relationships (Mark 14:41-72) Being Ready For Anything

(Mark 14:41-72)

41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him and lead Him away under guard.” 45 And after coming, Judas immediately went to Him and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 And they laid hands on Him and arrested Him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a man inciting a revolt? 49 Every day I was with you within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me; but this has taken place so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.” 50 And His disciples all left Him and fled.

51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Jesus warned His disciples to stay alert and pray, warned them about how they were going to scatter and deny Him, warned them of what He was about to go through, and even warned them that this was all about to start right away- but- they preferred to sleep.  Immediately, Judas had arrived.  The kiss was a normal and acceptable cultural greeting between loved ones, close friends and even teachers.  But, because it would have been very dark, and they wanted to arrest the right person, Judas’ greeting let the chief priests, etc. know exactly which man was Jesus.  Well, in that quick moment, the disciples found themselves panicking, Peter cutting off someone’s ear, and all running away, one of the followers was even caught naked (NOT a culturally acceptable thing).

Why is our response time sometimes so slow when it should be fast, and other times it is so fast when it should be slow?  I'm going to speculate here and say that all too often we allow ourselves to be emotionally driven... meaning, reacting before we have all of the facts.  Connected to all of this is our trust-factor in God, others, and/or the things around us.

For instance, if and when my husband says something that hurts my feelings, because I trust that he loves and cares for me, I must first assume that he didn't really mean what he said, or how he said it.  In that case, before reacting and getting emotional, it is beneficial to calmly ask, "When you said that, what did you really mean?  Because it came across hurtful."  This gives him a chance to either apologize, and/or to reword his statement.  And if and when I notice that my husband is irritated and he's not saying anything about it, I like to ask him... "Did I say or do anything wrong?"  This gives me a chance to apologize if I did do something wrong, or he has a chance to apologize for his mood and then let me know what he is actually struggling with, so I can be in prayer for him.

Kind of in the same way, this is how we should trust the Lord- but in the utmost way!  Of course, we can know without any doubt that He loves and cares for us, perfectly!  And we can also trust in His sovereignty!  So, if and when we find ourselves in situations or struggles, as soon as possible, we should go to Him in prayer, giving Him our questions, sharing our feelings with Him, apologizing for our wrongs, and asking for guidance and help.

Better yet, we can start with being alert- and praying!  This way, God will help us be ready for whatever is happening or is going to happen.  He is not only faithful to answer our prayers and help us in those moments, but He knows what is going to happen and when!  Anytime I have lived or traveled in dangerous areas, I have learned to pray without ceasing.  As soon as I step outside, I am praying!  This doesn’t mean something bad isn’t going to happen, but when something DOES happen, God has kept me very calm, giving me very clear guidance in how I should react and navigate through.

By now, I have also learned that this isn’t just for potentially dangerous situations, but for everyday situations.  Therefore, I can be alert- ready- and praying for the Lord to… “Help me be efficient with my time”… “Help me be a blessing to my husband today”… “Help me in this group setting to listen more intently”… etc., etc., etc.  In my relationship with God, He wants to help me in all situations, and with all other relationships.  Why just wait, and run to God after the matter, requesting help to troubleshoot?  Why not strive to stay alert, and ask God to help us be ready?

relationships (Mark 14:32-42) Having the Same Desires

(Mark 14:32-42)

32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him. 41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Oh, these disciples!  They were just told that they were all going to run away at the first sign of trouble, and Peter was told that he would betray Jesus three times, and Jesus told them what He was about to go through, and here He shares with them how troubled, distressed and grieved His soul was... and they chose to fall sleep.  But- would we have really done anything differently???

I know when someone close to me is suffering through something big, especially if their lives impact mine in some way, I'll be pacing the floor or down on my knees, praying.  But then there are times when I'm just going through life, focused on my own stuff, and then remember that I promised to pray for someone or something.  Sometimes it is after the matter.  That is when I confess the oversight, and I pray that things did go according to the Lord's will.  I know that God is omniscient, and cares, and so if and when I pray after the matter, He knows that I'm going to pray that prayer, so He "hears it in time".  Not that this should be an excuse to delay our prayers, since it is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord, and we should be wanting to communicate with Him daily.

Here, Jesus is our ultimate example of how to pray.  We are allowed to lament, and share with God the struggles that we are feeling.  We are even allowed to ask God for our hearts' desires.  But then, we should realize and desire what God desires.  When we pray in God's will, and for God's will to be done, He will answer!  Even if it means that we will still struggle, God will be there giving us strength, peace, hope, inexplicable joy, thankfulness, contentment...  Understand that Jesus took on the worst possible suffering, so that we don't have to- which is for anyone who chooses to believe in Him.  

Jesus was about to go through the utmost extreme thing anyone could possibly imagine, and He already knew what that was, and how that would feel... but He also knew the end result.  And it was going to be so worth it!

The holy, sinless, perfect Son of God- was about to take on all sin, of all people, of all time... We know that as believers, when we sin, we grieve the indwelling Holy Spirit.  I don't know about you, but I have said and done a few things in my life, which have made me very sick to my stomach.  The extreme grief and remorse is something that gnaws away, and causes us to think, "If only I could go back in time and do that differently..."  It causes us to realize that we are no better than... (name the worst sinner/criminal you can think of).  

Well, Jesus took on those sins of mine, and yours, and the sins of evil dictators, terrorists, serial killers, rapists, pedophiles...  Just imagine- compile all of the sins that I alone have committed (all of them, big or "little"- they are all sins, and they are all wrong), and then compile all of those sins with billions and trillions and kazillions of more sins!!!

That is how much love God has for us!  Even for those who will still reject the Lord and His salvation.  Jesus still died for everyone, because He desires that all come to know Him in a personal relationship!  To provide the way to Himself, because He cannot have a relationship with sin, He paid the ransom in order to redeem us all- if we so choose!

relationships (Mark 14:17-25) Grieving to Healing

(Mark 14:17-25)

17 When it was evening He came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.” 19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” 20 But He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one who dips bread with Me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man is going away just as it is written about 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 not been born.”

22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again, until that day when I drink it, new, in the kingdom of God.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

The eleven disciples who loved Jesus were grieved to hear that one of them would betray Him.  Typically, when one is grieving or guilt-ridden, one loses their appetite.  So, the one who was going to betray Jesus, was able to continue eating.  Most likely, Judas Iscariot was preoccupied in his plotting, and so consumed with hared, and so used to disregarding Jesus and His words, that when he dipped his bread into the olive oil, he suddenly realized he had been outed.  As mentioned in other scripture, he then rushed off to tell the Pharisees and scribes that, as was HIs habit, Jesus was going to go to the Mount of Olives after their meal to pray.

God knows who is never going to become a believer, and knows what they will do in all circumstances.  And in His sovereignty, God will use the sinful actions that have evil intentions to accomplish His will.  While Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, which led to Jesus going to the cross, it was only in this way that the Lord could pay for all sins, of all people, of all time.  And then, in His resurrection, having victory over sin and death, the Lord provided the way for us to be reconciled with Him- to receive His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise- and to have a close, personal, and eternal relationship with Him.

God also knows that even once we are believers, we will still struggle with sin, even when we don't want to.  When we do sin, we grieve the Lord's Holy Spirit within us, and just so, we should be grieved when we do this, and go back to Him to confess, and continue on in our walk with Him.  Grieving will always lead to healing when we hunger after the Lord.  Thankfully, because of God's mercy, we do not receive the eternal punishment that we so deserve, and because of His grace, we receive blessings that we do not deserve.  As believers, no matter what we say or do, we cannot lose our salvation, but we can certainly make our relationship with the Lord extremely awkward... for ourselves!

Thankfully, the Lord Jesus is so very patient, faithful and understanding, NOT to justify or tolerate our bad decisions, but, His arms are always open wide for us to continuously run back to Him.  Just as Jesus led the disciples in this communion, the Lord wants us to continue "returning" to Him, to remember, and to enjoy being nourished, healed, refreshed, strengthened and equipped by Him.

relationships (Mark 14:12-72) Teamwork

(Mark 14:12-72)

12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 And he himself will show you a large upstairs room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16 The disciples left and came to the city, and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

I love how Jesus typically sent His disciples out in twos.  Even though, as believers, we always have the Lord with us, He understands that we often need another person with us, as we carry out what He asks us to do.  And then, whatever it is that He calls us to, as we are willing and obedient to do these things with His help and guidance, in His love, strength and wisdom, to His glory, He makes sure that His will is accomplished.  And, He is the one who moves in the hearts of His children, so that we can find sweet unity and oneness with Him, as well as with each other.  This is true teamwork, to the highest degree!

relationships (Mark 14:1-11) Our Choice

(Mark 14:1-11)

1 Now the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Him covertly and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there will be a riot of the people.”

3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper, He was reclining at the table, and a woman came with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head. 4 But there were some indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume could have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a good deed for Me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

There are radical distinctions here between the sinful, fallen, broken world- and- God's kingdom.

• The world does not recognize the Lord Jesus as God, but only sees Him as a stumbling block that gets in their way, 
• while those who love God, recognize Him as their Lord and Savior, as this woman certainly did.  

• Judas sought a way to betray Jesus and make some money in doing so,
• while the woman went far and above their customary provision of olive oil to anoint the heads of important guests, she gave her very best to the Lord!

• The world tries to look and sound ostentatious with disingenuous and calculated gestures and comments about things like feeding the poor, 
• while those who love the Lord serve Him and others, giving freely and generously.

• The world hates God and His righteousness and plots to do away with Him,
• while the unconditional, sacrificial love of Jesus is so great, that He went to the cross and took on all the punishment meant for everyone- even those who hate and reject Him!

• The world wants to judge and criticize others in order to humiliate and control them, in order to look and feel better about themselves, 
• while Jesus invites us to eat with Him, and have conversations, in order to reconcile and have a close and meaningful relationship for all eternity.

relationships (Mark 13:1-37) Knowing Leads to Trusting

(Mark 13:1-37)

As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things come about, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will mislead many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.

9 “But be on your guard; for they will hand you over to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 And when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

14 “Now when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be—let the reader understand—then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down, nor go in to get anything out of his house. 16 And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 17 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Moreover, pray that it will not happen in winter. 19 For those days will be such a time of tribulation as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will again. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Look, there He is’; do not believe it; 22 for false christs and false prophets will arise, and will provide signs and wonders, in order to mislead, if possible, the elect. 23 But beware; I have told you everything in advance.

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

33 “Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 so that he does not come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

As the disciples were admiring the temple, which the Jews considered invincible and beyond beautiful, Jesus told them that it was going to be torn down.  And so, the disciples had questions.  The prophecies given are two-fold:

• One has already happened:  
• In A.D. 39, the Roman emperor Caligula, declared himself divine and tried to set up his image in the Jerusalem temple.
• And in A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed the temple.  
• The other, concerning the end times, has not yet happened.  In a nutshell:
• at some point (like a thief in the night, so no one knows when) the Lord will gather up all believers (this being the "rapture", the Greek word meaning to be "caught up"). 
• Then begins the last seven years of the Jewish Age, the Tribulation and its judgments (these being the signs leading up to Jesus return).  
• At Jesus' second coming, He will collect all believers and bring them into the Millennial kingdom, where He will fulfill all covenants with the Jews, and establish physical peace on earth.

Also two-fold, is Jesus' statement that "this generation will not pass away until all these things take place":

• Jesus let the disciples know that they would go through the prophetic event that has already happened.  Therefore, "this generation" is meant very literally.
• "This generation" can also refer to "this nation", which makes complete sense, since the nation of Israel will not be extinguished, because God's covenant with them will be completely fulfilled in the Millennial kingdom, when they will receive all of their promised land, seed and blessings.

Meanwhile, as Jesus says in verse 23, He has told us everything in advance, because He wants us to know what to expect, and understand!  At the same time, He is very clear here that we are not to know when these prophecies will happen.  Since the Lord desires to have a personal relationship with us, He doesn't want us to get sidetracked with various details.  Otherwise, as the time would draw nearer, we could very easily take our eyes off of the Lord, and start doing things out of fear, and/or focusing on what mankind will do, and/or falling into the trap of relying on ourselves, our own strength, and our own knowledge.  

Jesus wants us to focus on Him, and carry out what He asks of us- with His love, strength, provision and wisdom, all to His glory!  Therefore, He tells us to- just be ready, and stay alert, and don't worry, which is to- become a believer, continue to walk closely with the Lord, and continue to trust in Him.  If and when we face persecution because we are Christians, do not be alarmed, rely on the Lord, in order to remain strong and courageous.  With a willing heart, pray that the Lord will give us opportunities to preach- share the gospel message with others, and equip us with the right words.  Therefore...

Studying to know and understand God's words will help us recognize the Lord, and recognize those who want to lead us astray.  Studying to know and understand God's words will also help us see that He is sovereign, He has a plan, and it will be accomplished.  In this, we can fully embrace Him, His love, and His instructions...

(Romans 8:28)  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

relationships (Mark 12:41-44) True Giving

(Mark 12:41-44)

41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

There are several takeaways here.  

First takeaway, and the most obvious:  Jesus compares these various groups of people and their giving.  This is more of an ah-ha moment, to understand that God sees and knows all.  People would have watched and judged by appearances only.  But Jesus knew how much money everyone had- AND- He knew if their hearts were thankful, faithful and trusting, or if their hearts were selfish, arrogant and/or self-reliant. 

Second takeaway:  which answers my question about why Jesus didn't immediately help this poor woman out.  Well, first of all, this woman didn't go to Jesus to ask for His help.  He also knew that the temple would take a portion of what people gave, and would feed and help those in need.  And later, when the Christian church was being established, the apostles made sure to do this as well...

(Acts 6:1-4)  Now at this time, as the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Instead, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Third takeaway:  no where in the Bible does it tell us to give the church all our assets and money.  Nor does the Bible say that money is evil.  It is the LOVE of money that leads to all SORTS of evil.  And therefore, being rich is not a sin, otherwise God would have been sinning when He blessed king Solomon with not just wisdom, but with power, and more money than even Elon Musk!!!  It is also not a sin to be poor.  We are just not to be lazy moochers or criminals.

The Bible does say to give to the church "as one is able".  For tithing, which is to give ten percent of all income, is easy, and it takes care of "if one is able"...

(Malachi 3:10)  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this,” says the Lord of armies, “if I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

This is NOT supporting the ideas of prosperity-gospel or naming-it-and-claiming-it!  God will bless us in exactly the right way, which will include the important blessings of thankfulness, contentment, joy, certain hope, internal peace, etc.  I experienced this on the mission field, as well as when we were first married, and I will forever cherish those opportunities of seeing how mighty and faithful the Lord is!  Supplies miraculously last longer, and God provided us with whatever we needed.

And then, as one is able, we are encouraged to give gifts and offerings, which go above and beyond tithing.  Since the Bible also cautions us to not neglect the needs of our family, pray for wisdom to know exactly where and how much extra giving should go.  I heard a testimony of a millionaire, who had the gift of giving, saying, "The more I take out of the bank to give, the more the Lord puts back in!" 

So the fourth takeaway is:  we are to GIVE EVERYTHING TO GOD!!!  Virtually.  Mentally.  Emotionally.  Spiritually.  I'm not just talking about our finances and assets, but ourselves, our time, our energy, as well as our loved ones.  "Give" them to God!  Since we are in a personal relationship with the Lord, we have to know that He cares!  And the more we learn to trust Him in all things, we will see that He is by far the best manager, protector, healer, provider and Friend.