Mark
14:1-25 - Jesus was surrounded
by enemies, ‘seeking to kill Him’ (1). There was also a hypocrite,
preparing ‘to betray Him’ (10-11). What a joy it was to find a woman
with such heartfelt love for Him (3-9). Her love for Christ must never
be forgotten (9). There is something else which must never be forgotten -
His love for us. Our love for Him can never begin to compare
with His love for us. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (22-24; 1
Corinthians 11:23-26), we rejoice in His love. Think little of
your love for Him. Think much of His love for you. ‘Who His love will
not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be
forgotten throughout heaven’s eternal days' (Songs of Fellowship, 168). Remember Christ, and let your remembering be filled with worship (25; Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-17).
14:26-52
- After ‘they had sung a hymn’ (26), Peter showed that there was a
great deal of ‘self’ in him (29). All of us can be like this - ‘they all
said the same’ (31). We attend Communion (22-24), we sing hymns (26) -
yet still the wrong attitudes persist! We ‘enjoy’ praise, prayer, and
preaching - Remember: God is concerned with the whole of life, not just
the ‘spiritual’ activities! Christ looked ahead to the Cross - ‘the
hour’, ‘this cup’ (35-36). He was far removed from an ‘enjoyable
atmosphere’ within which prayer is ‘easy’. Sorely tempted, He prayed,
‘not what I will but what You will’ (36). This was no easy road - the
‘betrayer’ was waiting for Him (42). It was a lonely road - ‘they all
forsook Him, and fled’ (50). ‘The gate is narrow, the way is hard’
(Matthew 7:14). May God help us to follow Jesus.
14:53-15:5
- Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the Blessed’. He is ‘seated at the
right hand of Power’. He is ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’ (61-62).
He is ‘the King of the Jews’: His Kingdom is greater than Herod imagined
- it is ‘not of this world’ (2; John 18:36). Why, then, did He remain
silent when false charges were brought against Him? He was bearing our sin
- That is why ‘He did not open His mouth’ (Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 Peter
2:22-24; 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He knew that He was going to the
Cross - for us (John 10:11,15,17-18). Jesus did not deny us: His silence
was a godly silence - ‘He bore the sin of many’, making ‘Himself
an offering for sin’ (Isaiah 53:12,10). Will we deny Him? Our silence
is a guilty silence (66-71). May Christ’s Word, and His look of
love, cause us to weep - and repent (72; Luke 22:61-62; 2 Corinthians
7:10).
15:6-41 - Jesus did not ‘save Himself’. ‘He saved
others’ (31). He sacrificed Himself for our salvation. His was the
sacrifice. Ours is the salvation. He ‘put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself’ (Hebrews 9:26). Barabbas was ‘released’. Jesus was ‘crucified’
(15). This is the Gospel - He took my place, He died for me. He was
‘forsaken’ by God (34). We are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians
5:19,21). We rejoice that Christ ignored the mocking call from ‘the
chief priests’ and ‘scribes’: ‘come down now from the Cross’ (32). He
paid the full price of our salvation. For us now, there is full
salvation. His suffering was complete: ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30) was
not a whimper of defeat. It was the declaration of victory. All that was needed - He has done for us. Now, He invites us to receive salvation: ‘Come; for all is now ready’ (Luke 14:17).
15:42-16:20
- Dead and buried (44-46) - ‘The End’? No! There is more. An
‘Appendix’? No! A whole new beginning - For Jesus, for us! He is ‘the
first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20,23). The full glory is still to come
(1 Corinthians 15:24). He has risen (6). ‘At His coming, those who belong to Christ’ will
be raised - with Him and by Him - to everlasting life (1 Corinthians
15:23). This is the glory of the resurrection. It is not simply a thing
of the past. It is our glorious future - we ‘will be raised
imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a Gospel to be preached - the Gospel of salvation (15-16). May God help us to preach the Gospel ‘everywhere’ - This will involve all
of us, not just a few of us! May He give us the joy of seeing Him at
work, confirming the message by the signs that attend it (20).
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