"'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" Mark 14:36
Jesus was totally driven by the Father's will. Even though His flesh desired deliverance from the cross' He was ready to trust the Father's will because He knew the Father's heart through intimate fellowship. Whose will drives our life? Have we learned to pray "your will be done on earth (in my life) as it is in heaven" with full sincerity and surrender? The more that we learn the Father's heart through intimate fellowship with Him in prayer the more readily we will submit to His will. In submitting to His will we will find true joy.
Father, I confess that my life is too often driven by my own will but I desire to be fully surrendered to Your will like Jesus. Help me to learn to pray "you will be done" with full sincerity and surrender.
I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark
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Passover was only two days away. It commemorated the night God “passed over” the Israelites in Egypt because of the blood on the door sides. It was followed by a seven-day feast (Feast of Unleavened Bread). God had set His people free from Egypt and now the religious leaders were skimming to kill Jesus. In Bethany, Jesus ate with Simon the Leper and Mary anointed Jesus with costly perfume. The group questioned why such waste. Jesus told them to leave her alone for she had done a very loving thing and would be remembered for her sacrifice. One is thinking about the things of God and many of the rest are thinking about Caesar’s image. This was not in the context of taxes but in the greed for what was left over. Judas Iscariot now goes and betrays Jesus for the promise of money. I had not noticed all the references to material things in this passage before. In the jealous heart it leads to criticism. In the evil heart it leads to betrayal. In the thankful heart it leads to sacrifice. In the heart of God the kind act is remembered forever. I think it is significant the Jesus initiated the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal. So much of what He did and said is layered with deeper and deeper meanings. After the meal Jesus told them that they would all fall away and scatter. They all wanted to think that they would not run, Peter more emphatically. Jesus took His disciples to Gethsemane. They were tired and slept while He prayed. Then Judas leads the arresting group to Jesus and the disciples ran away. Jesus remained silent through the questioning and testimonies until He was asked a direct question. The high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” When Jesus said yes their unbelief only allowed for one verdict–guilty. The Sanhedrin trial, denial of Jesus by Peter, and the running away of the disciples must have been very painful for Jesus. The Passover Lamb was in their midst and they did not even know it, or they did not want to know it.
ReplyDeleteReflective Question ~ Where in this part of the story do you see yourself?