Mark 14:32-42 Jesus' Prayer in Gethseme

32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” 35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Devotional (cont.)
Having left Bethel, after keeping the Passover and instituting the New Covenant; Jesus and the disciples now come to the Mount of Olives. To a place called Gethsemane. Though not mentioned previously in the gospel it will soon become one of the most infamous places on the planet. Not for the location itself. The place by all accounts was simply a small peaceful grove or “garden” if you prefer. But rather for the dastardly deed which is about to be hatched there, as Jesus will be betrayed by one of His one. And so it is as they arrive at Gethsemane, Jesus says to His disciples “Sit here while I pray.” Vs. 32 And having asked them to wait. Jesus then takes with Him Peter, James, and John. His three closest disciples and with that the passage says that Jesus begins to be “troubled and deeply distressed” (vs. 33).

Now the word translated troubled in verse thirty three has two distinct shades of meaning, generally given as “to throw into terror or amazement.” With the fear element “to be struck by or with terror” (Enhanced Strong’s) or “Sudden fear or terror” (New Strong’s) maybe best indicating the Lord’s "troubled state" in that moment, as He anticipates what He is about to go through. Interestingly only Marks gospel uses this strengthened verb to describe Jesus’ state at that moment. Matthew not being a close up eye witness to the Lord, as Peter was, emphasizes Jesus Words which declare His deep sorrow. As does Mark’s gospel as the passage goes on. Which is important to note since the word that follows troubled, and is translated deeply distressed in the NKJ is, according to Enhanced Strong’s the strongest word used for depression in the N.T. (See STR 85, 916, 3076). And knowing that is important since there is a link between fear and depression. Therefore Jesus realizing the cross is imminent enters into the heights of fear then the depths of human despair. Here in the NKJ described as being “troubled” or “distressed” as the NINDTT gives it. Troubled though is the rendering given by NKJ, with “very distressed and troubled” or “greatly distressed and troubled” or “deeply distressed and troubled” word order coming by the NAS, ESV and NIV respectively; while the NLT paraphrases this as “filled with horror”.

In many ways then what is being described is Jesus’ Humanity being fully expressed and experienced. Yet the silent intensity of the moment that we are privy too because of the disciple’s witness, does not allows us to experience it. But only imagine it. If ever so imperfectly, Jesus’ heightened awareness of what was soon to unfold, which then brings Him into a deep and seemingly overwhelming depression. And so the Scripture gives us a taste of Jesus’ inner struggle through His Words as He says to Peter, James and John, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” And with those Words Jesus moves a little farther away from them; a stone’s throw as Luke records it. And falling to the ground Jesus prays that if it is at all possible, the hour might pass from Him (vs. 35). In His moment of deepest despair Jesus seeks His Father. Yet in some ways not wanting His friends to be far removed from Him, as Matthew records Jesus saying for them to watch with Him, before He moves from them to seek the Father (Matt. 26:38). Yet to simplify this moment as something like Jesus is seeking the Father would be untrue to what was at stake. For in that dreadful moment Jesus is wrestling with His Human desire to save Himself from the horrific suffering ahead of Him, and His Heavenly desire to save His closest friends. Indeed save innumerable lives yet unknown to them. And so Jesus gives His closest friends the exhortation to watch. For already Jesus is experiencing the precursor effects of what the cross would entail. Jesus’ suffering then did not begin on the cross, it began right then, the moment when He had to face in His own heart and mind what was now to happen to Him. And so as the moment is upon Him, Jesus finds Himself first troubled then deeply distressed. For He has a way out, He is the Son of God. And if Jesus in that inner struggle yields to His fears and wills it to end, His Father would’ve ended it. And so Marks gospel tells us Jesus passionately prays: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Vs. 36
The Lord Jesus’ Words are almost startling if not for the intensity of the backdrop that surrounds them. For it was that cup that Jesus pronounced the New Covenant as coming through His blood. Yet now in His darkest hour He requests its remittal. For God can fulfill the Scriptures in any way. As Jesus says: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You…” vs. 36 Yet in requesting His cup be removed from Him. Jesus having never failed to submit to the Father’s will. Again concedes to its Perfect Wisdom by saying: “…nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Vs. 36
Now Luke’s gospel says when Jesus was praying that an angel appeared to Him from heaven strengthening Him. Then being in agony the Scriptures says that Jesus’ sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:42-44). For Jesus to do the Father’s Will on this night would be the ultimate act of trust. Not only to bear the sins of humanity. A suffering which none of us could even begin to imagine (Isaiah 53). But something far more distressing would be His separation from the Father; for that is what the cross would entail; something that had never occurred, and something that never again will. Marks’s gospel then says that Jesus having prayed once now returns to the disciples. And coming to them Jesus finds them sleeping, and doing so Jesus says to Peter: “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Vs. 37-38

Jesus Words here might be a rebuke of Peter’s earlier assertion of following Jesus to death if not for Jesus’ exhortation: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus Words to Peter then on this night should not be lost on any of us as every believer can attest to the struggle of our spirit and our flesh. Yet it is the victory that Jesus Christ effects on our behalf on the cross that makes not only our redemption possible. But also our victory over sin and death possible, by His later resurrection from the dead (Please read Rom. 6-8).

Now in His command for the three to watch, here for the second time, Jesus uses a word that that always indicates being alert; watchful. It is the antithesis of causally watching something occur or unfold. But rather indicates all vigilance (Col. 4:2; 1 Peter 5:8). The Lord Jesus uses this Word in several key passages warning us all to be prepared for His Second Coming and not be caught unaware (Matthew 24:42-43, 25:13; Mark 13:34-36; Luke 12:37-39; Rev. 3:2-3; 16:15). Likewise the Apostle Paul uses the same word to warn us not to become complacent in watching for the Lord’s coming and or watching out for sin in our own lives as we do (1 Thess. 5:6).

So returning to Mark’s gospel at verse thirty nine, it states that Jesus went away and prayed the same words. And having done so Jesus returned again to the disciples, “And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Vs. 41-42
Jesus then having three times found the disciple sleeping now declares to the disciples that the hour has come, that the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Notice that the all disciples had failed to watch as Jesus commanded them, even after He exhorted them to do so. I mention this not as a critique of them. But rather so that the Apostle Peter’s later failings are not look down upon as an act unique to himself. All the Apostle’s failed Jesus, just as surely as you and I will. For nobody, no matter how zealous for the Lord stands either by their own resolve, goodness, good works, prayers, or anything else. For if the Apostle’s failed Jesus Christ, so will you. The question then is what do we do about it when we do? Will we try to conceal them from God and others like Adam did in the garden? Or will we play the hypocrite and act like we are have always been perfectly pious and pure and without sin or fault before God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ? I certainly hope not! For Jesus' suffering here and later completed on the cross was not so that we would do that. But rather that we would bring our sins and failures to Him, as the Book of Hebrews says: 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4:14-16

Have you then come to the throne of grace and received God’s mercy and salvation so that you might be forgiven and set free from your sins and given new and everlasting life the moment you believe. It all begins by acknowledging ones is a sinner to God then receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into ones heart and life. For God commands everyone to repent and look to Jesus Christ crucified and trust what He suffered to satisfy all of God’s just and holy wrath against all of our sins. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Now Jesus being crucified to death for us did not remain in the grave. But three days later Jesus rose from the dead. And after spending forty days with the Apostle’s and instructing them on the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord Jesus then ascended back to God the Father in their presence waiting until all His enemies are made His footstool. But also He did so that He might pour out the Holy Spirit on everyone who believes in Him, beginning at Pentecost even to this day; so that all who believe in Him might be partakers of the Divine Nature and be sanctified for eternity by His Presence within us. For the Lord Jesus Christ came first to pay for all of our sins, then to be the Person who would transform our lives, by His very Person living inside us. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ’s cross is where the repentant sinner who looks to Him in faith finds not only the mercies of God, but also the everlasting life of God dwelling inside them. If you have not yet received the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ why not do that? Why not want invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior? If you would like to do that please pray something like this: Dear Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I believe you were crucified in My place to pay for my sins and rose from dead so that I might have everlasting life with You. I now invite You into my heart and life to be my Lord and Savior, In Jesus' Name, amen.


Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Mark 14:27-31 Jesus Fortells Peter’s Denial

27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.’
28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” 30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.

Devotional
Jesus and the disciples having celebrated the Passover where Jesus ushered in the New Covenant, and gave within its inauguration the decree for us who believe in Him to keep the Lord’s Supper. As a remembrance of what He was about to do, and has done for us all, symbolized by His breaking the bread as His body broken for our sins and transgressions. Then His pouring out the wine, symbolizing His own blood poured out as the atoning blood for all our sins. Now as they are journeying to the Mount of Olives. Jesus warns the disciples that this night they will all be made to stumble as a consequence of Jesus being stricken.

That is Jesus will be taken by force by lawless hands, and then be horribly flogged, before being crucified to death. The striking of the Shepherd is Jesus’ declaring the fulfillment of the Scripture from Zechariah 13:7. In which the Old Testament prophet foresaw these events unfolding. Now in both Zechariah’s prophecy, and in Jesus’ own Words, it is clear that God the Father in His immutable and eternal counsels willed this be done. So that through the mortal ruling powers and authorities established by God, these would be the agents in fulfilling His Word and Will. And so with Jesus Words to the disciples that they will all be made to stumble this night because of Him, they all will, and not just the Apostle Peter. Who because of his zealous and passionate declaration of following Jesus to death, often bears a burden in the eyes of some for denying Jesus three times as Jesus said He would. Nonetheless on this night of terrible darkness, every disciple’s heart and courage will fail, for it is the will of God.
For if the Shepherd must be struck according to the Word and Will of God so must the sheep who follow Him be made to stumble. Therefore when God strikes the Shepherd, the sheep will all be scattered. Even though there is a heartfelt passion and desire to remain loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ. Even unto death as the Apostle Peter clearly says here. Nonetheless without the Shepherd upholding all the disciples they will fall just as we would all likewise fail. Make no mistakes about it. The determined will of man or woman does not keep them in the faith as the Apostle Peter so clearly exemplifies. But rather it is the Shepherd Himself. Who both guides; protects; corrects and ultimately preserves His own who believe in Him. For even when we stumble as Jesus foretells that Peter is about to do. It is the Shepherd alone who both preserves and ultimately restores us when we do fall. Even when we are seemingly broken in our faith lives. It is the Lord Jesus alone who still saves us, restores us, and reconciles us back to God forever. So that we; as Jesus tells the Apostle Peter to do in Luke’s gospel’s parallel passage, can likewise strengthen our brethren in their time of need: “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Luke 22:32  For it is through our own falls and failures that we often become greater agents of God’s grace, truth and love. Therefore please consider what the Lord Jesus says of those who fall and what our attitude should be towards them when they do: 10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 “And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matt. 18:10-14

The Contemporary English Version renders it this way: “Don’t be cruel to any of these little ones! I promise you that their angels are always with my Father in heaven.” Now the word that is translated despise in NKJ and cruel in CEV is kataphroneo, pronounced: kat-af-ron-eh’-o. It is made up of made up of two words. A preposition kata: against, down, and phroneo; fron-eh-o, the mind, the thought. Now compound words in Greek don’t always carry into them the meaning of the words that they are made up from. But here this is clearly the case. And thus you have probably already reasoned that the word entails thinking against someone (Strongs); often with the resultant attitudes, words and actions which are invariably linked to what we think of someone whether good or bad. And thus this not only affects our own behavior towards someone but often others as well. Now Strong’s and NIDNTT collectively define the word as: To despise, disesteem, disparage etc. In essence “show contempt or disregard for someone or something.” NIDNTT Therefore I would not be too hard on the Apostle Peter, or any of the other Apostle’s this night; and certainly not any believer, nor anyone who is seeking the Lord and yet stumbles in their faith walk. For at some point in our own faith lives, we too will be shown our own mortal weaknesses and failings towards Christ and God. In this consider Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the sinner: 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14
Now the Word that Jesus uses in that parable translated despise has even stronger connotations. Enhanced Strong’s gives its meaning as: “to make of no account, despise utterly”. While the NIDNTT gives it simply as: “reject with contempt”. This is the same word that Luke later uses to describe Herod and his men rejecting and mocking Jesus before sending Him to Pilate (Luke 23:11). There is a reason then why the Holy Spirit moved Luke to use this word in both Jesus’ parable and of the Lord Himself. As Jesus’ concludes His parable by justifying the repentant sinner rather than the Pharisee who was blameless in his own eyes, yet despised the repentant sinner. For the Lord Jesus did not come to call the righteous (that is those who think they are in of themselves right before God), but rather sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:13). How about me and you? Do we think our own righteousness, or obedience, or good works and deeds; whether through the Law of God or man is what justifies us before God? If we do, as Jesus' parable reveals, we are out of step with Himself, the gospel, and His salvation which is by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. For the Scripture declares: “If righteousness comes through the Law then Christ died in vain.” Gal. 2:21

Now in saying these things I don’t want to lesson anyone’s steadfastness or resolve in pursuing moral excellence through obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s commandments. Since that is one of the things we are commanded to do as recipients of the grace of God through Jesus Christ’s Person pursue righteousness in every aspect of our lives (2 Tim. 2:22). Rather my point is to make it abundantly clear that as we strive to excel in those excellent moral virtues that are from God that make us better image bearers of Him, that we don’t forget where we came from; or how we got to God’s grace in the first place (Eph. 2:8-9). “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” Ecc. 7:20 Therefore let us all be generous with our assessments of others. For who knows when we too will need a generous assessment of our own failings in being Jesus Christ's disciples.


Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Additional Resources
James Strong, New Strong’s dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995; Abbreviated Str.

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Abridged Edition; Verlyn D. Verbrugge; Editor. Abbreviated NIDNTT

Word Studies
Kataphroneo, STR 2706; GK 2969, pages 296-297 NIDNTT
Exoutheneo; STR 1848; GK 2024, page 191 NIDNTT

Mark 14:22-26 The Lord's Supper Instituted

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Devotional
This section of the gospel is one of the most poignant for believers. Since it is here, in this section of the gospel, that the Lord Jesus Christ ushers in the New Covenant. A Covenant unlike the Old Covenant, in that it puts all of the ominous on our being made right with God, on the Son of God. Therefore all that is about to unfold as Jesus will be arrested in Gethsemane's garden, and then taken to be tried, mocked, and finally crucified by lawless hands, is because Jesus the Son and God the Father wanted it to be done. So that through Jesus' Crucifixion death, then Resurrection from the dead, God 's salvation could be brought to as many as believe in  Him (John 3:16). Therefore Jesus’ giving thanks to God the Father for the bread, before He distributes it to the disciples, is not a mere formality,  but is far deeper. For with Jesus' thanksgiving to God the Father before offering up the bread, He is declaring His own desire to offer up His own body as a sacrifice for us all. Therefore Jesus having broken the bread, and having given thanks for it, He then distributes it to the disciples. Indicating that what He is about to do, He is doing for us all. Therefore having offered it up to the Father in prayer, Jesus says to disciples “Take, eat; this is My body.”

If you remember, Jesus in John’s gospel said we must all eat His flesh and drink His blood (Please Read John 6). Not as a literal act as some there misunderstood His Words there and walked away from Him and thus eternal life when He said that. But as an act of faith we must “eat” and “drink” Jesus Christ’s entire Person into our lives, by opening our hearts unconditionally to Him. For to be Jesus Christ’s disciple means to accept all of Him as He is revealed in the Scriptures. For we cannot take what we like of Jesus' Words, or even His gracious Works, and build our faith on only those things that appeal to us. For you can't accept Jesus Christ's offer of God's grace (which I hope and pray that you do; John 1:17) but then turn around and deny His call for all people everywhere to repent and believe (Mark 1:15). For to reject any part of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Words, or His Works in the gospel, is ultimately to reject all of Him (John 5:24; 8:31, 32, 37, 43-47, 14:23-24).
Nor do we (and this is specific to the context of the passage we are looking at) build our faith on our own works and righteousness, plus the Lord’s. As if redemption comes by what we do, or have done. Therefore we don’t hope in our keeping Communion as if keeping the ritual that Jesus instituted for us to observe somehow justifies us before God the Father. The ritual must be kept, but not for it's own sake, but rather for the reality it points too (1 Cor 11:26). The Lord Jesus Christ's broken body and shed blood by which our redemption from sin and death has been purchased. Therefore we don't hope in being good enough, or obedient enough, or even righteous enough, to have or to find the mercies of God, since ultimately that only leads to self-righteousness, not God's Righteousness (consider Luke 18:9-14). We only hope, and trust, and fully believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who alone is without sin and fault before God the Father. Who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Who by His crucifixion death first atones for all of our sins, then by His resurrection from the dead paves the way for everlasting life to be brought into us by the Holy Spirit, which He pours into each and every one of us when we believe in Him. Thus we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, through the grace and work of God alone (Rom. 3:19-28; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 2:20-21). Therefore whatever things we once thought would approve us to God. We now count as rubbish! And place all of our hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead, to save us from all that could ever separate us from God again (Acts 13:39; Phil 3:7-9). For apart from the Lord Jesus Christ’s Righteousness imputed to us the moment we believe in His Person we would have all been condemned. For the Scripture does not justify mankind either individually, or collectively, it justifies God. Who then justifies us when we put our faith/trust in His Son Jesus Christ to saves us (Rom. 5:1). “for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23 Therefore as recipients of the love and grace of God we reject all notions of “self-redemption”. For the bread of God that Jesus freely distributes to us all, is His Person crucified in our place. All that God requires of us is that we in repentance and faith accept His gracious offer to freely forgive all that we have done wrong, by all that He has done right.

And so with repentant hearts we turn away from our sin, rebellion, or disobedience to God, and turn/return to God by faith in Jesus Christ's Person. For repentance is not trying to be good enough to get God to love us, or accept us; that's only works, not grace (Eph. 2:8-9). Repentance is often first admitting that we are not good enough, and we are incapable of ever being good enough, to be accepted by God. Therefore it starts with a change of mind about ourselves, and/or the things we have done wrong. That we are not "all right" or "fine" in of ourselves, but we are not only born into sin, but we have indeed sinned against God and thus are guilty before Him. Whether with knowledge of His Law or not it makes no difference, God still holds us all accountable for the things we have done, or not done (Rom. 2:12). And thus we all are in need of God's redemption and grace which only comes to us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who willingly heals and makes whole every repentant sinner (Matt 9:10-13). For God did not send His Son Jesus Christ into the world to condemn the world, but rather through the Lord Jesus Christ's Person and Work He could first save from sin and death and eternal destruction then transform into Christ's likeness each and every one of us who believe in Him as declared in the Scriptures (John 3:16-17); who receive the truth from Him (John 1:12; John 5:24; 8:31-32; 14:23); as opposed to those who do not (John 5:47; 8:43; 12:47-48; 14:24; 2 Thess. 2:12). Therefore repentance again often first begins with a changing of our mind about ourselves, and or about our sins and the horrific effects it has reaped on ourselves and others. But also our own misguided notions about God, who takes no pleasure in the death of anyone (Ezek. 18:32; 33:11). But rather He freely forgives and loves each and every repentant sinner (Luke 15:11-32). That is why we preach the gospel, to turn people back from their sins to God through Jesus Christ the Lord who then saves and sanctifies us all who believe.
Therefore returning to the passage Jesus having broken the bread which is both prophetic and symbolic of His own body being broken for us all (1 Cor. 11:24). He now takes up the cup. And having given thanks to God the Father for it. Jesus then hands it to the disciples. And when they have drank from the cup Jesus than says: “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. 25 “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Vs. 24-25
And with those Words the Lord Jesus ratifies the New Covenant. That is by Jesus’ blood, symbolized by the wine in the cup, God has ushered in the New Covenant to be enacted by the Crucifixion death of Jesus Christ His Son (Please read Heb. 9:11-28). And so Jesus having shared the communion cup with the disciples says: “Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Vs. 25

New in the Kingdom of God, for with the Lord Jesus' crucifixion death, then resurrection from the dead, Jesus must also first ascend back to the Father, until all His enemies are made His footstool. And thus having done so, the Holy Spirit’s outpouring will usher in the Kingdom of God into the hearts and lives of everyone who believes in Jesus. And thus the Kingdom's manifestation is now committed to believers with Jesus Christ working in and through our lives to reach others; until the fullness of times; which await Jesus Christ’s Second Coming for His bride the church, before His judgment and war on a unrepentant and unbelieving world. For that will proceed the Kingdom of God's literal manifestation, in a new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 2:13). Then Jesus will drink of the vine new with us all. In the Kingdom of God where all of this world’s plagues and evils because of sin, Satan and death will be vanquished forever (Rev. 21:4). No more poverty, injustice, oppression or persecution. No more pollution, alienation, or hostility towards one another, or from the rest of God’s creation. No more hate and no more war. For sin and Satan and all of its effects and all that he did to alienate us from God and each other, and even creation itself, will be no more. And not only that, in the Kingdom of God we will have no more sin natures in our bodies to resist or struggle with. For we will all be in resurrected and glorified bodies with no traces of sin or desires or inclinations towards it. Fully capable then of experiencing a holy relationship with God and each other, apart from sin and death. And thus no more susceptibility to the horrific effects and fallout from it all. No more diseases, infirmities, weaknesses, bodily imperfections, nor even old age; forever young, vibrant and beautiful. We shall have no more failing hands, bodies and minds. For we shall all be like the Lord Jesus Christ in His resurrected Glorified body and we shall all fully reach and experience all of the unlimited potential that God created us for and placed in us all.

And all in a place where God’s Perfect love and peace are experienced as an everlasting and uninterrupted reality. Forever enjoyed by us all who received the love of the truth and believed. If you haven’t done that, that is come to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ please do so now.
Invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life, to be your Lord and Savior, before God the Father shuts the door forever and this world’s judgment comes, or your own life ends. For who can say when either will be? For who knows the day of their own death? Or who even knows the day of the Lord’s return? Only the Father in heaven knows these things. Therefore it is incumbent upon us all to be prepared this day, and everyday, for that day. For it is clear by all the of worldwide upheaval and cataclysmic events and phenomena going on, with signs both in heavens and on earth, as Jesus said there would be. And as the Book of Revelations bowl judgments is bringing forth, that we are in a stage of history that cannot be simply explained as “global warming.” For even the scientists seem to be astonished by what is now happening. It maybe that we are in the precursor cataclysmic events before Jesus Christ’s return! It may very well be that as Jesus warned when you see these signs, it is now, at the very doors! Therefore the only security that anyone will have on that day will not be found in stock markets, commodities, or in bullion. It will not be found in friends and relatives and loved ones. And it certainly will not be found in living in, and for owns own pleasures. But only in the Lord Jesus Christ under whose wings we like the Old Testament Ruth have come for refuge (Ruth 2:12). The only question then is, have you? Have you come to place of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Who is fully willing to save you from the wrath to come.
And so Marks’ gospel passage concludes by stating “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Vs. 26  For that is where the garden of Gethsemane is, on the Mount of Olives. And that is where Jesus will be betrayed by Judas Iscariot this night according to the predetermined Will of God for our salvation. The disciples then singing a hymn with the Lord is a beautiful scene; not only in of itself, for the gentleness of spirit within it. But also for what it is foreshadowing, the drinking of the cup with the Lord Jesus Christ new in the Kingdom of God for sure, but also are more immediate until then the countless souls that will be saved after the dreaded and dark night has served its purposes for that end. And so we as recipients of God's glorious Grace and Work in all hope and joy eagerly wait for the fullness of the resurrection dawn, where the new heavens and new earth and Jesus Christ's righteous reign will be forever.

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
 
Additional Resources
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible dictionary; article on repentance

Mark 14:12-21 Disciples Prepare for the Passover & Jesus' Betrayer Revealed

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 “Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ 15 “Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. 17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?” 20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

Devotional
The Feast of Unleavened Bread along with the Passover (Lev. 23:4-8; Deut. 16:1-8) which Jesus was about to observe here with His disciples on the Eve of His crucifixion; was first given by God to the Israelites while they were slaves in Egypt (See Exodus 12:1-13:16). It was to be kept “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover.” Lev. 23:5 Following that was the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread which was one of the three main feasts all Israelites males were required to attend after the giving of the Law by God through Moses (Exodus 23:14-18; 34:18; Lev. 24:4-8; Deut. 16:16-17). Now since the Passover officially took place at midnight the week long feast that followed it could actually begin on either the twenty first or twenty second day of the first month depending on when the Passover Lamb was eaten. And as the name implies no leaven was to be eaten or found in their homes during it (Exodus 12:15). Since its absense was to represent the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt by the hand of God. And thus it was to solemnly commemorate the Lord God of Israel bringing the armies of Israel out of Egypt with haste after they had kept the initial Passover, which preceded God’s judgment, before their exodus from Egypt. (Exodus 12:17, 40-42). Though the Feast of Unleavened Bread is not our focus here, rather the Lord Jesus keeping the Passover with His disciples so we'll try to stay focused on that.

So then returning to the Passover and its significance, it was one of the most important ceremonies for the Jews to keep for several reasons. Not the least of which was that it was initially commanded by the Lord God so that He might “pass over” all the houses of the Israelites in judgment as He struck down on the eve of their exodus all the first born of both man and beast of the Egyptians as His finial plague on Pharaoh and their “gods”. Now in order for God to pass over the Israelite’s as He executed His judgment on the land. He commanded each household to kill a lamb without blemish in its first year then take a bundle of hyssop dip it in the lambs blood caught in a basin and strike the two doorposts and lintel (i.e. the “header” above the door) of their homes. This would symbolize the Lord God striking the Egyptians before delivering the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 12:21-23). The blood of the lamb then was foundational to the Israelites receiving mercy from the Lord God so that He would pass over their homes when He sent the plague of death on the Egyptians firstborn at midnight (Exodus 12:6-13). Now lest you miss understand what occurred then. The Lord God did not move against Pharaoh and the Egyptians without cause. For it was they who had first killed the Israelite male children in the land in an effort to prevent them from multiplying; and later as they refused to let the Israelites go and serve the Lord God as He commanded and raised up Moses to lead them out of the land of Egypt to do so. God brought a series of plagues against Pharaoh and the people, and the land; yet Pharaoh continued to harden his heart and would not heed the Word of the Lord spoken to him, nor the signs shown him through Moses and Aaron (Please Read Exodus 1-11).
And so God gave the Israelites the Passover lamb and its blood as a means for His passing over the Israelite homes when He brought His finial judgment on the land of Egypt. Now that emphasis of God’s judgment against sin, and His passing over in judgment those guilty of it, through the shedding of sacrificial blood, is what I want you to stay focused on. For ultimately all that the Israelite Passover was to do was point to a day when God would likewise deliver us all who believe from the bondage of sin and death, by His Passover Lamb. This Passover then that Jesus is about to keep with the disciples on the eve of His own crucifixion death is merely a precursor to what He is about to do for us all. For as we will see the Lord Jesus Christ is about to become the Passover Lamb of God whereby through His shed blood on the cross God would have a means for passing over everyone’s sins who believes in Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Therefore with the disciple’s inquiry about where they should prepare for the Passover, and Jesus knowing what lies ahead of Him. Jesus gives them some very specific instructions about what will occur as they go to prepare a place for them to eat it (vs. 13-15). The Scripture then says: “So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.” Vs. 16
Notice that though the disciples initially inquired of the Lord of what they must do to prepare a place for Jesus to eat the Passover (vs. 12). The Lord Jesus had already prepared everything for them, and so it unfolded just as Jesus said it would. Now that point I don’t want to be lost on you. For the Lord Jesus Christ has already done everything that needs to be done for your salvation! All you have to do is believe it to enter into it, as the Lord Jesus says: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29

So it is as the disciples having done what Jesus commanded, and having found all things prepared for them as He said they would be. They make ready for His arrival. There is a lesson in that as well. For the Lord Jesus said His Second Coming will be something that will catch people unaware. Therefore we should all be prepared for Him as well. For there will be a day when we who trusted in Him will be celebrating the ultimate Supper with the Lamb of God Himself! As the Scripture says: 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Rev. 19:9 Now returning to the gospel passage at hand, it states that in the evening the Lord Jesus came with the twelve and as they sat and ate Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” Vs. 18
Up until this time Jesus though knowing that Judas had gone out to betray Him, had not yet revealed that to His disciples. Only here on the eve of His crucifixion, during the Passover meal, does Jesus reveal this to them, without fully disclosing that it is Judas. It’s most likely that if the disciples had known it was Judas they would’ve prevented him from doing so. And thus Jesus knowing the Scriptures must be fulfilled only reveals what will allow there fulfillment (Mark 14:49). And so it is as Jesus warns of His betrayal to them that “… they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?” 20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.” Vs. 19-21 The Lord Jesus ominous warning here though directed solely at Judas Iscariot, for he alone of all the disciples understood the Lord Jesus’ statement at that time as being directed towards him (See John 13:26-30), should not be overlooked by anyone else who would likewise consider betraying the Son of Man. For there is a day when God will judge the world in righteousness through the Man He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead (See Acts 17:22-32, vs. 31-32). Therefore it would be amiss of me not to tell you that in all things Christian, in believing in Jesus Christ means more than just an intellectual ascent. It is more than just church membership or baptism. It is first ones unconditional belief or trust in what He has first done to save us by His own work and righteousness. Then it is our learning obedience to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostle's commandments. That is where the Feast of Unleavened Bread which immediately follows the Passover comes in here as a kind of metaphor for the Christian life. For as the name implies there was to be no leaven eaten during it. And interestingly the Apostle Paul in the New Testament uses leaven as a metaphor for evil or sin amongst believers, so like leaven which was not to be found amongst the Israelites during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it too must be purged out of our lives (Consider 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9; 1 John 3:1-3). Therefore purge out of your lives the old leaven and let the new life of Jesus Christ by His Spirit fill you instead. For when Jesus Christ returns for His bride the church, or we go to stand before Him to be judged by Him, will He find us prepared and sanctifying our lives, or simply living lives filled with sin?

Now in exhorting this, that is our first trusting Jesus Christ for our salvation, then moving forwards in our pursuits of holiness, righteousness, godliness, faith, love etc. this though is not to become feigned sinlessness (since nobody obtains to perfection in this life) but rather obedience to His Word so that we might not sin. And thus there will be need for our confession when we stumble and sin as well as our accepting God’s grace when we do (1 John 1:8-2:2). For it is only by the Lord Jesus Christ’s righteousness and His intercession on our behalf as both our Savior and our High Priest which keeps us in relationship with God and Himself. 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

If you have come to believe, but have not yet made that most important decision for the Lord Jesus Christ to invite Him into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior, then please freely do so. Simply pray something like this: Dear Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner and need to be saved by You. I believe in all that You have done to save me from my sins and ultimately the judgment to come. Therefore I now invite you to be my Lord and Savior, trusting You alone for my salvation, in Your Name Lord Jesus, amen.

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Mark 14:10-11 Jesus Betrayed to the chief priests

Mark 14:10-11
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

Devotional
What transpires here is what occurs after Jesus having rebuked Judas when he and others there in Simon the Lepers house in Bethsaida sharply rebuked a woman who anointed Jesus’ head with expensive fragrant oil, saying it was a “waste” goes out from amongst them to the chief priests with the intent of betraying Jesus to them. Remember just before Jesus’ anointing by the woman the chief priests and scribes had wanted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But because it was nearing the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread they held themselves back from their evil desire, saying: …“Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.” Mark 14:2 And so with Judas’ approaching them to betray Jesus to them the Scripture says: “And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.” Vs. 11 Notice Judas after being rebuked by Jesus does not hesitate to go to chief priests to betray Jesus to them, and this for money, as the chief priests so quickly deducted. For from the start Judas was stealing from the money box entrusted to his care. And thus his faithfulness to Jesus Christ could be measured by how much it profited him. That is why he criticized the woman so sharply, not that he cared for the poor, as the others clearly did. But sadly he was using that righteous cause and their hearts for it, for his own ends, so that he might steal the proceeds from the sale of the oil.

And thus Judas Iscariot though a “disciple” from the beginning did not love the Lord. If he did his love of mammon soon overrode it. Indeed Judas was there when Jesus warned the disciples at the beginning of His ministry, saying: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matt. 6:24

Yet for whatever reasons Judas took no heed to obey the Lord’s Words and so over time he became more and more hardened by the deceitfulness of sin as the Book of Hebrews warns (Heb. 3:12-14). And thus Judas’ hardned heart led him to a state where Satan entered him (Luke 23:3). And with that Judas goes out to betray the Lord Jesus. Judas Iscariot then should be a warning to all who would betray the Lord Jesus or His church for their love of money. Similarly the person who comes to the church looking to exploit the charity or grace of God through His people, who see Christians not as people whose faith, Godly lives or righteous examples one should follow, but as easy marks, should think long and hard about it. For the Lord Jesus Christ is not mocked. He is the God of all knowledge and by Him actions are weighed. And those who think little of that fact will find a very sorry end for themselves. As Judas soon will. For though he thinks he’s “profited” from his scheme his temporary evil gain will only end in an eternity of regret.

As Book of Psalms declares:
“The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,
But their fate would endure forever.” Psalm 81:15

Now in stating this, this does not preclude someone’s reconciliation to God or the church if they have sinned or have fallen into sin (James 5:19-20). For walking in the truth is not feigning sinless perfection (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). It is being truthful about oneself and ones need for the Lord Jesus Christ to be both saved by Him and sanctified by His Spirit and His Word (John 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:13). For that is how we all enter into life in the first place not as “sinless” people who have never sinned; but as sinners in need of the grace and love of God (Matt. 5:3). Who seeing and admitting our own sinfulness, in faith call on the Name of the Lord Jesus and are saved by Him (Rom. 10:9-10, 13). Therefore having been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ through the grace and love of God we must be diligent in seeking to obey Him (1 John 1:6-7; Titus 1:1). That is why on one hand Jesus says His burden is easy and His yoke is light (Matt. 11:28-29); since salvation is a free gift of God to everyone who believes (Eph. 2:8-9). While on the other He says: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matt. 7:13-14 For in following Jesus in discipleship every believer will have struggles against their own sinful nature and will at times come under the chastening hand of God (Heb. 12:4-11). As well every believer who desires to live Godly will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Therefore I want to encourage you today to first make a decision for the Lord Jesus if you have not done that so that you might receive all that He has done to save you through His crucifixion death and resurrection from the dead. And if you have though you may be going through some trials of faith as the Apostle Peter said we would (1 Peter 1:7) to keep yourself and your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who will see you through them.

Proverb for Meditation:
“Buy the truth, and do not sell it,
Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” Prov. 23:23

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Mark 14:1-9 Jesus' Anointing at Bethany

Mark 14:1-9
1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. 2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.” 3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 “She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Devotional
Jesus having left the Mount of Olives after giving His Olivet Discourse (that is His foretelling of the Temple's destruction; Israel's dispersion, and His return at the end of the age) is now in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper (vs. 3). The fact that Jesus frequently resided with people most Jews, and certainly no priest would speak with, much less eat and stay at their residence with, is largely lost on us. Nonetheless Jesus did not do this simply because He wanted to be radical, or shock the status quo, rather because where His presence is; there is the life giving and healing presence of God. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ wants to come into your heart and life to bring God's life giving presence within you. Contrast that with verse one and two which reveal the finial plot against Jesus by the chief priests and scribes who having been rebuked by Him in the Temple (for turning the house of God into a den of thieves) are now scheming to find a way to take Jesus by trickery and put Him to death. And this just two days before the Passover, and the following week long Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover being most sacred of all Jewish Religious holy days. That is the silent backdrop that is unbeknownst to the disciples at this time, while Jesus is with them in Simon the Leper’s residence in Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem. And so Jesus waits for His betrayer, and betrayal to them to take place, as He Himself foretold it will (Mark 9:30-32). Now as Jesus is sitting at the table in Simon the leper’s house with several others. A woman (likely Mary, Martha’s sister) comes in with a flask with some very costly spikenard oil, and breaking the flask she anoints the head of Jesus with the oil (vs. 3). The reason for speculating that this unnamed woman was Mary, Martha’s sister, is that in John’s gospel Mary six days before the Passover anoints the feet of Jesus with her hair with the same type of oil (John 12:3-9). There it seems her extravagant behavior was born out of her humble gratitude for the Lord’s raising Lazarus her brother from the dead. Now as the woman is anointing Jesus' head with oil, Mark’s gospel says that there were some who were indignant among themselves about this and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. Vs. 4-5
If you remember it was this Mary who was the one who listened intently at the feet of Jesus while her sister Martha was busy serving. And thus it was this Mary who received commendation from the Lord Jesus for her attentiveness to Him and His Word (see Luke 10:39-42). And so it is here, that it is this Mary again, who must have understood from the Words’ of Christ that His crucifixion death was now imminent. So she, of her own volition, goes and brings some very expensive fragrant oil. So that she can anoint Jesus’ body for burial, as Jesus later explains her motives (vs. 8). Therefore Mary wanting to honor her Lord and prepare His body in the greatest and most significant way possible does this extravagant deed, by using a whole jar of costly spikenard oil (an exotic oil imported from India) for Jesus' anointing. Mary being of such a quiet and discerning heart that she does not follow after the crowd, she follows her Lord. Which should’ve humbled the disciples for their lack of attentiveness to what was then unfolding. Instead there were only some amongst them who were indignant about this “waste” and rebuked her sharply. Notice John’s gospel tells us it is Judas Iscariot who being the treasurer, and who used steal what was entrusted to him, was the primary offender (John 12:4-6). And so it is Judas’ evil assertion against Mary’s most noble deed that will sway them, until Jesus comes to her defense.

Now looking at Jesus Words in doing so. He was not swayed by Judas' false appeal of "ministry to the poor" which swayed the others (vs. 7). Yes there is a needed ministry to the poor that the church and individual believers must do. For that is what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself did. But when that ministry supplants the ministry of the gospel's message of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead for the redemption of the world from sin and death, then something has gone terribly amiss. The social gospel movement of the nineteenth and twentieth century’s is a clear example of that error. It started out with great intentions. But soon lost its “evangelical” voice, and within it, the gospel’s message. Nonetheless Mary was focused on the Lord’s Person. For she alone anointed the Lord Jesus Christ with the oil; meaning her heart was focused fully on the Lord. Which I believe always leads to doing all of the Lord’s business. Therefore in all things Christian the priority must always be proclaiming and obeying Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior as testified too in the Scriptures. And thus honoring Him, worshiping Him, serving Him, loving Him (all in no particular order) is where each and every believers focus must always remain. Everything else then is really just an outworking of that. For if one loves the Lord Jesus than of course one will have love and empathy for ones fellow person. For in the gospel the two are unmistakably intertwined; both in words and deeds. Therefore that is what believers are to do and strive for, greater love for the Lord, and thus ones fellow person (Mark 12:30-31). Still Mary had the right focus and because she had the right focus she went on to do what Jesus called a good work for Him. Not a “waste” as the disciples then saw it (vs. 6). Indeed she was likely the least amongst them, (at least from their perspectives). Yet she came away with the greatest commendation from the Lord that day because of her attentiveness to Him. As Jesus said of her and her deed: “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Vs. 9
For the Lord Jesus Christ always honors those who honor Him, regardless of their stature before men. For that is what God commands, that all honor His Son, he who does not honor God's Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:23). Therefore a believer who builds must build on God’s foundation, that is His Son Jesus Christ; crucified for the redemption of the world. For there is no other foundation than anyone can lay than that which has already been laid. Therefore building on Jesus Christ alone and His finished Work and Word of redemption for all who believe, will always have lasting effects and impacts for eternity (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Now again, that there were some there who were not discerning what the Lord Jesus was soon to do for them, and for us all who believe. So they totally misunderstood the good work Mary in all humble gratitude and love did to honor the Lord Jesus Christ before His death. Indeed they were so out of tune, that some of them became swayed by the very man who was soon to betray Him! And that’s likely why Jesus rebuked them so sharply. They were to be His leaders, who were going to shepherd and guide His flock after His departure. For Jesus had handpicked, discipled, and called some of them to be His Apostles for that expressed purpose; to be His messengers and witnesses’, but also to bear up (i.e. build up) the church in faith and love. Yet here they are rebuking a humble woman for trying to honor the Lord, her Lord, while they are only thinking about honoring the poor. Who as Jesus said they would always have, but He in His physical Person and Presence, they would not always have. Now they are not alone in this, for we also as fallible believers are susceptible to becoming swayed by those who may not even know, nor honor the Lord as well.

Yet Mary loved the Lord greatly; and had come to understand; maybe from her own brother’s death, then resurrection at the hands of Jesus, that Lazarus’ death (in that Jesus brought Him to life from it) was in some way’s a foreshadow of Jesus’ own death and resurrection. For Lazarus was there with them. And as John’s gospel later declares there were many coming to that house in Bethany wanting to see him, since the news of Jesus having raised Lazarus from the dead spread far and wide (John 12:9-12). And with that the chief priests also wanted to kill Lazarus along with Jesus, since because of him, many turned away from them and believed in Jesus. Have you come to believe in Jesus Christ the Lord? For it’s not religion that God is offering to us all, it’s a personal relationship with Himself through His Son, whereby we are reconciled to Himself through the Person of His Son. Have you then come to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? For it’s not what we do which saves us and brings us into a relationship with Himself. It is what He Himself has done in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. Who alone bore all our sins on the cross so that God’s justice could be satisfied for everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ crucified to save them (John 3:16). If you would like to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Why not say a simple prayer in faith asking Him to come into your heart and life. Just pray something like like this: Dear Lord Jesus I believe you died for me on the cross to pay for all my sins, and that you rose from the dead so that you could deliver me from my sins and restore me back to God. Therefore I now invite you into my heart and life, to be my Lord and Savior, trusting only what you have done. In your Precious Name Lord Jesus, amen.

Scripture Quotations:
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Mark 13:3-37 Jesus' Mount of Olives Discourse

Mark 13:3-37 (Matt. 24:3-35; Luke 21:7-33)
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 “Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 “And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 “And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. 22 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 “the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 “And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. 28 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! 30 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— 36 “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Devotional
Jesus having pronounced the Temple’s destruction on His last visit to it, now moves out of the Temple across the Kidron Valley and back to the Mount of Olives. This is where Jesus first came and viewed Jerusalem before His triumphal entry as the Messiah. So while He is sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, where from that vantage point Jesus would’ve been looking down upon it, four of Jesus’ disciples: Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask Him privately about the Temple’s destruction, saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” vs. 4 That is when will the Temple be destroyed, even to it’s very foundation, as Jesus said it would be; indicating that not just the Temple structure itself was going to be destroyed, but all that worship and service of God had become within it, and when will the end come.
Now their question has two parts first a time line; “when will these things be” and second “what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled”. Now Jesus’ response to their inquiry will be to incorporate these two main questions into one message or discourse often called the Olivet Discourse. Since that is where it was given, by Jesus, on the Mount of Olives just before His crucifixion. And thus seeing the whole prophetic picture before Him, Jesus begins to elaborate to them some of the events and signs that will occur before the Temple’s destruction, which will occur in their generation. But also as prophecy so often does, and especially Jesus’ Words do will have implications not only in their generation but also in the generations beyond them leading to His second coming and the end.
And so Jesus begins by describing what will soon be the state of Israel before the Temple’s destruction and the nation’s dispersion, but His Words are in no way confined to them or those events. For the Jews having rejected their King and Messiah for whom their nation was established by God to bring forth, the nation itself will as a result be scattered to the ends of the earth and it’s religious institutions which rejected Jesus Christ at His first Advent brought down to nothing. And thus all that is ancient Judaism in terms of its religious institutions through the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, Essenes, Herodians even the Temple itself and its priesthood will all find their end approximately forty years later in A.D. 70 when the Roman Caesar Titus will surround Jerusalem and bring it and the Temple to desolation. That is the first part of the prophetic picture. But these verses are in no way limited to the Apostle’s and their generation. Since the passage also deals with conditions before Jesus Christ’s return at the end of the age leading up to and during the tribulation period and it’s end; all which is covered (along with many other things) in chapters 6-19 in the Book of Revelations. Now in regards to Jesus’ Words in verses five and six about many coming in His Name and saying, ‘I am He,’ and deceiving many this can be understood as something beginning in their generation but again something not yet completed to fulfillment. For it is clear that after Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, then ascension back to God the Father and then the Holy Spirit’s outpouring, which began the church age, that this on some levels soon became a reality. For both the Apostles Paul and John speak of false apostles and false gospels (2 Cor. 11:3-4, 13-15; Gal. 1:6-9), and even of antichrists as having already come into the world (1 John 2:18-23). And one Antichrist or Lawless one that is yet to come into the world, at the end of the ages, before Christ’s return for His bride, the church (See Daniel 7; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; and the Book of Revelations which vividly describes this in chapter 13). Indeed the Apostle John would say that there is a spirit of the Antichrist. And it is this demonic spirit that is already at work in the world actively denying Jesus Christ and His relationship to God the Father; but also denying Jesus Christ's Incarnation, that is His coming in the flesh as a Man (2 John 7). Thus denying both Jesus Christ’s Divinity, I.e. the Son of God, as well as His Full Humanity, I.e. the Son of Man, and thus denying His literally coming down from heaven to earth and being crucified as the Son of Man for the forgiveness of our sins and our restoration back to God. For God is Spirit and a Spirit alone cannot be crucified and shed its blood for the remission of our sins; which is what God required for us to be redeemed from sin and death, as the Scripture says; “…and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” Heb. 9:22 Therefore God’s Son the Lord Jesus Christ took on Mortal flesh and became a Man to pay the penalty of our sins that the Law of God required as the Book of Hebrews says: “…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Heb. 9:26-28

Therefore by the Holy Spirit the Apostle John warns us not only of the coming Antichrist. But also of his demonic influence already at work in the world which sets out to deny these fundamental truth’s about Jesus Christ’s Person, Work and His unique relationship to God the Father by which we can only be saved (Acts 4:12): “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23 The Apostle John then goes on to say: “and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:3

Therefore returning to Mark's gospel the Lord Jesus’ warning in verses five and six finds a fulfillment not only in the Apostles generation, but clearly in following generations as groups like the Jehovah witnesses and Mormons’; openly and actively deny God’s Son Jesus Christ as testified too in the Scriptures. Yet audaciously claim to be God's Witnesses or the church of Jesus Christ! And thus Jesus’ warning of Satan’s emissaries actively deceiving and impersonating was to take place not only then, but also in later generations, especially as the end draws near. Therefore that was priority one for Jesus, before revealing anything else, that both His Apostles and everyone who believes in Him, be aware of a personal devil who seeks by all means possible to destroy a believer’s faith, life and witness, often through his own impersonating and or infiltrating the real (Matt. 7:15-20; Mark 13:21-23; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Tim. 3:13; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude). To which we as Jesus Christ’s disciples must never submit too or align ourselves with (2 John 2:9-11). Thus having warned of the greatest danger to all believers, Jesus begins to expound on some of the troubling and unsettling events that were to befall the disciples preceding the Temple’s destruction, as the disciples had inquired about that; but also while doing so describing the conditions and things which must take place before His return and the end comes, intertwining the two. The entire passage then covers a gamut of history that begins unfolding in the church age in its first generations but will only intensify as the end draws near. Not the least of which will be the great apostasy or falling away from the faith (2 Thess. 2:1-4). That the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul warns of as beginning in their generation (1 Tim. 4:1-5).
But will come to a climax in the last generation before the lawless one or man of sin, i.e. the Antichrist is revealed who receives his authority from Satan and has a brief world reign during the Tribulation Period, after the rapture of the church, and before Jesus Christ’s return and judgment of him and those who receive his mark and follow him to perdition (Rev. 14:9-11; 17-18; 19:11-21; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:1-12). Now some of the key points that Jesus makes in the order they are given are: the increasing infiltration, deception and influence of false teachers amongst believers (vs. 5-6; see also 2 Tim. 3 vs. 13).
The lack of peace: “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…: vs. 7-8
Various kinds of cataclysmic events in the earth: “… And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles” vs. 8 In Matthew and Luke’s gospel we are also told of pestilences; i.e. diseases. Now Jesus’ also said that there will also be famines and troubles indicating very much upheaval and or anxiety of persons, governments, and nations, and thus very much uncertainty, instability, and unrest. Yet Jesus says these are only the beginning of sorrows (vs.8). Now immediately following that general warning of global conflicts, troubles and cataclysmic events on earth Jesus in verses nine to thirteen warns of severe persecutions and betrayal’s that will happen to His followers. Which again cannot be contained to any singular generation of believers, since every generation of believers has had to endure persecutions for His Name’s sake and so they clearly find a fulfillment in the Apostle’s generation, but also in later generations, as these will certainly mark the last days; now in regards to believers going through these Jesus tells us: “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” vs. 9-13
Notice Jesus warns us that believers will be brought before councils (the word used here is the word translated Sanhedrin, the traditional counsel of seventy Jewish elders made up of both religious and secular authorities that Jesus Himself was brought before) and thus sadly it will be some of those religious institutions which bear God’s Name that will become places where believers in Christ will face trials and be beaten (Consider John 16:1-3; Rev. 17-18). Jesus then goes on to say that not only will religious authorities persecute His own; but also believers will be brought before rulers and kings “…for a testimony to them”. vs. 9 The Apostle Paul clearly exemplified this (Acts 23:11) though Jesus Word's are in no way limited to him. For many believers down through ages have both before him, and after him, likewise faithfully followed Jesus Christ in bearing Witness to His glorious Name and Salvation before religious and secular authorities alike, even unto death.

Now immediately following that warning Jesus says in verse ten that “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations” before the end comes. Therefore whether by open invitation or through believer’s persecution, the gospel must first be preached to all nations before the end comes. How one will qualify that is rather difficult to say, nonetheless God knows when His message of salvation through His Son will have reached the ends of the earth and what every individuals and the nations response to it was. And so in regards to some of us being brought before authorities as His witnesses to them Jesus tells us not to worry about, or premeditate on, what we shall say beforehand: “…But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” Vs. 11 No rehearsed sermons or responses needed just a simple trust in God’s Holy Spirit to bring forth Jesus Christ’s Words through us just as Stephen gloriously witnessed to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ before they stoned him. Yet it was through Stephen's martyrdom that God planted seeds of faith in the then unconverted Saul, i.e. the Apostle Paul (See Acts 6:8-7:60, vs. 58; 8:1-3; 9:1-31). Jesus then having warned us of official persecution by authorities, now warns in verse twelve that such will be the hostility towards His own that even the closest of family relations will betray one another to death (Consider Matt. 10:34-39). For Jesus Christ’s Spirit living inside each and every believer makes us utterly incompatible with this world and ultimately its ruler and those under his influence (See John 15:18-21; Rev. 12:17). Immediately then after warning of believers suffering persecutions (vs. 9-13) Jesus warns of the “abomination of desolation” which will likely mark the height of hostility towards all who belong to Christ. Now this phrase was given through the prophet Daniel (See Daniel 11:31; 12:11). It means “that which makes desolate”; that is its presence causes true believers to vacate the Temple because of it (Nelsons Bible Dictionary). Now judging by Jesus’ Words at the time of His proclamation, this event had not yet occurred. But will occur during the seven year Tribulation Period in the rebuilt Temple when the lawless one (i.e. the Antichrist) will set up a graven image of himself to be worshiped as God (See 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 13). And so perilous will be those times be as both persecutions against believers and God’s judgments as revealed in the Book of Revelations unfolds that Jesus warns when His Word unfolds to flee and not even consider the basics like ones clothing (vs. 14-18). 19 “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. 22 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. Vs. 19-23
Notice Jesus says in those days there will be unparalleled tribulation on the earth such as has never been before, nor ever shall be again (vs. 19 also see Daniel 12:1), meaning His Words here are exclusive to the last generation before His return. Now the word translated tribulation means a pressing on, (Strongs) and when used of tribulations usually denotes being severely distressed, afflicted or oppressed, which means there will be such pressures on the lives of all people then that “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Vs. 20 And thus in a terrifying time of never before experienced natural catastrophes, internal and external tribulations, along with God’s external judgments on the world, the Lord’s eyes are still upon His people (i.e. the elect) just as they are now to save us.
Jesus then in verse twenty one and two then warns not be deceived by people claiming to be the Christ for such will be the demonic powers at work in the world that “…false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. Vs. 22-23 Now these false christs and false prophets are likely a precursor to the beast and false prophet being revealed and working their signs and wonders as declared in the Book of Revelations chapter thirteen. And thus Jesus’ warning here is different than the warning He gave earlier in verse six which was for the church age and not for the Tribulation Period. Now starting in verse twenty four Jesus begins to describe His Second Coming which comes at the end of the Great Tribulation Period by saying “…after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 “the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 “And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. Mark 13:24-27 Jesus’ description of the ominous cosmic events at the end of the Tribulation Period signaling His return will be for one a day of redemption (i.e. the elect whom Jesus sends His angels to gather from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven) and for the other a day of eternal judgment as the Lord Jesus executes His wrath on the beast and those who did but believe, but had pleasure in unrighteousness and received the mark of his image and thus assemble together with him for the battle at Armageddon (2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 16:12-16). And thus with all who believed safely in God’s care Jesus can exact His glorious vengeance on the beast and those who received his mark singling their utter rejection of God and His salvation for them (Rev. 19:11-21). Jesus then having described the conditions before His return now gives us the parable of the fig tree to indicate that when we see these things unfolding His return will be imminent (Vs. 28-29). And thus in verse thirty Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Vs. 30 Now Jesus’ Words here indicate that when these things do unfold, as He said they will, that the generation; meaning the generation in which they unfold (church or tribulation "generation") will by no means pass-away until all is fulfilled, giving us all assurance of this by saying: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Vs. 31
Jesus then having sealed His Word by His Immutable Promise now goes on to warn us about idle speculation and complacency. But rather He commends us to prepare and live our lives here and now always ready for His return by saying: 32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35 “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— 36 “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” vs. 32-36

For though Jesus’ Word forewarns us and alerts us to many future events, upheavals and cataclysmic events, all over an unspecific timeline; ultimately only God the Father knows the time when it will all unfold as Jesus has said. Therefore I’m going to close by emphasizing what Jesus emphasized; our need to be prepared for His coming (if we do not yet know Him) and our need to stay alert and dutiful in our lives until He returns (if we do). Which is what the study of prophecy should do, point you to Jesus Christ and our need for Him if you do not yet know Him; or keep your faith focused on Him and preparing yourself and life for His return (if you do), which will not be according to the word of man but only according to the Word of God. Therefore Jesus command and emphases to us all is to watch! To be alert and diligent to what is happening in the world and our own lives and to pray for when Jesus Christ comes back will He find us prepared like the five who were wise in His parable of the ten virgins? Or unprepared like the five unwise who having no oil were not able to enter when He returned as the bridegroom for His bride (Matt. 25:1-12; also consider the Lord Jesus’ exhortation in Luke 12:35-48).

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

Additional Resources
Nelson’s illustrated Bible dictionary; Ronald F. Youngblood, general editor; F.F. Bruce and R.K. Harrison, consulting editors, Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1995.