Faithful on Fridays Blog

Mark 13&14

As Jesus’ time on earth drew to a close and since His death was imminent He prioritized what was essential to know. Future believers would be hopeless without His encouragement as He described what was coming and how to prepare. He never says to not be concerned because we’ll all be raptured but be prepared. 

Interestingly, the Greek word for ‘tribulation’ means to be internally confined or restricted. It can be persecution, distress, or confinement but there’s always pressure that makes you feel ‘hemmed in’ with no way of escape. As Jesus gave the future signs that will increase in intensity and frequency He encouraged us that ‘the one who endures to the end will be saved’. Not redeemed, believers are already saved, but will be rescued or delivered. We don’t know what it’ll look like but we do know that He’s the Savior, the Rescuer.

One of the wonderful truths that Jesus spoke is that for His chosen, all believers (vs. 20), the time is shortened, the angels are sent to retrieve us, in heaven or on earth, and we’ll be reunited with Him. The warning is clear: be on guard (spoken 3 times) and stay awake (spoken 4 times) because He’s coming back! 

Chapter 14 brings us to a divine appointment with Mary, one of Jesus’ best friends, and His last Passover meal. His comment about Mary in verse 8 caught my attention:

She has done what she could.

Wouldn’t you like Jesus to say that about you?

When preparing for the sacred meal the disciples were given explicit instructions about the guest room, the kataluma. You may remember at Jesus’ birth there was ‘no room for them in the inn’ (Luke 2:7b): kataluma. Jesus’ time was about to be completed, the goal to be reached, and there was a place prepared for Him. About thirty-three years ago Satan tried to destroy God’s plan of redemption in Bethlehem but now, in Jerusalem, there’s a room prepared for Him; the Lamb of God was ready to be sacrificed.

Jesus must’ve been feeling quite vulnerable but after an extended time of prayer He was ready to meet His accusers. Since Peter undoubtedly dictated this writing he was brutally honest as he remembered his own words:

I will not fall away (vs. 28)

I will not deny You (vs. 31)

And yet he did: prophecy fulfilled.

Jesus admitted His deity (vs. 62) to the religious leaders and again prophesied of That Day when He’ll return with the clouds of heaven; that sealed the deal for the Suffering Servant of Is. 53.

We find Jesus’ spiritual identity in His warnings, His love, and His fulfillment of prophecy: He is Who He said He was. Jesus showed us the value of intimacy with God, fellowship with other believers, and courage to speak truth. He didn’t berate the disciples in their times of weakness, even Peter, but loved them all. That’s a wonderful truth for you as well.