ResponsiveReiding

From Mark 15:1-5 / Between Two Worlds – Nowhere is the strange way in which Jesus straddles 2 worlds and 2 realities more evident than in these exchanges. Two wondrous things emerge. 1 – So why not a simple, unqualified “why yes I am!”? Because He is the king of the Jews, but not the way Pilate imagines such a King to be. He is not meant to be their present political ruler. He is meant to govern their souls. His kingdom is not of this world in the way they would understand it. He is King of the Jews, yes, but not as Pilate would have understood it. And not as many of His followers then, or even some today would have it either. We seem more interested in power over world systems than power over sin and death. He knows fully “This is My Father’s World.” 2 – Why does He not defend Himself? And here is something truly unfathomable: Because He is willingly taking our guilt upon Himself. He will not defend Himself as not guilty, because He is being counted as guilty for us. So that He might be our substitute. And so that we might go free and be counted righteous in Him. Oh what a Savior!

From Mark 14:66-72 / Loose Lips – This passage is not meant as a polemic against foul language. Yet is is instructive in that regard. How is it, what is the mechanism by which Peter wishes to demonstrate to those accusing him of belonging to Jesus that he is not? Cursing and swearing. It would appear that this mode of language is one of the most identifiable traits of those in the world – of those who are not Christ’s. At least it was so in Jesus’ day and culture. But I wonder if it is not also true today? And I wonder if we take note of how easily we pick up the distinguishing marks of those outside of Christ in the adoption of words and phrases that link us more readily with the world, than with Him. The language of Jesus is blessing, not cursing. It is speaking the truth, not lying. It is in affirming Gospel realities, not seeking to dodge discovery of Christ. It is ennobling, not crude. More than the tag line so common again today of “what say you?” maybe it ought to be – “how say you?” Does your speech betray the reality of one bought by the blood of the Lamb and redeemed from the trench of lostness? Or does it pass easily as the same as the world around us? Are we full of cursing, invective, vitriol and denial? Of gutter language, or that from the streets of Heaven – full of blessing, honoring, love and affirmation of Christ? What tell-tale signs have crept into our daily vocabulary – that prove we are identifying more with the world than Christ? What words and phrases in ordinary conversation would never pass our lips in the pulpit? And are we not duplicitous in this regard? It is something to consider. Especially when it comes to disagreements and public discourse. When conversing with family, friends, on Facebook – and even when discussing – politics. May we glorify Him even in our everyday conversation. He is worthy.

From Mark 14:53-65 / Respect – While these verses reveal the utter heartlessness and injustice on behalf of those appointed by God to see justice is done – there is one verse which always grips my own heart the most: “And some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to strike Him, saying to Him, Prophesy! And the guards received Him with blows.” It is the utter disregard, the disdain, degradation and indignity with which Jesus was treated that makes my heart weep. When Jesus taught us to pray, He placed the hallowing – the reverencing of His Father’s name and reputation as having the highest priority. All of sin and the Fall came from angelic and human creatures not seeing Him for who and what He is, and not giving Him the reverence due His name. Making the very mention of God sacred. And at this point in human history, the whole of that wicked capacity in us to try and shame and degrade God Himself is cast upon Jesus’ sweet shoulders with the utmost contempt. The One who surrendered all of Heaven’s glories to take on the likeness of our fallenness, that He might suffer the Father’s just wrath in our place – spit upon and mocked as a fool. In this my fellow Christian, is the willingness of our Christ to take on the worst of human sin on our behalf – set in its greatest relief. Oh how He loves you and me. Read this passage, and let your heart melt. How we so violently recoil at the pettiest of slights against our persons. And how He uttered not a word of self-defense in this wicked, cruel moment. That we might be reconciled to the Father. What a Savior is this!

From Mark 14:51-52 / Following Jesus – These 2 verses have spawned endless speculation, especially as regards the identity of this “young man.” There is a long tradition that it is Mark himself. But in truth, we have no idea. The text simply does not say. Nor need we know to glean something of use here. That the young man was clothed with nothing but a linen cloth almost certainly speaks to his being roused from his bed by the commotion surrounding Jesus’ arrest. Whether he knew Jesus before this or not we do not know. But for some reason, whether just curious as to the spectacle or whatever, He followed Jesus for a time, until the persecution spilled over to his person. And then he cared for nothing but to run so as not to suffer any harm. And so it is there are many who seem to follow Christ for a season. In their youth and with a sort of sleepiness of thought about them, they are curious as to what He is all about. Striking out after Him, though ill-prepared, as soon as the cost of following Him appears, they flee. And in their fleeing they are exposed for who and what they really are. No better, and no worse than Jesus’ own professed disciples. Both, in desperate need to be clothed with the righteousness of sinless Lamb of God. Nothing less will quit us to stand before the judgment bar of the Living God. “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear! what the Spirit says to the churches.” Re 3:4–6.

From Mark 14:43-50 / Earnestly Wrong – I identify with the Jesus’ sword wielding disciple. Here is the one he thought to be the Messiah – as he conceived the Messiah to be. He had walked with Him for years. Heard Him speak. Watched His miracles. Partook of miraculously multiplied bread. Seen Him perform countless miracles. Anticipated serving under Him in His Kingdom. Loved Him. Left home and family for Him. It was only natural that everything within him would rise up against this perceived threat, and respond in righteous indignation and defense with genuine and vigorous earnestness. But to step in here, no matter how logical and earnest, would be to act counter to the Scripture’s fulfillment. He did not yet understand the mission of the Redeemer in its fullness as the Old Testament had laid it out. And I wonder if we too can fail to respond to the threats, dangers and challenges of our culture and generation, in earnest and vigorous ways, which fail to understand how things will be in the earth until the King returns to take up His earthly throne. To act almost as though we are to bring the Kingdom about through politics and power, rather than through the transformation of men’s souls by the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Have we forgotten that Jesus Himself told us that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church? And have we forgotten, victory is through the Cross, not the voting booth? Preach and live the Gospel. This is our call. Lift up Christ. And as it is written concerning His resurrection: “He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Believe it. It will be so.

From Mark 14:32-42 / In this passage we see more of the inscrutability of God’s love than perhaps any other place in all of Scripture. It contains the single greatest example of unanswered prayer. And aren’t we glad.

We all face decisions. Some easy, some hard.

But put yourself in God the Father’s shoes at this moment.

His Son, His only begotten Son – THE Son, is praying.

He appeals to the Father’s absolute sovereignty and power – “All things are possible for you” He says.

And He is right.

The Father does not HAVE to save anyone.

He can at this moment, deliver His own Son – and let the rebellious race go to Hell.

He is under no obligation.

There is nothing constraining Him but one thing – His own heart.

Out of nothing but pure love, He willingly sends His Son to that Cross in our place.

He didn’t have to.

He wanted to.

He could remain just and eternally condemn us all.

He could remain full of mercy and grace – without it rising to the level of this sacrificial act.

But He refused.

It was “possible”, but not if He was going to save us.

Hearing His perfect Son’s pleas.

Knowing His agony.

Seeing His “distress” and “trouble” (vs. 33).

Knowing He was “sorrowful, even unto death” (vs. 34).

Yet still, He will not relent.

He sees the Son’s willing heart.

It must melt His own.

It can do no other.

Yet the plan remains.

The deliverance will not come.

The Son will die – though the Father can freely and in all holiness and righteousness choose to spare the Son and cast us aside.

But the love that “will not let me go” prevails.

What love is this?

What a Father is this?

What a Son is this?

What a salvation is this?

Words, cannot express.

From Mark 14:26-31 / Those (all-too RARE) times when I want to beat myself up over some failure, my blessed wife is wont to bring me back to reality with these words: “To be disappointed in yourself, is to have believed in yourself.” Sobering, and so true. We are a people who seem to be endlessly convinced we are so much better than we are. So much less marred by sin than we are. I do not point a finger at Peter and the rest here for thinking they will be brave and constant in the dark hours ahead. They (like me) underestimate their own weakness, and overestimate their own fidelity and courage. And yet here is our Redeemer – omnisciently aware of their real condition, and what He was about to suffer not just at the hands of His persecutors, but in the abandonment of His loved ones. And what does He do? He tells them irrespective of all, He WILL rise again. And that once He has, He will not have abandoned them even in the face of their cruelest denial of Him. But will go before them to Galilee, to see them again. The confidence of the Christian is not that we will remain so wonderfully faithful, but that because He is so amazingly faithful, we cannot be lost. He will never deny His own. We rest in Him. Not in ourselves, our performance, or any imagined vein of uprightness – just Him. Oh praise His glorious name!

From Mark 14:22-25 . Communion & Deliverance. It is interesting that Jesus was crucified not on the Day of Atonement, but rather at Passover. Passover is celebrated April 7-14, while atonement follows later, Sept. 26. But stands out with Passover, is the theme of deliverance. And so it is with Jesus bringing the type and shadow of the Old Testament Passover to its fulfillment. Even the precursor to Passover held this theme as seen in Gen. 14 when Melchizedek and Abraham meet and bread and wine are symbolically shared regarding the deliverance from the kings who raided Sodom and captured Lot and his family. Then we have the 1st. “Passover” in Exodus 11 and deliverance from the slavery of Egypt. And there will yet be a final fulfillment in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb – Rev. 19, which is concurrent with the binding of Satan and the False Prophet, deliverance from the dominance of “Babylon” (this world’s system) the influence of Satan & the False Prophet. Jesus here says He will not drink it again until He does so in the manifested Kingdom of God. There is (as seen in Exodus) a deliverance to be had before full possession of the “land”. And so we see how this deliverance theme for the Believer is seen in: Rom. 7:21-8:1 / Delivered from the Law of sin and death – “sin and you will die” to “Believe and you will live”. NO CONDEMNATION! Col. 1:11-13 / Delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of His Dear Son. 1 Thess. 1:9-10 / Delivered from the Wrath to come. Heb. 2:14-15 / Delivered from the fear of Death.

Oh praise the Lamb of God, by whose blood, all who trust in Him are delivered from all of this by His sacrifice.

From Mark 14:13-15 / A God of Means.

Two things worth considering here:

1 – One does wonder, why Jesus used this method in directing the disciples to find a place for the Passover. Why make them look for the man carrying the jar of water? Why not just give them the address or the name of the master of the house? Perhaps so that they know that all of God’s purposes are carried out by MEANS and not through independent miracles? To see He is Lord over the mundane and all other things – not just “the Church”? How would the timing work to bump into the man? How many men would be carrying a jar of water in that place at that time? And how could it be that he would both have a place available, prepared, and be instantly amenable to their using it? What a grand display of how they will be able to trust the Father’s Providence once He is gone from them: Psalm 37:23-24 “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.”

2 – Then again, such things may not be answerable at all. And we must be humble enough to stop where the revelation does, and not NEED to pry past our need to obey. He did it this way because it was wisest and best in His sight. That is enough.

In both cases, the need is for us to trust Him fully – in everything.

From Mark 14:10-11 / Jesus: A means to an end? What a contrast to Mary in the verses above. Mary sought to pour out on Jesus whatever the cost. Judas sought to gain from Jesus, for a mere 30 pieces of silver. Mary poured out what would have been the near equivalent of a year’s salary. Judas sold Jesus for about a month’s pay in his day. How cheaply he valued the Savior. But the real contrast is found in this: Judas saw Jesus as a means to an end. Mary saw Jesus AS the end. And this is keen lesson for us. Do we ever really seek Him – for Him? Do we find Him lovely? Relationship to Him worth pursuing? Equating Heaven not so much with streets of gold and freedom from this sin-wracked world – as with beholding the face of Him who died for our sins, and rose for our justification? When Jesus prays in John 17, He pleads with the Father: “I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” What must the wonder of seeing Him in His glory be, if He makes that the highest gift He can think of to ask the Father to grant us? Older theologians used to call that the “beatific vision.” A vision so glorious, that it is instantly, utterly and permanently transformative. If being with and seeing Jesus isn’t our end, but we seek Jesus only for what He can do for us, we are living so woefully below what He has made us for. Don’t settle for less than the Son of God Himself as your true and final reward.