THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:53-59 “Looking for evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death.” (Mark 14:55) Here we see Jesus’ enemies trying to make up a case against Him. They know they hate Him, they just need a solid reason to kill Him. The sad thing is that these people are the religious…
Pointing to Jesus without pretense!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:43-52 “Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.” (Mark 14:45) Judas pretends to respect Jesus by calling him ‘teacher’ (Rabbi). But most painful of all, he pretends to love Jesus by a kiss. As Jesus-followers, we are called to be bridges between Jesus and the world. We are…
My rock and refuge!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 62 “Surely they intend to topple me…” (Psalm 62:4) My enemies are not the same as David’s enemies. Not even sure I have any human enemies, like David did. But I have an enemy that wants to topple me too. Satan’s only power is the power of deception. He is a messenger…
Listen to Jesus… not Ezra!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Ezra 9-10 “Let’s promise to send away all of those women and their children.” (Ezra 10:3) We look to the bible for insight into how God works. But we should not take human examples as our patterns of behaviour. Ezra and the people recognize that they had married improperly. But to send away…
Counting on His help!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Ezra 7-8 “Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage.” (Ezra 7:28) I saw a video of a young boy struggling to catch a large, heavy fish. The boy was visibly upset, he was pleading with his dad for help. Dad put his hands around his son’s…
Watch and pray!!!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:37-42 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Mark 14:38) What does Jesus mean by “watch and pray”? This is not a special kind of prayer, or a prayer formula. It simply means, ‘be on your guard, and reach out to God for help!” Do you feel the…
Surrender to His power and purpose!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:32-36 “He prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.” (Mark 14:35) If possible… isn’t anything possible for God (Mark 10:27)? Literally, Jesus says, ‘if it is within Your power” (dunamis). These thoughts do not conflict, for God’s power will not work against His purpose. Jesus is submitting to God’s ‘very…
Satan can’t beat this shepherd!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:27-31 “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” (Mark 14:27) Jesus is quoting Zechariah 13:7-9, a passage of judgment against Israel’s leaders. The “house of David” (Zechariah 13:1) had turned away from God (Zechariah 10:3). God hands over the king and the people to the consequences of their sin. Now Jesus,…
Surely He does mean me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 14:17-26 “One by one they said to him, ‘Surely you don’t mean me?’” (Mark 14:19) Most people know that Judas is the betrayer. But as we read further, we see how Peter denies Jesus. We also find the Peter, James and John sleeping while Jesus prays. And after the arrest, all of…
No place to hide!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 61 “I long to dwell in your tent forever!” (Psalm 61:4) What would it be like to always feel God’s presence? It depends in large part on what we’re doing/. For example, being close to a police officer can be good or bad. Good if you’re facing trouble and need help. Not…