Friday, February 19, 2021

Mark 14:17-21

Mark 14:17-21 
The Message 

  I've always found this section fascinating -- Jesus has spent 3 years with the disciples, teaching them and healing in front of them and performing countless miracles.  They surely know how they feel about him, having left so much behind to follow him, and feeling like they gained even more.  Judas' desire to betray Jesus likely isn't anything new, but something that has been fomenting for some time.
  And yet, when Jesus speaks of betrayal, they all ask if they are the one who will betray him.
  How well they know the human heart, which has been called a factory of idols.  How well they know humanity, which can turn against one another at the drop of a hat.  How well they know loyalty, which can often be fickle and blow with the prevailing winds!
  The disciples know themselves well enough to admit that they might betray him, despite not thinking that they would in the moment.  They know they are capable of anything.
  So let us be on the guard, and may none of us consider ourselves above sin.  It's easy to look at certain sins and think that we'd never do that... but times and circumstances change.  May we be wary, and may we give thanks that Jesus comes to us knowing our hearts ahead of time, knowing us fully and loving us all the same!

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