Category: MARK

RE Verse reading:  Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 41-50 (day four)
What a disappointing experience!  One of Jesus’ closest followers is the one who will betray Him.  And worst yet, He knew it ahead of time.  Jesus knew Judas’ heart even better than Judas.  Judas had walked with Jesus, heard Him teach daily, seen miracles of healing…of quieting storms…of raising from the dead (Judas was even the treasurer of the group, a position of trust!).  How would you respond to such betrayal?  I know how I would have and I’m sure it wouldn’t have been pretty.  Jesus saw a much bigger picture, though.  He saw past any personal rights that were violated and saw God’s greater picture of redemption.  We could look around ourselves in today’s world and feel that our personal rights are being violated, but God’s Word paints a much bigger picture than our rights.  By staying in God’s Word daily, we can gain His perspective on current events, and like verse 49 say, “but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.”

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:10-11; 17-21; 41-50 (day three)
“It would be better for him if he had not been born.” The human will can devote itself to a certain path, and it can organize the mind, body, and social context of a person to help it stay on that path. The longer these things assist the will, the stronger the will becomes in its determination to stay the course–until it becomes difficult for the will to consider any other possibility. When this happens towards the things of God, we call it discipleship. When it happens towards the things of man, we call it destruction. The most Judas’s hardened will would register after his evil deed was a feeling of remorse. Repentance would have led to a new path and a forgiving Savior. But the remorse mustered by the hardened will of Judas found its only answer in suicide. The will is the heart of a human life. No wonder the scriptures tell us to guard it.

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 41-50 (day two)
What’s worse: premeditated, cold-blooded betrayal or passive, save-your-own-skin betrayal? Judas “looked” intently for a chance to have Jesus murdered (14:11). The disciples abandoned him in an attempt to save their own lives (14:50). As the saying goes, “I don’t have to out run the bear. I just have to out run you!” Both betrayals reveal a morbidly self-centered person. Both destroy the trust that sustains relationship. Both end in death. But both share something else. Both are taken up by the sovereign God and become instruments of redeeming love. Jesus’ death at their hands makes Jesus able to offer forgiveness through his hands. As James Edwards puts it, “divine grace uses even human evil for its saving purpose.” It is broken trust in the Sovereign God that leads to betrayal. It is through that betrayal that God demonstrates His own unswerving trustworthiness. God doesn’t ask, “can I trust you?” God asks, “will you trust Me again?”

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 41-50  (day one)
“So when he (Judas) came, he went up to him (Jesus) at once and said, ‘Rabbi’ and kissed him.  Then they laid hands on him and arrested him.”  (vs 45-46)  Did Judas think Jesus was naive?  Did he actually believe that the Lord would be fooled by such a pretense of friendship?  That Jesus would conclude that Judas was innocent, that the guards had found Jesus and identified him without his help? Perhaps, Judas was trying to say (as we sometimes do)  “I still have great respect for you.”  “Nothing personal.”  Trying vainly to separate what he was doing from his heart.  It won’t work.  Not for Judas.  Not for us.  “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be made known”  (Matthew 10:26)  Try as we might to hide, who we are and what we do with Christ stands in the open for all to see.  No secrets.  Nothing is hidden.

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:1-9 (day seven)
“She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head.”  (vs 3)  Wisdom is different than knowledge.  Wisdom is the ability to use right information (knowledge) to make right choices.  Mary was, by this definition, a wise woman.  Over three years, she learned to listen carefully to Jesus.  She didn’t have perfect choices.  No circumstance ever presents perfect choices.  She did see, however, that the best choice, given His coming death, was to love Christ.  To communicate her love to Christ.  To go public.  Even at great cost.  There were (and are) many who will second-guess such a public declaration.  One charactersitic of wisdom is the ability to remember whose approval ultimately matters.  Proverbs 31 says, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in WISDOM. . .Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.”  (31:25-26, 30)  True.  Still true.

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:1-9 (day six)
“She has done a beautiful thing to me.”  (vs 6)  It is a beautiful day in San Antonio.  Friday as I write this blog.  Clear skies, sunny, just a hint of cool in the air.  The work of God.  Are we made to do something similar?  Maybe not on the same scale, but yes!  Our lives and choices are intended by God to be morally and intellectually splendid, reflecting the Creator and His goodness.  In Mark 14, Jesus commends Mary because she has done something beautiful.  The greek word is kalos, “good because it is beautiful rather than good because it is practical”.  What will you do today that reflects the beauty of God’s love for others?  What will you do today that will reflect the beauty of God’s generosity?  “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good (kalos, “beautiful”) works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:11)

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:1-9 (day five)
What are the opportunities of today? Chances for generosity? Potential for encouragement? Moments for reflection? Circumstances to bring stress? Climates to distract and discourage? Actions to bring criticism and judgment? All of the above?

One amazing insight in this passage is the capacity of some to see an opportunity and others to completely miss it. Mary “sees” the opportunity for worship and service to the Lord. The “others in the room” (probably the disciples) completely miss it. So much so, that they begin to criticize her. Wow, how quickly they got off track. Was it the criticism of the religious leaders? Was it the stress of constant tension? Was it fatigue? The bottom line is they missed the opportunity.

I’m feeling very vulnerable. Today, I will pause this morning to pray and read the scripture. I will pray in between meetings, conversations, and activities asking God to speak to me and help me “see” my opportunities. I don’t want to miss any today.

RE Verse reading–Mark 14:1-9 (day four)
It was a touching act of kindness…a very costly vial of perfume!  It was not the cost of the gift that was important though, it was the heart motivation behind the act.  This woman wanted to honor the Lord…verse 8 says, “She has done what she could”.  Could it be said of you…”They have done what they could”?  Have you done all you could to bring glory to God?  Integrity is doing right before God.  We don’t have to receive the approval of men for what we do…others may not even understand the motivation behind an act.  God sees the heart…He knows the motivation…He recognizes the righteousness of our actions.  It is His approval we seek, not the approval of man.  When we are righteous before God, He looks with favor upon us.  For this woman, Jesus said, Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

RE Verse reading–Mark 12:28-34 (day three)
“And they rebuked her harshly.”  Suddenly, they championed the poor.  Well, welcome to the entire Old Testament.  God had been the poor’s champion all along, but these folks just now got religion, apparently.  Except they hadn’t.  While they were busy co-opting the poor to cover for their own love of money, Jesus saw a moment of beauty.  While they found the poor temporarily useful, Jesus exulted in a display of extravagance that had no utilitarian purpose whatsoever.  Beauty is rare in this broken world, and its presence always—always—signals that God has not abandoned us.  And beauty is rarely “useful” in the sense of getting done what we want done.  To find people useful, then, is the height of selfishness.  To find people—and their extravagance born of love—beautiful is to worship God.

Mark 14:1-11 (day two)
“She broke the jar…” (Mark 14:3). A broken jar is a useless jar. What once symbolized wealth, beauty, opportunity and hope now depicts emptiness, uselessness, future-lessness and lifelessness. The moment that jar broke there was no turning back. The bridges were burned. She made the leap. She stepped out in faith. She went all in. The woman was not merely turning to honor Jesus. She was turning from a former source of hope, security and happiness. She gave it all up for a new hope, a new refuge and a new contentment. That’s the way it must be with Jesus. He cannot ever be one of many hopes any more than you can drive two cars at the same time. To follow Jesus requires “breaking the jar” of your past life, past security, past hope and pouring it out to honor Jesus, trust in Jesus, rest in Jesus, count on Jesus, be like Jesus, hope in Jesus. Following Jesus requires going all in. Are you in?