The Wine of Heaven Sept. 10
Mark 14:25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Think upon the progression of the concept of sacrifice:
Lev. 17:11 “‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”
Hebr. 9:22 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no [i]remission.”
1 John 1: 7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
One sacrifice was, is, and will be sufficient.
This is not because God needed another sacrifice, another blood offering. Jesus is our example in living in a fallen world, where even a disciple betrays his Teacher and nameless foreigners commit murder without remorse.
And the murdered Man forgives them all. Even as the Father in heaven forgives them all. Even as He forgives us.
The wine symbolizes the blood of life, the flow of love from the human heart.
The wine of heaven is not a physical drink for a physical body, but is the outpouring of all that is good and desirable for those who see through the eyes of Christ.
Love is the fruit of the vine in heaven.
A Hymn Sept. 11
Mark 14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The words, “when they had sung a hymn,” are represented by a single Greek word. Essentially, Jesus and the disciples hymned, sang praises to God. This was the custom after the Passover meal.
Jesus led His disciples from the room borrowed from His friend. There was no need to implicate him in what was about to occur.
And there was no need for the officers of the law to come in force in the crowded city. The possibility of arousing passions was too great and would serve no purpose. Indeed, any violence would undermine the purpose of the events of this evening.
They leave the city, crossing the Brook Kidron and entering the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden on this spring evening was a place of peace, a place of calm before the action of the final scenes.
He leads them beside the waters of the Kidron, and sets them down in the green garden. Jesus’ last acts before His arrest are all leading the disciples to peace, even as the storm approaches and then envelopes them.
Promises Sept. 12
Mark 14:27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.’
28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Jesus quotes part of Zech. 13:7 to emphasize the inevitability of what will soon occur.
And He adds, “All of you will be skandalizo because of Me….” You will be made to stumble, be offended, because of Me. Strong’s further defines G4624 skandalizo as “entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure.”
Jesus warns that the events that will soon occur will cause the disciples to fall away from His teachings, to stray from His path.
Think of when we are offended, perceive ourselves as wronged, our beliefs as to what is right having been violated. We take the act as a personal insult. Our instinct is to attack – verbally, logically, emotionally, or physically.
We often do this without understanding the perspective of the other person, the context, or even ourselves as to why we feel offended.
Jesus’ words of the Shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered are hardly offset by the promise to meet them in Galilee.
The events soon to occur are not anything personal against the disciples or even Jesus. It is the inevitability of events that have led to the present moment. What will be has been inevitable form the Beginning.
How often has our personal world been turned upside down or, metaphorically, our small ship been tossed by the winds and waves of a raging storm?
He may calm the winds and waves, or we may have to pass through them. We are to remember Jesus’ promise that He will meet us on the other side of the storm.
Stumbling Sept. 13
Mark 14:29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.”
30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.
Luke prefaces Peter’s assertion of his steadfastness with a warning from Jesus, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’” (Luke 22:31-32)
There is a definite lesson here: Every person has a plan, and then life happens.
Jesus has said, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night….” ALL of the eleven disciples will deny Him. There will be no exceptions.
Like Peter, we are prone to be sure of ourselves, but less sure of others. We give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, and then some. This is Peter. He stands for all humanity as he contradicts his Teacher.
Jesus returns the favor as He contradicts Peter’s assertion of steadfastness. He prophesies Peter’s fall, that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the cock crows twice.
Peter will stumble, will be tripped by his own perception of events, of his Teacher, and of himself. This is just as all of the disciples who protest against Jesus’ prediction will stumble.
The Teacher understands human nature, and He understands each disciple. He knows the heart, as God knows each heart.
The Cock Sept. 14
Mark 14:30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
Associating a rooster with the reference to the cock crowing twice is natural based on our current use of the word. The Hebrew word had an alternate meaning, an idiomatic usage peculiar to the culture of Israel.
The meaning here is of the Temple crier, but he is lost in the translation.
There were three cries from the Temple crier each morning. The cock will crow three times.
The first call comes well before dawn. This is the call for the priests to come and prepare the sacrifices, a hard job to be done before the Temple opened to the public.
The second call is for all of the Levites to go to their stations. This is in preparation of the opening of the Temple to the public.
The third call is for all Israelites to come to the Temple. The Temple is open and ready to perform its duties.
There are a number of sources affirming this understanding. We should also remember that Jerusalem comprised a very small area and was densely populated. This was not a rural farm town.
Also, fowl such as roosters are very dirty animals and prone to find their way into any and all places. They would not be allowed anywhere near the Temple for fear of desecration of holy ground.
We can surmise that Christ was led out toward His crucifixion after the call for the preparation of the sacrifice.
Gethsemane Sept. 15
Mark 14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
The name Gethsemane means “oil press.” There probably had been an olive oil press there at one time, but we might see the name now taking on a symbolic meaning. Figuratively, “oil” is “spirit,” and the pressure here is literal.
The words of Jesus’ prayer in verse 34 reveal the stress that lay upon Him. Troubled and distressed, He was “exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” His spirit will soon leave His body, but His friends will not be left alone and helpless. The outpouring of Gethsemane will be the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Change is often difficult. The miraculous change from egg and sperm to life is introduced with a cry. And the ultimate change for the body from life into death often is marked with a cry.
The introduction to the world is a transformation in which the mother can be the only intimate participant. Leaving the world is a transformation that cannot be shared.
Jesus leaves the eight and takes His three closest friends. Even these He must leave behind. His final words to them are to “stay here and watch.” Wait and be vigilant.
Jesus must separate Himself to prayer. Night has come. He is on the cusp between earth and heaven. The Father is the only constant companion.
The Cup Sept. 16
Mark 14:35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Only a short time previous to this, Jesus had shared the cup with His disciples. Another cup is set before Him now, a cup that cannot be shared.
Alone now, He is apart from everyone. Indeed, He must often have felt alone, even among His friends and the crowds as they struggled to understand Him.
He prostrates Himself on the ground. Humility has been a part of Jesus’ identity, and He takes refuge in that state of mind again.
His plea is that the Father will take the fatal cup from Him. His humanity has the innate will to live, the animated spirit that without thought or intention keeps the breath of life in the body. Death is inevitable, but every living thing wants to be alive tomorrow.
Jesus prays a line from the model prayer He has taught His disciples: “not what I will, but what You will`
There are times when the physical and spiritual bodies are in conflict. When the physical desires what the spirit denies, a choice must be made. Compromise or stalemate will make losers of both the body and the spirit.
That Jesus will be the victor by dying seems for this brief moment too high a price. But though He asks for relief, His Father’s will is the path He will choose, without bitterness or regret.
Next day
Mark 14:25 Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Think upon the progression of the concept of sacrifice:
Lev. 17:11 “‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”
Hebr. 9:22 “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no [i]remission.”
1 John 1: 7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
One sacrifice was, is, and will be sufficient.
This is not because God needed another sacrifice, another blood offering. Jesus is our example in living in a fallen world, where even a disciple betrays his Teacher and nameless foreigners commit murder without remorse.
And the murdered Man forgives them all. Even as the Father in heaven forgives them all. Even as He forgives us.
The wine symbolizes the blood of life, the flow of love from the human heart.
The wine of heaven is not a physical drink for a physical body, but is the outpouring of all that is good and desirable for those who see through the eyes of Christ.
Love is the fruit of the vine in heaven.
A Hymn Sept. 11
Mark 14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The words, “when they had sung a hymn,” are represented by a single Greek word. Essentially, Jesus and the disciples hymned, sang praises to God. This was the custom after the Passover meal.
Jesus led His disciples from the room borrowed from His friend. There was no need to implicate him in what was about to occur.
And there was no need for the officers of the law to come in force in the crowded city. The possibility of arousing passions was too great and would serve no purpose. Indeed, any violence would undermine the purpose of the events of this evening.
They leave the city, crossing the Brook Kidron and entering the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden on this spring evening was a place of peace, a place of calm before the action of the final scenes.
He leads them beside the waters of the Kidron, and sets them down in the green garden. Jesus’ last acts before His arrest are all leading the disciples to peace, even as the storm approaches and then envelopes them.
Promises Sept. 12
Mark 14:27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.’
28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Jesus quotes part of Zech. 13:7 to emphasize the inevitability of what will soon occur.
And He adds, “All of you will be skandalizo because of Me….” You will be made to stumble, be offended, because of Me. Strong’s further defines G4624 skandalizo as “entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure.”
Jesus warns that the events that will soon occur will cause the disciples to fall away from His teachings, to stray from His path.
Think of when we are offended, perceive ourselves as wronged, our beliefs as to what is right having been violated. We take the act as a personal insult. Our instinct is to attack – verbally, logically, emotionally, or physically.
We often do this without understanding the perspective of the other person, the context, or even ourselves as to why we feel offended.
Jesus’ words of the Shepherd being struck and the sheep scattered are hardly offset by the promise to meet them in Galilee.
The events soon to occur are not anything personal against the disciples or even Jesus. It is the inevitability of events that have led to the present moment. What will be has been inevitable form the Beginning.
How often has our personal world been turned upside down or, metaphorically, our small ship been tossed by the winds and waves of a raging storm?
He may calm the winds and waves, or we may have to pass through them. We are to remember Jesus’ promise that He will meet us on the other side of the storm.
Stumbling Sept. 13
Mark 14:29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.”
30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.
Luke prefaces Peter’s assertion of his steadfastness with a warning from Jesus, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’” (Luke 22:31-32)
There is a definite lesson here: Every person has a plan, and then life happens.
Jesus has said, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night….” ALL of the eleven disciples will deny Him. There will be no exceptions.
Like Peter, we are prone to be sure of ourselves, but less sure of others. We give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, and then some. This is Peter. He stands for all humanity as he contradicts his Teacher.
Jesus returns the favor as He contradicts Peter’s assertion of steadfastness. He prophesies Peter’s fall, that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the cock crows twice.
Peter will stumble, will be tripped by his own perception of events, of his Teacher, and of himself. This is just as all of the disciples who protest against Jesus’ prediction will stumble.
The Teacher understands human nature, and He understands each disciple. He knows the heart, as God knows each heart.
The Cock Sept. 14
Mark 14:30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
Associating a rooster with the reference to the cock crowing twice is natural based on our current use of the word. The Hebrew word had an alternate meaning, an idiomatic usage peculiar to the culture of Israel.
The meaning here is of the Temple crier, but he is lost in the translation.
There were three cries from the Temple crier each morning. The cock will crow three times.
The first call comes well before dawn. This is the call for the priests to come and prepare the sacrifices, a hard job to be done before the Temple opened to the public.
The second call is for all of the Levites to go to their stations. This is in preparation of the opening of the Temple to the public.
The third call is for all Israelites to come to the Temple. The Temple is open and ready to perform its duties.
There are a number of sources affirming this understanding. We should also remember that Jerusalem comprised a very small area and was densely populated. This was not a rural farm town.
Also, fowl such as roosters are very dirty animals and prone to find their way into any and all places. They would not be allowed anywhere near the Temple for fear of desecration of holy ground.
We can surmise that Christ was led out toward His crucifixion after the call for the preparation of the sacrifice.
Gethsemane Sept. 15
Mark 14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
The name Gethsemane means “oil press.” There probably had been an olive oil press there at one time, but we might see the name now taking on a symbolic meaning. Figuratively, “oil” is “spirit,” and the pressure here is literal.
The words of Jesus’ prayer in verse 34 reveal the stress that lay upon Him. Troubled and distressed, He was “exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” His spirit will soon leave His body, but His friends will not be left alone and helpless. The outpouring of Gethsemane will be the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Change is often difficult. The miraculous change from egg and sperm to life is introduced with a cry. And the ultimate change for the body from life into death often is marked with a cry.
The introduction to the world is a transformation in which the mother can be the only intimate participant. Leaving the world is a transformation that cannot be shared.
Jesus leaves the eight and takes His three closest friends. Even these He must leave behind. His final words to them are to “stay here and watch.” Wait and be vigilant.
Jesus must separate Himself to prayer. Night has come. He is on the cusp between earth and heaven. The Father is the only constant companion.
The Cup Sept. 16
Mark 14:35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Only a short time previous to this, Jesus had shared the cup with His disciples. Another cup is set before Him now, a cup that cannot be shared.
Alone now, He is apart from everyone. Indeed, He must often have felt alone, even among His friends and the crowds as they struggled to understand Him.
He prostrates Himself on the ground. Humility has been a part of Jesus’ identity, and He takes refuge in that state of mind again.
His plea is that the Father will take the fatal cup from Him. His humanity has the innate will to live, the animated spirit that without thought or intention keeps the breath of life in the body. Death is inevitable, but every living thing wants to be alive tomorrow.
Jesus prays a line from the model prayer He has taught His disciples: “not what I will, but what You will`
There are times when the physical and spiritual bodies are in conflict. When the physical desires what the spirit denies, a choice must be made. Compromise or stalemate will make losers of both the body and the spirit.
That Jesus will be the victor by dying seems for this brief moment too high a price. But though He asks for relief, His Father’s will is the path He will choose, without bitterness or regret.
Next day
