GOSPEL MEDITATION #228

Mark 4:22-25

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

(see: Ex. 24:3-8; Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Matthew 26:26-29; John 6:30-35; 1 Cor. 11:17-26; Rev. 19:6-9)

1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. From memory, determine the central points.
7. In the Upper Room, in Jerusalem, Thursday night, the

beginning of Passover, Jesus is alone with the Twelve.

8. Jesus leads the memorial supper, and at some unknown

point in the meal, Jesus takes the unleavened loaf, gives

thanks to God, breaks off a piece for Himself, and hands it out for each to do the same.

9. He then says the bread is His body. He is likely pointing ahead to His own body being broken on the cross.
10. The same with the cup (likely the 3^rd cup in the Passover

Seder), He gave thanks for it, as was the custom, passed it around, and said it was His “blood of the covenant.”

11. Perhaps looking back to Exodus 24 and Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jesus explains the startling truth that His blood spilling or shedding would usher in a new covenant, not Law keeping or the old covenant, but a new and unilateral covenant or agreement.
12. Jesus clearly states that His blood is poured out for many and thus, not all. Matthew’s account has “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt. 26:28)
13. Jesus will not drink of the cup again until the kingdom

has come. We look forward to this supper. (Rev. 19:6-9)

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 227

Mark 14:12-21

The Passover with the Disciples

(Also see Exodus 12:1-14, 43-51 & Leviticus 23:4-8)

1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Jesus was an observant Jew all His life & ministry.
8. On Thursday of the last week, will less than a day away from His crucifixion, Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples.
9. Jesus has obviously arranged the place for the Passover dinner, maybe in Mary’s home in Jerusalem, the mother of John Mark.
10. Likely Jesus needed to be careful about the whereabouts of the Passover to prevent an attempt of capture by the authorities.
11. It was a large “upper room” or a roof top room partially enclosed that wealthy people’s home might have with outside staircase.
12. In John’s Gospel, 13:1-11, Jesus’ washes the disciples feet first.
13. When it was dark, after 6pm, Jesus arrives at the large home in Jerusalem, and probably carefully.
14. In the midst of the meal, about the time of the third cup, Jesus announces that someone at the table will betray Him.
15. Psalm 41:9 might explain why Jesus knew what was about to happen: “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
16. The wording of the Psalm of David perhaps reflects the wording of Genesis 3:15 where God says to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
17. Each of the disciples responds, “Not I?” But it is to be one of the Twelve, and all this appointed for the Messiah.
18. Indeed “woe” to that one to whom it had been appointed.

GOSPEL MEDITATION #226

The Plot to Kill Jesus, Jesus Anointed at Bethany, &

Judas to Betray Jesus Mark 14:1-11

(Also see Matthew 6:1-16 and John 12:1-8)

1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Tuesday, Passover and Unleavened Bread, beginning, and the plot to kill Jesus had reached a ‘fever pitch’. Prudently, those who feared Jesus knew better than to act in the open.
8. Mark back-tracts four days previous. 6 days before Passover (see John 12:1) to a celebratory dinner in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper/Lazarus.
9. A woman appears, Mary the sister of Lazarus (see John 12;3), and pours a flask of expensive perfume (nard) over Jesus’ head (body in verse 8).
10. Some of the apostles (Judas leading the charge, see John 12:4), complained that the costly oil should have been sold and the money given to the poor.
11. Jesus orders quiet and wonderfully honors what Mary had done. The poor, not be ignored, but something of greater value just occurred. Mary had anointed Jesus’ body for burial, thus Jesus, again, points to His coming death.
12. Then verse 9, one of the most important in the Bible, Jesus explains that what just took place will be spoken of until the end of the age as a testimony to the anointing.
13. Here Jesus assumes the publication of the event to the whole world. And of course, His words fulfilled here and now.
14. For reasons not entirely understood, Judas now goes to the religious rulers (maybe not for the first time) and is ready to betray Jesus. He was warmly received, so much so, money is offered as a reward.

GOSPEL MEDITATION #225

Mark 13:28-37

The Lesson of the Fig tree &

No One Knows that Day or Hour

1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Seems obvious, trees and plants, and fig trees for sure, show their leaves, which indicate the coming of summer.
8. Jesus makes it clear that when His followers see the things He has spoken of, the desecration of the Temple, the extreme tribulation, then the end of the Temple is about to occur. (refer back to the original question)
9. For us it is not so clear what we are to look for. Combining other passages, especially Revelation, we can expect difficult times when it appears that the forces of evil are overcoming even Christ’s Church.
10. In any case, we are to be on our guard remaining awake.
11. The meaning is that Christians are not to relax the great commands and sink into the easy life. The work He has given us to do, to be evangelical, that is, proclaimers of the basic Gospel, must go on until the very last day.
12. “Generation” a mystery, but here I suggest the era of the Church, and meaning including our own time, will remain until the end.
13. No one knows when the very end will come, that 2^nd Advent and Day of Judgment, but that it will come is certain. That Day is not our concern: what we are to go about our work to be faithful witnesses of the saving grace of Jesus.
14. The “Master of the house” will arrive in due time.

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 224

Mark 13:24-27

The Coming of the Son of Man

(Also see Acts 1:6-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:1-11, and

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12)

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or chant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. “But in those days” – not following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, but the trouble/tribulation preceding Jesus’ return – the Second Coming.
8. Verses 24 and 25 contain traditional apocalyptic language or metaphors that reference a coming outpouring of God’s wrath in judgment. (Is.13:9-11, 34:1-4, & Joel 2:28-33)
9. Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite term for Himself, which likely comes from Daniel’s prophesy, and is a synonym for Messiah.
10. “Then they” – the they must be all alive at that present time.
11. The seeing does not depend on any human technology capturing Jesus’ return and at once enabling all the planet to observe it as once thought. The arrival in the clouds with the host of heaven and a loud trumpet call will be plain to all.
12. In Acts 1:6-11 two angels confirmed the return of Jesus at the time of the ascension.
13. The great promise is that the elect will be gathered. The time of tribulation will be shortened (look back at verse 20).
14. The remainder of verse 27, with a dramatic flourish, are phrases that assure followers of Jesus that none of the elect or chosen will be left behind.
15. The purpose of God, initiated in the creation of Adam and Eve in the garden will at last be realized.