Mark 14:27-31 - Known failure

Jesus knows his friends will fail and he knows exactly how they'll fail...

Mark 14:27-31

Here we see yet another prophecy from the Old Testament part of the Bible (written 500 years before Jesus came)... 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.' (Zechariah 13:7).  Jesus repeatedly said he was 'the good shepherd' (John 10:11, 14) and Isaiah (written 700 years before Jesus came) said that he would be 'stricken' by God (Isaiah 53:4) and that it would be God's will to 'crush him' (Isaiah 53:10).  Jesus is again describing how another prophecy would be fulfilled.  He knows his friends will all desert him in his time of greatest need, according to what God had said through the prophets hundreds of years before.

Peter claims he will remain true to Jesus, even if no-one else does but Jesus knows better and even describes the exact details of how Peter will fail.  And it happens just as he says (Mark 14:66-72).

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows we will fail him and he knows how.  The good news is, this is not the end of the story.  Jesus is on his way to his death and our failure is the reason why.  He knows us.  He knows our failure.  And he knows what it will cost him to make a way out for us.

Mark blog

Mark 14:12-26 - The new Passover

It's the beginning of a pretty bleak time for Jesus and the disciples.  In this section as they share the Passover meal together, Jesus discloses some dark news about one of his closest friends and talks again about his death.

Mark 14:12-26

Passover was a big deal in Jewish culture and we first read about it in Exodus 12.  It was a serious reminder of Israel's slavery in Egypt and a joyful celebration of the miraculous way God rescued them.  This particular Passover would be one that Jesus and his disciples would never forget.

Jesus drops the news that one of the disciples will betray him.  Judas knows what he's on about because he's already decided he's going to do it (Mark 14:10-11) but the rest assume that Jesus is telling the truth because they know he knows the future.  It was only a few hours ago he accurately predicted the specific details of the preparations for the meal they're now sharing and they know Jesus must be right about this too.  One of them will betray Jesus and it will be worse than any of them can imagine right now.

Jesus continues to talk about the near future by using the bread and the wine to show the disciples about his death.  Jesus has spoken a lot about his death and they know it's going to be important somehow but they can't see it all yet.  He uses the bread to show them that his body will be broken and the wine to show that his blood will be poured out.  He speaks of his death as a sacrifice for people and he says enough for his disciples to know that it's all going to happen very soon.

This particular Passover meal became a new reminder and a new celebration.  Christians today regularly share bread and wine together to remember the death of Jesus.  Like Passover, it's a serious reminder of our old slavery to sin and a joyful celebration of the miraculous way that God has rescued us through Jesus.

Mark blog

ECCU Day of FREE CAKE!

So today was the Exeter College Christian Union Day of FREE CAKE!  We spent the day giving away cake to students and staff and asking people three questions...

1. What's your life all about?
2. What do you think Jesus' life was all about?
3. If it was possible to know God personally, would you want to and why/why not?
As ever, we had some AMAZING and significant conversations with loads of people, some of which lasted half an hour or more because people were genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of who Jesus is and whether or not he's really God and worth trusting and following.  It seems people really are hungry to explore and discover the truth rather than stick with gut feelings or popular opinion.  It was a real privilege to chat to them and try to help point them towards the evidence about Jesus and everything he's done for us so we can know God personally!

If you're reading this because we met you today - THANK YOU!  And please feel free to explore the blog (especially the Why Follow Jesus? bit) and ask me any questions using the link on the right.  I promise I'll get back to you and try to be helpful.  If you want to meet up to chat properly, I'm well up for that too.

Hopefully chat soon!

Dave
:)

Mark 14:1-11 - Anointing and betrayal

In the last three chapters of Mark's account, things begin to accelerate towards Jesus' death.  In this next section as Jesus' enemies plot to kill him, we see a woman who worships him and a friend who betrays him...

Mark 14:1-11

The tension has been building between Jesus and the religious leaders for a while now...   
  • He claims to forgive people as only God can (Mark 2:1-12).
  • He makes friends with messed up people (Mark 2:13-17).  
  • He has no regard for their religious rules (Mark 7:5).  
  • He trashes their temple marketplace (Mark 11:17-18).  
  • He acts and teaches with authority they don't know or accept (Mark 11:28).  
  • He tells stories where they are the bad guys who murder God's Son (Mark 12:12).  
  • He outwits and embarrasses them when they ask loaded questions (Mark 12:13-17).  
  • He blatantly undermines them by warning others against them (Mark 12:38-40).   
The religious leaders disliked Jesus at first, then they hated him and wished for his death, now we see them seriously planning how and when they'll kill him (v1-2).

Conversely, the woman is another example of someone who has the proper perspective of Jesus.  We've seen several of these so far in Mark's account too.  She comes to show love, honour and worship to Jesus.  The jar of nard was worth more than a year's wages (v5) and so this really was a big deal.  She worships Jesus extravagantly.  She knows Jesus is worth it and she even seems to know that his death is imminent too.  God is clearly at work in her heart, mind and actions.

The disciples miss the point (how many times have we seen this in the story so far?) and Jesus again explains with patience.   The woman was right to prioritise the unique opportunity to worship God face-to-face.  That's worth a million jars of nard!  He also teaches them that it is another sign of his death.  The disciples don't totally understand why Jesus keeps bringing this up but they must realise by now that Jesus' death was going to be a big deal somehow.

This seems to be the moment where Judas loses it (v10-11).  He leaves this scene to betray Jesus to the religious leaders for cash.  Why now?  Maybe it's because Jesus welcomes another messed up woman.  Maybe it's the waste of money.  Maybe it's Jesus banging on about his death again.  Whatever it is, Jesus is clearly not what Judas is looking for and so he turns him down once and for all and it's his fatal mistake.

Mark blog

Mark 13 - The end of the world

Today we're taking on the whole of Mark chapter 13.  It's a lot more than usual but it's all about the same thing and so it makes sense to read it all at once and notice some of the important things Jesus is saying about his return.  It has been said that Jesus is either mad, bad or God.  His words in this chapter cannot be the words of someone who is simply a nice man or a just a good teacher.  Jesus is either sincerely deluded, deliberately lying or absolutely God...

Mark 13

As they leave the temple and his disciples marvel at all the buildings, Jesus says they'll all fall.  In fact, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD but Jesus is talking about the unraveling of all this world's rebellious power that will take place before he returns (v1-2).

When his disciples question him further about the 'end', Jesus describes a number of things that will happen before he returns...
  • Fake Christs will come and deceive people (v6, 21-22).  We've seen a number of these already and you can find their stories easily online.  These are deluded, dangerous, selfish, corrupt people who deceive many but are not actually God.
  • Wars and rumours of wars (v7-8).  Certainly we've seen this increase.  As technology has advanced, so has the development of weaponry and there is plenty of conflict and potential conflict in our news today.  And there is plenty that doesn't make the news too.
  • Christians will be persecuted by religious people, by the authorities and even by their own families (9-13).  All this happens every day in our world but it rarely makes the popular news.  Organisations like Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs do a great job of reporting it and getting involved though.  VOTM Canada even do a monthly video news report on Christians around the world who are being unjustly arrested, imprisoned, tortured and killed.  It's really happening and we need to know!   
About his return, Jesus says it will be mercifully soon (v21), in great power and glory (v26) and that his angels will collect his people (v27).  Whilst Jesus is clear that his followers should look for these signs of that time (v28-29), he doesn't want them to calculate it exactly because that's not the point (v32). 

There is much in this chapter that could be confusing but the main points are clear... 
  • This world's brokenness will end.  Repeatedly, Jesus has hinted and taught that this world is not all there is and that God has plans that will far outlast it's current state (v30).  It is clear that our world is broken and the people in it are broken too.
  • Jesus is coming back.  Jesus is clear that he will return for his people (v26).  The first time Jesus came, it was in humility to save.  The second time he comes, it will be in power to gather  his people to himself (v26-27).
  • We need to be ready.  Jesus instructs his followers to trust God the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen them in persecution (v11), to look at the signs and reminders that this world is broken and that its rebellion will end (v28-31), and to be ready and getting others ready to meet Jesus by trusting and following him (v10, 32-37).       
Mark blog

What is the 'abomination that causes desolation' (v14)?