Today’s scripture: Mark 14:22-25 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Mark Shoup):
Last year, I had a lot of time on my hands. I was off work with a back injury, and so decided to volunteer some of my time in the church office. My lack of employment afforded me the time to look around and appreciate things that I might normally not pay attention to.
One of these things I noticed was a little tree in the flower bed at the corner of our church parking lot. I noticed it because, although it seemed like an oak tree, it was of a type I had never seen before. I watched it grow all summer and into fall, and saw it lose its leaves in preparation for winter. I imagined that in 100 years, long after I am gone, it would still be there, but many times larger and more majestic.
Everything seemed normal until mid-spring the next year. I noticed that, though all the other trees on the church lot had leaves that had fully emerged, the little oak tree was still bare. In fact, it didn’t even have buds. It took a few more weeks before I was willing to admit what was obvious; the tree had apparently died over the very cold winter. It may seem silly, but this realization really made me sad. I think it was because I had imagined it as a giant oak shading the parking lot a century from now, and as a testament to the people I knew at church who would be long gone by then, but who had started something that would hopefully still be thriving.
As summer approached, I got out of the habit of looking at the tree each time I left the parking lot. Dead twigs don’t change much over time. I’m not sure how long it had been since I had looked, but one day, I noticed that, although the dead twig was still there, several shoots had emerged from the base of the tree and were now vigorously growing. In fact, it only took a couple of weeks, and the shoots became taller than the dead twig. You see, the tree had died in the winter, only to come back bigger and stronger the next year.
It would be hard not to compare what happened to that little oak tree with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Just imagine how many times more sad His disciples would have been when their Lord died! But death did not keep Him and he came back and surprised them all.
But that is only part of it. Jesus wanted people to remember what happened and what it meant long after he returned to God. That is why he gave them a reminder. So that every time they got together to eat and drink, they would be reminded that God loved them and made this tremendous sacrifice, so that they could find their way back to God. And this continues even to this day, 2,000 or so years later.
Thought for the day: Thank you God, for championing over death. I pray I will never forget the sacrifice you made.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.