Removing the Veil

It must be sentimentalism, but I love the idea of a radiant bride coming down the aisle with that thin veil barely holding in her beauty. And then the tender moment comes when the veil is lifted by her groom, and he fully sees her lovely face. Ah....

So it is with amazement that we can see the same kind of thing happening in the middle of the grievous passage where our Lord is nailed up, mocked unmercifully, and left to die (Mark 15:21-41). But here it is - the moment when the veil is lifted. In fact it is permanently removed, torn from top to bottom, as if God got a hold of it and said, "Enough".

This beautifully ornate veil had been in the worship place for untold years, always dividing the people from the Most Holy Place where God was present. A chosen priest would go in once a year to sprinkle blood and atone for sins. 

But now our High Priest, Jesus, had shed His own blood, and the veil between us and God is rent and removed. We are free to enter His presence. One day we will see His face!

God Wins

It's still going on in Mark 15:1-20. Jesus is making absolutely no attempt to defend Himself. He remains the Isaiah 53 "Lamb who before His shearers is silent".

And now the whole Roman company comes out to dress the bloody scourged Man in a purple robe and spike laced crown in order to mock ("Hail, King of the Jews"). They bow, kneel, spit and beat. You can almost see the devil dancing around this sickening scene.  The Good News?

Satan, as is his way, can't stop with this evil charade but goes too far: " Then they led him out to crucify him."  And in so doing, he fits right into God's magnificent unimaginable plan. 

Next week we will read the details - the end of this story. But God wins! And that victory is for you and me. 

Thank you, Lord.

Power of the Name

The witnesses are tripping over each other with condemning contradictions (Mark 14:53-72). Finally the Chief Priest has enough and stands up to do the questioning. But Jesus remains the Lamb prophesied in Isaiah 53 - silent before His accusers. Until the Chief asks, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Then Jesus says two words that seal His death.

Those two words are the first name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. It is the Name that is the essence of holiness to the Jews. When Jesus says "I Am" and then adds the description of His coming on the clouds, the Chief erupts. While tearing his clothes and yelling "Blasphemy" , he calls for the death sentence. The spitting, slapping, mocking, and beating commence.

The Name of Jesus is an atom bomb of power that can move mountains to put in motion God's will. That's one reason we are warned in Exodus 20:7 not to casually use God's name in vain. As we get to know the Christ behind the Name, we value it more and more. 

Rejoice in getting to know Him today.

The Son's Prayer

It's all laid out in the raw.  Gethsemane is where Jesus is at the crossroads, and we hear the Son's prayer (Mark 14:32-52).  "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for You. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will."

Oh, it almost hurts your ears to hear this intimacy. It's the only recorded time Jesus says"Abba, Father'. And His Pappa or Daddy has to say "No" in unthinkable love to His precious deeply grieved Son.

The unthinkable love - the "No" to Jesus - is so you and I can hear "Yes". ("For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."  II Corinthians 1:20).

Lord, may we rejoice today in Your "Yes" and be forever grateful for the price that was paid. We love You.

The Gift

It is the last meal together for these twelve and Jesus - these friends who had laughed and lived and learned together on an adventure that would rock the world. And Jesus had a present for them. (Mark14:10-31)

" While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body'."  So we hear the thanks and see the bread breaking but this time - this time we catch our breath. What did He say? "Take it; this is my body."

And next He took a cup and gave thanks and gave it to them all and they drank. '"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' he said to them."    What?    I'm thinking all of heaven must jumped to their feet as they hear their Lord announcing the fulfillment of the Jeremiah 31:33-34.

So here we have it. The gift that will be physically played out in the next few hours. The gift that will make all the difference to every person in history. ("Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.'" John 6:53)

How can we ever say thank you for this gift?  What can we do but reverently give ourselves whole-heartedly to Him?

On the Alert

It's coming! We are reminded in Mark 13:24-14:9 that the wonderful day is coming when Jesus comes in great power and glory to gather His bride. But, of course we've all heard that before - for years. So I agree it is a little hard to keep anticipating and on the alert. But He is reminding up today (three times in three verses) - stay on the alert.

 In verse 32 there is this fascinating detail: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  Don't you love it how Jesus is waiting on the Father to give the word to come get us. Yes!

So I'm thinking today is the time to be about His business and to get ready. Forget that culture-lazy "I'll get around to that phone call or visit or pray about that later". Who knows if there will be any time later?

What do You want today Lord? I want to be ready for You. 

Being Prepared

Peter, James, John, and Andrew are worried. Jesus had warned earlier that every stone in their beloved sacred temple would be torn down! Jesus always speaks the truth. So when? How will they know it's coming (to be prepared)?

But actually Jesus does not focus on that question but a vastly more important topic (Mark 13:3-23). He begins and ends this section on the "end times" with a warning about people that would mislead many as things get rough:  "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Since we are a part of the elect, we would do well to "take heed" as our Master says. Because this deception is evidently the real disaster to be prepared for. 

So how do we prepare? Continuing to get to know our Lord and falling in love with Him is the answer. That way any impostor would clearly be seen as a cheap fake. 

"Indeed, I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.."  Philippians 3:8

God's Math

Ever notice that God uses a different math system? He is really heavy on multiplication - remember those loaves and fishes and the laws of harvest.

It's interesting that Jesus is sitting and watching people put money into the treasury in Mark 12:28-13:2. He had just been talking about the scribes doing thing for "appearance's sake". Evidently these guys were at it also because you could tell that they were rich and putting in large sums. 

But what impresses Him is the poor widow who puts in one penny. He is excited enough to call all His disciples together for an important lesson. Jesus' math said that this widow put more in the treasury than all the contributors. They gave out of what they had left over. She gave out of her need - what she had to live on. 

One penny x  love and pure motivation = monumental gift

That's God's kind of math.  Lord, give us grace to have Your values. 

The Master Teacher

The Pharisees sure thought they had Jesus this time. They come and spit out flattering words about His truthfulness and then throw Him a loaded question: "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?" (Mark 12:13-27)

Hmm... They want Him to declare whether He sides with the Romans (Yes, pay up) or the Jews (No, don't support this godless terribly oppressive government). But Jesus is a master teacher and uses a coin with Caesar's picture to illustrate the higher principle of authority: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." He, in essence, hands the question back to them to figure out - for homework. 

The wisdom of the Master Teacher leaves the Pharisees speechless and us delighted. 

Father, make us again like children who are eager to learn from our Teacher. You have the words of Life.

From the Roots Up

The disciples noticed that the fig tree that Jesus had cursed had withered from the roots up (Mark 11:20-12:12). It sure sounds like how God often answers our prayers and deals with our problems. He works on the secret things to the obvious or from the underlying causes to what what can be seen.

Jesus also used that fig tree to teach about faith. Faith that can move mountains. "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."

Did you notice the cautions about doubt? The next statement from Jesus repeats the need for belief when we pray for things. But it says that we are to "believe that we have received them". That sounds like somebody thanking God that He has already answered - maybe working from the roots up.  

Thanks you Lord for hearing us and doing your wonder-full work whether it is in secret or obvious. We love you.

Desperate Faith

They were leaving Jericho when Bartimaeus started in.  It was Jesus, His disciples and a large crowd that were passing the cloaked blind beggar when he heard that Name mentioned (Mark 10:35-52). And my, did he start yelling!  "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" A bunch of them tried to shut him up, but he only screamed louder: "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

What a scene! The whole caravan had to stop as Jesus called the intruder to Him. When Jesus asked what he wanted, Bartimaeus instantly said, "Rabbi, I want to see." So see he did, after Jesus told him that his faith had made him well. 

But this faith - I think you'd have to call it desperate. Bartimaeus would cause a ruckus, stop a caravan, or whatever it took. He wanted to see!

Lord give us more faith - even the desperate kind. Let us see You. 

The Real Deal

When all our world is filled with sugar coated, sale-pretty, by-me deals, Jesus is the real deal. His authentic truth is all over Mark 10:17-34.

The rich man who couldn't give up his many possessions had wandered off, and Peter pipes up with, "We have left everything to follow you!" Jesus replies with this wonderful promise for him and us of a  "hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life".  Wait a minute! What's that "along with persecutions" doing right there in the middle of the wonderful promise?  Well, it is called the truth. And someone who tells the truth can be trusted, depended upon, honored, loved, and praised.

Thank you Lord that we can depend upon Your being real and trustworthy - even with our one life.

Got Salt?

We take salt for granted. But in Mark 9:42-10:16 we get a glimpse of how valuable it was to Jesus' followers and can be to us. Jesus told them, "Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

So what does this mean? I see a clue in Colossians 4:6. " Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."  Paul is encouraging his followers to be wise, courageous and to make the most of each opportunity with unbelievers. And we can only do that through God's grace that makes our words tasty. 

Lord make us salty so that others will find our words and actions appealing. Attract them to You, Father.

Embracing Christ

Good morning,

Can you imagine how embarrassed the disciples were when Jesus asked them,  "What were you arguing about on the road?"  They had actually been squabbling in Mark 9:30-41 about who was the greatest. And this is not the only time it happened. At least they were up front about it, not just playing mind games like we do.

So, we do well to remember Jesus' visual lesson to them on how a servant really is in first place. "He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, 'Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me.'"  (The Message)

God truly values and rewards servant-hood. Welcoming children gives an embrace that Christ so appreciates.

Blessings,

Ouida

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Jumpin' In

Oh, Peter did it again! And he got a holy hand-slap in Mark 9:2-29 for this one. Elijah and Moses had just shown as the closest friends are at their dazzling mountain retreat. Peter blurts out, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

Hey, it's good hospitality. Only natural. But what we all need is supernatural. God overshadows them with, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"   Whoa!

Maybe it's wise to get priorities and even directions in order before jumping into a plan. 

Yes, Lord, remind up to listen to You before we jump in.

Jesus' Recipe

Want to know how to save your one life?  In Mark 8:22-9:1 Jesus says,  "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."  In other words we need to let Jesus be in charge - even in suffering.

In fact we are called to embrace suffering (take up our cross) instead of running from it.  As we follow Jesus, He will show us how. 

Jesus goes on to say that self-help and getting everything we want is not help. But self sacrifice is the way to saving our one life. 

Losing all for Jesus is a recipe that cannot fail. Only He has the ingredients for our one good life.

Amnesia?

Those disciples had amnesia! Here they are again ( Mark 8:1-21) with a large crowd that is very hungry (three days on the road with no food). Jesus is feeling sorry about  the great need, and these disciples reply, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" Hmm...  They seem to have totally forgotten what happened with the 5,000 plus hungry guys as they took up 12 baskets of leftovers.

Anyway, Jesus asks what they have available (seven loaves and a few small fish) and then blesses and gives these to be served to all. This time there is some 4,000 fed with 7 baskets of leftovers.

Soon after the disciples were in a boat realizing they had forgotten to bring bread as Jesus brings up the "leaven of the Pharisees". He replies, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?"

Hmm...    I think He's speaking to me. It's really me that has the amnesia.

Lord,  please forgive me for worrying about "bread' and whatever else I need today. Thank you for your rich provision so many times - for so many years.

He Has Done...

They got it right at the end of today's chapter (Mark 7:14-37). "They were utterly astonished, saying, 'He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'"

But did you notice how Jesus did it? He took the guy aside and "put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva."  Hmm....  How is that for personal involvement!

Our Lord truly does all thing well, but how He does it may be way "out of our box". 

Father, help us to be open to Your unique ways of answering our prayers and doing things. May we see more and more how You do all things well.

Where's Our Hearts?

Good news can sometimes be unsettling.  In Mark 7:6:53-7:13 it was to the Pharisees. They had come to Jesus so burdened and blinded by rules (numerous washings and things to check off in order to be right). But as they came into the light called Christ, it was all exposed as "traditions of men". In fact, they had focused on the traditions and neglected the commandments of God, such as loving and honoring.

Jesus called them hypocrites and said Isaiah was right: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

But I find traditions comfortable. They make me feel secure. It is the way we have always done it. People don't get upset or offended. 

Then I hear the Lord saying, " Where is your heart?"  May we be women who honor God with our lips and especially with our heart.

Broken Bread

The friends are tired and hungry. In Mark 5:30-46 they have been too busy to even stop and eat. So Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." (The Message)

But when they got across the lake to their retreat, the crowd had beat them there. But Jesus "had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." Well it got quite late and His friends said enough - send them away so they can buy something to eat. But Jesus comes back with,"You give them something to eat." Hmm....   They reply, "That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

Now comes the clincher. In essence Jesus asks them what did they have.  As they give Him the five loaves and two fishes, He looks toward heaven and blesses it.  And then He did what he always did with blessed bread - He broke it.

He gave and kept giving it to His disciples to feed the people (5,000+). It sounds reasonable with bread to break it to feed many. It is harder with what we give Him to bless and use for others. 

Lord, give us grace to be grateful for even the breaking part.