Sitting with Jesus

Holy Week, Day 4

Begin with 2 minutes of silence

Scripture : Mark 14:12-31

12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

17 And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Devotional : Sitting with Jesus

By Angela Nelson

So much happens in this passage, I did not know which part to quote (just read it all!). Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him to prepare for a holiday meal, and they find a room already selected and furnished. During the meal, Jesus says one of them at the table will betray him, and it would be better if that man had never been born. He enacts what we call the first communion, passing out bread and wine as symbols of his broken body and blood, and predicts his own death. After eating the group goes to the Mount of Olives. Jesus tells his disciples before morning, they will all desert him. They vehemently deny it.

The short passage is loaded with high drama, intense emotion, and some of the most momentous events in history. Throughout, the disciples are clueless. They don’t realize what’s happening, or how important it is. They waste their last precious moments with Jesus defending themselves. Right after this, the writer shows us Jesus’ emotions. Jesus is troubled and deeply sad. He wants his closest friends to sense his distress and what he’s facing, to understand and help him bear it. Instead, they fall asleep.

Questions to Consider:

How often am I clueless? How often do I miss what’s happening right in front of me? How often am I caught up thinking about myself, instead of tuned in to the person next to me? How often do I speak quickly and confidently, when I don’t know what I’m talking about? And later, when my ignorance or foolishness is revealed, do I take it in, or keep defending myself?

Prayer

Help me to be sensitive and tune in to the people around me, and understand things happening in front of me. I need your help. I am so often preoccupied with myself and caught up in my own dramas and emotions. Make me bigger inside.