Today’s scripture: Mark 14:32-41 (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 (Tammy Mills):
There is so much to unpack in this scripture! I sense the agony Jesus is feeling as he prepares for the cross. I can only begin to imagine the betrayal and disappointment he feels when his best friends can’t even manage to stay awake and be there for him. I take heart at Jesus’ acknowledgment that the “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
What really gets to me is the betrayal by his friends. Every time I read this passage my heart breaks for Jesus. The people he had the most trust and hope in let him down big time.
I imagine each of us has felt this kind of betrayal. I have felt it most recently when my parents chose to disown me. I have always counted on them and knew that no matter what, they would be there for me. They crushed my heart when they declared I was an embarrassment and that they just couldn’t find a way to accept me and my family.
That was close to two years ago. This summer I decided that I needed to attempt to build some sort of bridge back to them. They might never cross it, but I had to let them know (mostly for my own peace of heart and mind) that I was going to forgive them. The bridge isn’t completed yet — it may never be — but this summer we have gotten together a couple of times to begin to reconnect. I think what I am learning is that no matter how crushing the betrayal, there is still a foundation there to build on.
I think that is how it might have been for Jesus and the sleepy disciples. Yes, Jesus was ticked off at them and disappointed, but they had three good years in which they had laid a foundation for the work that would need to be done to move the relationship forward, even through betrayal. We know Jesus didn’t cut them off for disappointing him. He reached out to them and each one eventually became a cornerstone of the church.
Thought for the day: Are there relationships in my life where I need to be building bridges rather than burning them?
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.