Mark 14:17

Mark 14:17 says, And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.  Verse eighteen adds, And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  After securing the room for what would be Jesus's last meal, Jesus and His twelve disciples came together that evening to celebrate.   Jesus then told them that one of those who ate with Him would also betray Him.  I believe we often look at Judas, who was the one to betray Him as we know and ask how he could have done it after spending so much time following and listening to Jesus, but we as Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, too often betray our belief in Him.  Jesus called Judas, even knowing he could betray Him.  I say could, because I believe the choice was always his.  If Judas had no ability to not do so, then we cannot blame him, as we as Christians can never blame God if we betray Him.  Like Judas, even knowing that we will possibly betray Him at some point in our life, Jesus still calls us and accepts us.  Verse nineteen continues, And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?  The disciples began to be sorrowful and ask Jesus if he was the one. Obviously, eleven were unsure, but one didn't need to ask.  Judas already knew.  We need to pray that our faith is not so small that we question whether or not we will be unfaithful to Jesus, but not so prideful that we say it could never happen.  Verse twenty states, And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.  Jesus said that the one who dipped with Him in the dish would be the one to betray Him.  I don't believe that Judas was the only one who had done this, but that they all had.  There was no flashing neon sign over Judas telling the other disciples that Judas was the one.  If we hear today that someone who professes to be a Christian is going to betray Jesus, we should have enough faith to know if it is us or not.  We should not expect flashing neon signs to point out who is being unfaithful to their calling to follow Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-one adds, The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.  Jesus then said that He was going on His way to be betrayed, but woe to the one who betrayed Him.  Jesus is still actively calling people to follow Him today, and there will still be everlasting woe to those who do not put their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord. Verse twenty-two says, And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  This is when Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s Supper.  As they were eating, Jesus broke the bread, blessed and broke it and said it was His body.  It did not somehow become His actual body, but was only symbolic of it, as is still true today.  When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we are to remember that Jesus gave his body, or more correctly His life, for our sins.  The bread does not bring any saving power when we eat it, but we are never to eat it if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and confessed all our sins to Him and asked for forgiveness. Verse twenty-three adds, And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  Verse twenty-four continues, And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  Jesus said the cup was His shed blood of the new testament, which was shed for many, or the sins of all.  Jesus then took the cup, gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples to drink, saying it was His shed blood, but again this was only symbolic, and it did not actually become his blood.  We today drink of the cup during the observance of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus's shed blood, and again we are not to do so with unresolved sin in our life.  It is then up to each individual to accept Jesus's sacrifice for their sins.   Verse twenty-five states, Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Jesus then said He would no longer drink of the fruit of the vine, not His actual blood, until He did so in the new kingdom of God, which is in Heaven.  As Christians, one day we will join Jesus Christ there, and until then we are to observe the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him.   Verse twenty-six adds, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. They then sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives. Once we have observed the Lord’s Supper, we need to go out into the world ready to do what God has called us to do. 

Mark 14:10

Mark 14:10 says, And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.  While the woman was anointing Jesus with expensive oil, Judas, one of the twelve called to be Jesus's closest disciples, went to the priest to betray Jesus.  We might wonder how someone so close to Jesus could betray Him, and yet as Christians we often do the same thing.  Any time the things of this world seem more important to us than being totally committed to God is, we are betraying our relationship with Him.  Verse eleven adds, And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. The chief priests were glad to hear that Judas was willing to betray Jesus and they were willing to pay him to do so.  They may have questioned the woman's anointing Jesus with expensive oil that could have gone to help the poor, but they had no problem with paying Judas to betray Jesus with money that could have gone to help the poor.  Though the people of the world may be happy if we as Christians betray Jesus, we need to pray that the leaders of the church never do, and we need to also pray that they never use the things given to God to work against Him.  Of course, unless we have entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we cannot betray Him, nor can we be saved.  Verse twelve states, And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?  On the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when the sacrifice was killed, the Passover lamb, the disciples really didn't know where they were going to be able to prepare to eat it.  Jesus had no permanent home, so this was something that the disciples were concerned about, since they were Jews.  I believe at this point the disciples were still looking more at keeping God's law than they were looking at Jesus to be the fulfillment of that law.  We should be concerned about keeping God's law as Christians today, but until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, the keeping of God's law will never be acceptable for salvation, since we all fall short of keeping it completely. Verse thirteen adds, And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. Jesus gave them specific instructions on how to find the place to observe the Passover.  God will give us directions on how to be obedient as followers of Christ today if we are listening to Him.  Jesus said that they would meet a man bearing a picture of water, and they were to follow him and when they got to where he was going, they were to tell the owner of the house that the Master sent them.  Verse fourteen says, And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  Verse fifteen adds, And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. They were then to ask where the guest chamber was, so that they could use it as a place to eat the Passover meal with Him.  This required the obedience of both the disciples and the young man that they met, and the owner of the house.  We today as Christians need to be working together to accomplish God's will, and I believe that He will be working with us to bring this about.  Of course, we must act on His leadership in order for this to happen.  Verse sixteen continues, And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover.  The disciples found things to be as Jesus said and made ready the Passover.  We today have to act in faith in order to see God's will done in the world, and we must do so without doubting that it will happen.  As Christians, we can celebrate the Passover every day, because when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He became the everlasting sacrifice that causes God to pass over the spiritual death of people who put their faith in Him. 

Mark 14:1

Mark 14:1 says, After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.  Two days after Jesus was discussing what were really signs leading up to His return, the chief priests and scribes were discussing how to get rid of Him.  This was on the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, commemorating God's deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt.  What they failed to realize was that Jesus came to be everyone's deliverance from sin and death if they would put their faith in His coming death, burial and resurrection.  Verse two adds, But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.  They were afraid to try and take Jesus on the feast day, because He was still adored by the crowds at this point.  As people are trying to discredit Jesus today, are they still afraid to do so because of the number of His followers, and where do we fit in?  Are we still devoted to following Him.  Verse three continues, And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  While the chief priests and scribes were discussing His arrest, Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, eating with him.  This was a man most would have avoided, but Jesus was eating with him instead. We need to be careful that we don't avoid people simply because the world looks down on them.  While there, a woman with an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard which was very expensive broke it and poured it on Jesus's head.  She wasn't worried about the cost, nor even about what others might think.  She simply wanted to serve and show her devotion to Jesus.  We should likewise never worry about the cost of serving and showing our devotion to Jesus as Christians, nor should we worry about what others may think when we do.   Verse four states, And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  Verse five adds, For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.  She may not have been worried about what others thought, but that didn't stop them from criticizing her.  They said she had wasted the ointment, which could have been sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor.  First, this was her ointment and not theirs, and second, that does not mean that they would have given the money from the sell to the poor.  We too often find people wanting to determine how others give to God and criticizing them for the way they do, instead of determining how they are going to give to God themselves.  There were two reactions to Jesus that day.  The religious leaders were looking to destroy Him, and the woman was wanting to help Him and serve Him, no matter the cost.  The majority of people today still want to destroy Jesus.  The only way to keep from being one of the people who want to do this is to accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord. Verse six states, And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  After those around Jesus berated the woman for anointing Him with expensive oil, He asked them why they were troubling her.  What she did had really cost them nothing, even if they thought there might have been a better use of the oil.  I believe that too often today, instead of giving everything we have to God, we as Christians want to determine how we use what He has blessed us with, and we also often want to question how others use what is theirs.   Verse seven adds, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.  Jesus said that the woman had done a good work for Him, and that they would always have the poor with them, but that they wouldn't always have Him physically in this world.  Shortly thereafter, Jesus died on the cross, was buried and arose again to ascend back to heaven, but we still have the poor with us.  As followers of Christ, I believe that we need to have a genuine concern for the poor and do everything we can under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to help them.  Verse eight continues, She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Jesus said the woman had anointed Him for His burial beforehand.  Hearing Jesus again speak of His burial should have made those who were looking to put Him to death happy, but I think they may have still been more concerned with losing the value of the oil, even though I don't believe they were really too concerned about the poor.  Verse nine concludes, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.  Jesus then said that what the woman did would be spoken about as long as the gospel was preached anywhere in the world, and it still is.  Our first priority as Christians should be to do everything we do to bring honor and glory to God and the sharing of the gospel, and next should be helping those in need.  We should not be concerned about bigger houses or finer cars, or any other material thing, before we help others. 

Mark 13:28

Mark 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:  Jesus told them that they needed to learn from the fig tree.  When the fig tree branch is tender, they would know that the time was close for the for the figs to be produced, so they should be ready for the coming harvest.  Verse twenty-nine adds, So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Jesus said that when we see the signs that were mentioned that we can know the end is near.  Jesus said that many who believed that He was the Christ in that day expected Him to almost immediately claim great power, and after His death, burial and resurrection that they would expect His almost immediate return.  He had given them many signs, such as the wars and rumors of war, the earthquakes in diverse places, the false christs and persecution of Christians for example that would lead up to the day of destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and they were interpreting this to apply to the second coming of Christ.  Verse thirty continues, Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.  We today also often interpret it the same way, but Jesus said that the generation alive then would not pass away before these things came to pass, and the Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed in that time frame.  Verse thirty-one says, Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. Then, He said that heaven and earth would pass away, but His words never would, which I believe means that we need to simply wait patiently for His return.  Even if we pass away, Jesus's promises are still certain, and He will return.  Verse thirty-two adds, But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Jesus then said that the Father alone, and not any person, angel, nor the Son, Jesus Himself, knew.  There really is no reason for us to attempt to decide the nearness of the return of Christ to claim His church, those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord.   Verse thirty-three continues, Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  Jesus said we are to take heed, watch and pray, because we don't know when He is coming again.  Still, we can be certain that He is, and He will claim those who are His, so if you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, I pray that you will do so today. Verse thirty-four declares, For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Though Jesus was telling the disciples this before His death, burial, and resurrection, we today know that He has gone to His heavenly home to await the Father telling Him it is time to return and claim His church.  His church is those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord and has nothing to do with church buildings or denominations.  This is not to say that we should not have organized religion, or maybe I should say religion that is organized, because we are told also that God is not the author of confusion. (1 Cor. 14:33) Verse thirty-five adds, Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:  Jesus told His disciples that He was leaving His work to them under His authority.  We are His disciples as Christians today, and this still applies to us.  We have our calling to the work that God assigns to us, and we need to be working and watching.  We may be watching the signs for the return of Jesus Christ today, but as He Himself said, we don't know the time when He will return, but that we are to be at work can be understood easily enough.  Verse thirty-six continues, Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.   Jesus then warned the disciples to be ready, so that He would not return and find them sleeping.  We need to wake up today as followers of Christ and be busy doing what He calls us to do.  We cannot know the time of the Second Coming, but we can know that it is closer every day, and that doing the work of God becomes more critical each day.  Verse thirty-seven concludes, And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.  We need to look at lost people, no matter how bad they may be, not with scorn and hatred, just waiting for them to get what they deserve, but with the love and compassion that Jesus Christ feels for them.  We ourselves never deserved God's forgiveness and mercy, and the comparison is not between other people and us, but between Jesus Christ and us, and we all fail by comparison.