.
What amazes me is the disciples reaction to Jesus when he says that someone will betray him. They didn’t jump up and down and deny it and say “I’ll never betray you Jesus!” They each went to Jesus asking if it was them! They spent enough time in the presence of Jesus to know their own capacity for sin. Perhaps they had seen Peter fall flat on his face in front of the group so much that they knew better than to make any kind of definitive statements.
The disciples also grasped the seriousness of this moment. They were sorrowful. One of them would betray Jesus! and each thought themselves capable.
I wish our youth group had a different response when the CD player went missing. Instead of blaming one another, we should have examined our own lives and understood that we were all capable of such a sin. We still probably wouldn’t have found the CD player, but we would have still been united.
What a gracious response on part of the disciples. Instead of pridefully assuming blame on others, they individually come to Jesus with a simple prayer, “is it I?” as if to say, “Search my heart O’ God! I don’t want it to be me, but if it is me, please fix this part of me!”
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We see a profound reaction of your disciples to the word about your betrayal. We cry with the Psalmist today, Search my heart O’ God and see if there is any wicked thing in me. We ask for clean hands and pure hearts. When hard things like betrayal happen, we ask for grace to walk through it all. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover [lamb], His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 “Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ‘ 15 “Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished [and] prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
-Mark 14:12-16 (NKJV)
When I was a cub scout we had a motto, “Always be prepared.” We learned how to start camp fires, what to pack for a camping trip, how to help other people in crisis situations, and a host of other activities, all with the idea of being prepared. When I split my knee open several miles away from the nearest hospital, I had a wilderness survival kit complete with everything I needed to do to stabilize my knee and calm my nerves as we made our way to get medical attention. I had gauze to clean and pack the wound, I knew how to make a splint, I even had Tylenol on hand for the pain. I would have preferred to never have slit my knee open, but when I did, I was prepared.
In this passage today we see that the disciples were setting up and preparing for a Passover meal together. They just needed a location to meet and celebrate the meal. Jesus had somehow (either personally or supernaturally) made arrangements and there was a place that was prepared for the disciples to have the meal. What Jesus would say and do at this last meal together with these men would prepare them for what was coming next.
Everything that was about to happen to Jesus and the disciples was going to be unpleasant. It was going to hurt. In a sense it would all be terrible but also in a sense it was something that Jesus had and would prepare his disciples for. When they went through it all and looked back they would connect the dots. They would marvel at God’s graciousness and goodness to them in the midst of such a hard time.
It’s as I look back through my life that I often realize that God has prepared me for what I have been through and often it’s the things I’m doing today that God uses to prepare me for what he has tomorrow. We can marvel at God’s grace that in the midst of what would prove to be a difficult week that Jesus was prepared and he prepared the disciples for everything they couldn’t see coming. What a grace to know that he has prepared us for the difficult moments we face as well.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your grace in preparing us for the things ahead. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
After two days it was the Passover and [the Feast] of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put [Him] to death. 2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.” 3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured [it] on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 “She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard [it], they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
– Mark 14:1-11 (NKJV)
There were those who were seeking to put Jesus to death. These men were ready to silence Jesus for good. In their perverse minds there was only one way to bring the public ministry of Jesus to a close… murder. They were careful though, they didn’t want a public uproar so they had decided that when the opportunity presented itself, they would do it privately. The scene is set. If anyone, such as Judas were to betray Jesus, there is opportunity.
In the middle of the festivities Jesus and his disciples recline at a table for dinner and as they do a woman pours a costly vial of perfume on Jesus’ feet. It is an extravagant show of honor and hints at worship. This is where the signs of division appear. Some (Judas) see that what the woman did was a waste. They suppose the money could have been better spent on the poor. There is a difference of opinion.
Can that be true? Is money spent on the honor of Jesus a waste? Is it better spent on the poor? Is that our mission, to feed the poor?
Jesus interjects. He defends the woman. She was right. He won’t always be around. Her sacrifice is appreciated. There will always be poor people until Jesus comes. The primary focus should be on Jesus. (the church should learn well from this, even in our benevolence the aim is to honor Jesus). There is a mild rebuke.
This is where Judas should have fallen on his face in repentance. This is where he should have noted that they will always have the poor. This is where he should have thanked Jesus for the mild rebuke and correction. This is where the story could have been different but it isn’t because sin had grabbed hold of Judas’ heart. He was like Cain in Genesis chapter 4 when the Lord rejected his sacrifice. His heart was hardened and evil entered his heart like never before. Judas leaves out the door to betray Jesus.
We like to be shocked at Judas. We wonder out loud about who could do such a thing, but the truth is that we are all capable. Like Cain and Judas, we all are capable of taking offense when someone corrects our ideas of worship. We all have the capacity to want to worship God in our own terms and in ways that WE think are appropriate. We have the capacity to be master craftsmen in our fallen logic and presume the guilt of those who are worshipping Jesus honestly.
We should examine our hearts when our logic is confronted with loving truth and mild rebukes. These things are given us for our good. It’s when our hearts fail to receive loving correction that we realize we aren’t really seeking Jesus after all. How do you receive mild correction?
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for those you place in our lives who point us to your truth. We are grateful for the many wonderful examples we see of your truth lived out among us. We are grateful for teachers and role models who help us grow in our faith. Guard our hearts from pride, error, and narcissism that would seek to hijack our offerings and ideas of worship to make it more about us than it is about you. Let us love you freely and truthfully with all of our hearts that we might glory in good, sincere, right, and true correction. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 “[It is] like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming–in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning– 36 “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!“
– Mark 13:32-37 (NKJV)
When I was little my dad used to take me hunting with him for pronghorn, or we’d call them antelope. In parts of Eastern Montana, if you had good eyes, you could see them from a mile away! I thought I had good eyes and so I’d help my dad scan the horizon for pronghorn in the hopes of shooting one. I was restless looking all over hoping to see some movement. But there were times where, after a morning of looking, I’d slowly fall into a daze and just stare off into a day dreaming. I’m almost convinced that a pronghorn could have walked up to me in one of those dazes and I wouldn’t have noticed.
The word used for “watch” in verse 33 has the idea of “hunting” and “sleep” mixed together. The idea is that you are restless. You look for sleep, but haven’t found it yet so you keep looking. The other word used for “watch” in verses 35 and 37 carry a little different connotation. It has the idea of a night “watch.” Which emphasizes being alert, vigilant, and not groggy or slumbering. You put them together and they paint a picture of watching with eagerness while being diligent to avoid sleep. Scan the horizon and be alert for Jesus could return at any moment.
Such a posture of watchfulness requires some effort on our part. It’s easy to drift off when we don’t see him coming immediately. It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of “he’s not coming today,” and live like he isn’t coming back. We are called to live in the sober reality of Jesus could come back at any moment.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. You could return at any moment. Give us grace to be watchful and ready. Show us how to live with preparedness to go at any moment. Help us not to hold the things of earth so dear that we forget to scan the horizon and pray for your “kingdom to come.” Let us long with watchfulness for the coming of the day of the Lord. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 “the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 “And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. 28 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near–at the doors! 30 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
– Mark 13:24-31 (NKJV)
Don’t miss the forest for the trees on this passage. Some pretty huge things, cataclysmic events even are unfolding here. The Sun, the moon, the stars will fall… but the important part is that Jesus saves his own! He hasn’t abandoned his elect (to use the term in this passage). He is faithful. He has come back for you!
Though the sky falls, though the sun fails to shine, though the stars disappear, all is not lost, for Jesus remains and he is coming for you! Are you ready? Don’t be so grounded in this moment that you forget we were made for eternity.
There are things that will let you down in this life, but Jesus isn’t one of them. He will send his angels for you. His word rings true when everything else has fallen away. There will be a generation who sees it all come to pass from beginning to end in their lifetime. It might happen today. Don’t lose heart. Don’t be discouraged. Be ready. Be prepared. Be bold in your witness. When the days get dark, he has not forgotten you.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are encouraged by your word. Though everything else falls away, your word remains. We place our trust in you. You didn’t tell us that you were a way, or a truth, or know about life. You are the way, the truth, and the life and so we are all in on you. We trust you with all that we are so that we might be prepared and ready for that day. Even now we pray, “your kingdom come.” Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
“So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 “Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 “And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 “And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 “For [in] those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here [is] the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, [He is] there!’ do not believe it. 22 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
– Mark 13:14-23 (NKJV)
Several years ago I used to pick up a friend for church on Sunday mornings. He had a bad habit of sleeping in and I wanted to be sure he was ready to go when I got to his house so he didn’t make me late. This was a time before cellphones and so I’d call him from my house before I left for his house. This would give him 20 minutes to prepare. He could count on me being in his driveway 20 minutes from when I called him. Yet, there were mornings I’d call and He wasn’t even out of bed and he’d lie telling me that he was ready and when I got to his house I’d find out that he had fallen back asleep. His preparation or failure to be ready revealed where his heart was any given Sunday morning.
From time to time evangelical culture gets wrapped up with the immanent return of Christ. Which is good and true, he could come at any moment. I think we may be living in one of those times of expectancy around the return of Christ. While there is a ton of diversity of thought about when and how Jesus will return, one thing is clear, Jesus is coming back and we should be ready.
Rather than getting caught up in the “when” or how,” let’s think about why Jesus is telling the disciples these things. Part of the why is so that they will be prepared. As I shared yesterday, we need to be able to expect things to get worse before they get better. Christians need to expect persecution in this world. We don’t need to be caught off guard.
We need to expect there to be false teachers or false messiah’s who show up and deceive people. We need to expect them so when we see them we are not disheartened but are moved to action. Time is of the essence, everything could be change in our world in an instant.
Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Prepare our hearts today for your immanent return. We recognize that the world will grope in darkness until all is set right in Christ. We long for that day. Give us grace to live this day in the readiness of the gospel. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The Hill House 