Read the Bible in a Year (21OCT19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, October 21’s Bible reading is Mark 14.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, October 22’s Bible reading is Mark 15-16. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

MARK MOMENT – (21OCT19) “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people’” (Mark 14:1-2). Jesus had spent the past 3 ½ years preaching, teaching, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, and performing other miracles. His time on earth was nearing its end. The religious leaders were finalizing their plot to arrest and kill Jesus. They considered Him to be a menace to them and their way of life. They did not like His teachings nor His popularity. They would stop at nothing to get Him out of their way even if that included lying, falsifying statements, paying off witnesses, and using an insider to do the job – Judas Iscariot. The only thing that they feared were the people, but they even had a remedy to get around that. All they had to do was to put their evil plans into action and their nemesis would be out of their hair…or so they thought.

Jesus was more dangerous to them dead than He ever was alive, but the religious leaders did not know it. They could have never imagined the impact that His death and resurrection would have on the whole world. They could only see the present, but Jesus’ death was going to mean a bright future for those who believed in Him. The Bible says: “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The death and resurrection of Jesus meant salvation to those lost in sin. What earthly priests and animal sacrifices could not do, Jesus was able to accomplish through the giving of himself as the ultimate sacrifice. The religious leaders could kill His physical body, but the tomb would not be able to hold Him nor prevent the testimony of His resurrection. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (21OCT19) “And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’” (Mark 14:37-38). Jesus needed some time to talk with his Father prior to the challenging experience that He was about to go through. It was going to be the most difficult thing that He would have had to face on earth; yet, He was willing to do so in order to save mankind. Jesus, however, wanted to go to the Father and ask if there was yet another path for Him to take and still accomplish His mission. Even so, He submitted His will to that of the Father and drank from the cup of bitterness that was indeed His destiny.

Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John with Him and told them to watch and pray. They allowed their bodies’ need for sleep to overtake them and this was the state Jesus found them in when He returned the first time. Jesus addressed Peter and told Him to watch and pray so that He would not fall into temptation. Jesus had prophesied to Peter about his moment of weakness when he would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster crowed twice. Nevertheless, Peter and the other disciples had fallen back to sleep upon Jesus’ second return. After coming from prayer with his Father a third time and finding them sleeping, Jesus let them know that the time of His arrest had come, and He was to be taken into the hands of His enemies.

What will Jesus find you doing when He returns? Will you be sleep at the wheel due to being overwhelmed with the things of this life, or will He find you busily working for the Kingdom of God? Will He find you slacking in your relationship with Him, or will He find you staying close to His bosom? Jesus is coming again and although we do not know the day nor the hour, we know that His coming is drawing ever so near. Therefore, let us be mindful to be alert and stay watchful for the time of His arrival draws nigh. The Bible says: “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:44). Something to ponder…. 

 

MARK MOMENT – (21OCT19) “Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind” (Mark 14:50-52). Jesus’ time had come when his enemies had arrived for His arrest. He had not done anything wrong but did the works of his Father. Unfortunately, His enemies, although they were masters of the law, failed to know the Creator of the Law in which they took great pride despite their hypocrisy. Judas had become their inside whistleblower and made arrangements to betray his Master with a kiss. After his ultimate betrayal, the other eleven disciples fled the scene for they were in fear that they too would be arrested. The Bible does not say who the young man was who ran away naked, but some Biblical scholars believe that it was Mark. Mark's gospel is the only one out of the four that mentions this piece of information. Jesus found Himself alone with no one to stand by His side. He had no defense attorney to argue His case. There was no mediator to stand in between the gap. There were no depositions to be witnesses for His defense, and there was no fair jury to debate His case. Nevertheless, Jesus became all of these things for us so that the accuser of the brethren would not have a win in the courts of Heaven. In Jesus, we have been blessed to have such an Advocate.

There are some people who would like to minimalize the work that Jesus did for us on the cross. They, however, are in great error for without Jesus, there would be no Salvation for mankind. The Bible says: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!  For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant”  (Hebrews 9:14-15). Jesus is the ONLY WAY through which man can be saved. Mary could not save us, popes cannot save us, clergy cannot save us, nor any earthly being. When we deserted Jesus just like the disciples, He remained forever constant in our lives waiting for us to return so that He could be the Mediator between the devil’s accusations and God’s love for us. The awesomeness of Jesus should send shockwaves to all who profess to believe in His name. The Deserted became the Friend to all who take refuge in Him. Something to ponder….