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MARK’S GOSPEL…THE MEW COVENANT – 35

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Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭22‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Just another Passover celebration in the life of Jesus…or was it?

I wonder if the disciples ever realised what a life-and-world-changing event was about to happen at that moment. Centuries before, Jeremiah had predicted that what Jesus Christ was about to do, to make a new covenant between the Father and Himself, was God’s solution to His people’s dismal failure as His own covenant nation. 

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A New Covenant? Why? What was wrong with the covenant God had cut with Israel at Mount Sinai? Centuries of disobedience, lawlessness, and idolatry defined the Israelites despite God’s pleading, patience, and expressions of love and mercy towards His people. Israel’s history was stained with defiance and betrayal. 

There was nothing wrong with the covenant but everything wrong with the people. Their hearts were hard and incurably wicked. A new covenant, based on what God could do rather than on what they could never do, was the answer. 

Included in the promise of a new covenant was the promise of new hearts. 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, at this moment, in the Upper Room, in the presence of His eleven closest companions (Judas had left the company), Jesus set up His New Covenant, not another ceremony signed in animal blood but an eternal agreement between Himself and the Father, to be signed in His own blood. 

So significant was this covenant for the eternal redemption of the human race that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could not entrust to sinful humans the honour of being in covenant with God. The only perfectly obedient human who was eligible to be in covenant with Father was Jesus Himself. 

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many…”

An ordinary, everyday event…eating bread and drinking wine…was elevated, in this moment, to an eternal truth. Bread, the staff of life…wine, the blood of the grape, speaking of life and death…so, in symbolic simplicity, Jesus revealed the heart of God in the inauguration of His New Covenant…a covenant between Father and Son signed in His blood…with us, condemned sinners, as His beneficiaries. 

What so many of God’s people have sadly missed is that the New Covenant is not an addition to the Old but completely replaces it. 

“By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

Hebrews‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

According to Google, 

“Obsolete” means no longer used, in general use, or useful because something newer or better has been invented. For example, an old model of a cell phone might become obsolete when a new smartphone is released, or an old programming language might be deemed obsolete when it’s replaced by a more efficient one.”

God’s people need to get the impact of this word “obsolete”! If the Old Covenant is obsolete, outdated and discarded, why do many of God’s people still observe some of its laws, rituals, and practices as though they still apply…for example food taboos, Sabbath observance, holy festivals, even prayer rituals? 

This little scene in the Upper Room is a line in the sand, a deciding moment in history, a new dispensation in God’s dealings with humanity…law as a way of acceptance with God forever declared redundant…grace, the new way forever because mercy, redemption, and forgiveness are freely given through the body and blood of Jesus. 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth….Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬, ‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The only safe place in which we can take shelter from God’s wrath against sin is in the body and blood of the one who is in covenant with the Father on our behalf. No law, ritual, tradition, or sacrifice can add or substitute for what Jesus has done for us. 

Paul issued a serious warning…

“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Law and grace can never live in peace together because the one cancels the other. 

In this breathtaking scene in the Upper Room, history stood still, then made an about-turn, retracing its step to the moment when the Lamb of God was slain in eternity and the magnitude of that sacrifice cast its shadow across time. Instead of the covenant at Sinai, with its exposure of humanity’s evil heart, the cross of Jesus will always be the defining moment for every sinner…”Yes!” Or “No!”

MOLLY AND ME – DIET

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Molly is a dachshund. Dachshunds have allergies. Molly has allergies! Molly has ALLERGIES!!

For almost eight years, Molly and I have struggled to diagnose the cause of her allergies. Grass is definitely a cause because her low-slung “chassis” turns red and itchy when she walks in long grass.

Food allergies are a different story. I haven’t always given her food that’s good for her. Bad mother! So, now I have tried to eliminate what might set up violent reactions. Her latest manifestation is a growly wheeze, eminating from somewhere inside her nose-chest area. True to Murphy’s law, she wheezes at home but not at the vetinerary clinic. I’m on my own as far as diagnosis is concerned.

Molly has had numerous courses of cortisone with temporary relief, and a cortisone spray to apply to her itch, but all temporary. I longed for a permanent solution.

I have tried different vet-researched, vet-expert, vet-wise, vet-created kibble, fortified with every essential vitamin and mineral you can think of, bulked up with grains like maize and wheat (that dogs should never eat), but she still kept wheezing.

So, now what! Molly must eat, but what must she eat to fuel her long body without setting it on fire?

In desperation, I kept calling on the name of the Lord. After exhausting all my options, a simple solution
eventually came to mind… honest-to goodness, home-cooked veg and meat. I tried my fussy-eater dog with a layer of veg and meat on her kibble. She hoovered it up like a vacuum cleaner!

So now, Molly eats real food! Not a factory-produced imitation of food that probably tastes like sawdust. Chicken, chicken liver, ground beef, white fish, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, green beans, even raw carrots…all look and taste like the real thing. And the wheeze? Almost gone!

Molly’s problem reminds me of my own Christian life. As a young believer, I feasted on every Christian book I could find. Biographies, autobiographies, theology, “how-to” books, all went into my spiritual digestive system indescriminately, setting up “allergic” reactions in my spirit.

In my eagerness to love the Lord and walk in the truth, I tried to apply many of the conflicting ideas I ingested from the man-made “kibble” I was eating.

Gradually, as I have grown in age and experience, I have come to realise that, despite the limited value of people’s research and expertise, there is only one spiritual diet that feeds the soul with honest-to-goodness, veg-and-meat nourishment, the word of God. The Bible even describes itself as bread, milk, and solid food.

John 6:33, 35 NLT
[33] “The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”…
[35] Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

1 Peter 2:2 NLT
[2] “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment…”

Hebrews 5:14 NLT
[14] “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

God’s Word is the only spiritual food that provides complete, all-round, spiritual nourishment, with every vitamin and mineral we need to keep us healthy and strong without provoking allergic reactions. Man-made “kibble” may have a limited benefit but it is laced with indigestible human ideas and opinions detrimental to our spiritual well-being.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
[16]”All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

There we have it, the label of ingredients guaranteeing spiritual health in God’s provision!

Matthew 4:4 NLT
[4″But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

A dear old saint of God, known as Bernard of Clairvaux, captured this truth in these immortal words…

  1. Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts,
    Thou fount of life, Thou light of men,
    from the best bliss that earth imparts,
    we turn unfilled to Thee again.
  2. Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
    Thou savest those that on Thee call;
    to them that seek Thee, Thou art good,
    to them that find Thee all in all.
  3. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
    and long to feast upon Thee still;
    we drink of Thee, the Fountain-head,
    and thirst our souls from Thee to fill.
  4. Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
    where’er our changeful lot is cast;
    glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
    blest when our faith can hold Thee fast.
  5. O Jesus, ever with us stay,
    make all our moments calm and bright;
    chase the dark night of sin away;
    shed o’er the world Thy holy light.

(Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #384
Author: Bernard of Clairvaux 1091-1153)

GOD HOSTS A PICNIC

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GOD HOSTS A PICNIC

“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed Him because they saw the signs He had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with His disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.”  John 6:1-6.

John’s Gospel is a masterfully written piece of literature. John skilfully wove his theme, Jesus is the Son of God, into his story, using carefully chosen miracles as evidence that Jesus was who He said He was, and the discourses He had with His opponents that ensued from His miracles to enlarge on and explain His claims.

On this occasion, Jesus and His disciples had crossed the lake to take time out from their busy lives,,  according to the other gospels. He wanted to be alone with them to get some rest but, when the crowd arrived, instead of being annoyed with them, He graciously received them and spent days teaching them because He recognized their need, much to the annoyance of His disciples.

John did not comment on the extended time of teaching Jesus had with them; only that they needed food and He was as much aware of their physical need for bread as He was for their spiritual nourishment because they were like shepherd-less sheep. He was quick to grasp the opportunity to put His disciples to the test and to teach them to look beyond the natural to the supernatural where the Father was waiting for them to tap into His limitless resources to meet their needs.

Philip’s response to Jesus’ question, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat, each one to have a bite!'”?’ – John 6:7 (NIV). reveals his un-readiness to see what Jesus saw — an opportunity to put God’s glory on display by partnering with Him in the world’s greatest picnic.Philip’s response would have been perfectly natural for a man who not walked with Jesus long enough to know that He always viewed crises as opportunities. Philip was caught off guard and responded from his awareness of the facts.

A vast crowd of people needed a large amount of money to feed them and (unspoken) a very large stock of bread which was unavailable in a remote place like this. Philip’s response, when he looked at the circumstances was, in a nutshell, ‘Impossible!’ This is a normal, natural human response when we, too, are faced with impossibilities. We look at the situation, shrivel up and throw up our hands in despair. ‘Impossible!’ says unbelief, and we weep with frustration.

Andrew chipped in with a tentative solution which sounded equally pathetic when he verbalized it. “Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?'”- John 6:8, 9. The emphasis on “small” was Andrew’s attempt at making Jesus aware that He was setting them an impossible task. There was food available (if the boy was willing to part with it), but it was ludicrous to think they could feed the crowd with it!

That was enough for Jesus to interrupt their pathetic inadequacy with His plan which had been in place all the time. It was obvious to Him that they had not yet caught on to His modus operandi. When one view’s things from God’s perspective, it becomes easy and when one uses every situation to put God’s glory on display, God will do His part.

When we read John’s gospel, it becomes clear that Jesus was never at a loss when faced with a crisis. He was in partnership with the Father and used people’s needs to reveal the compassionate heart of the Father.

Jesus’ response to the most impossible of crises was “Let’s see what God can do!” What a difference it would make if we saw our situations in the same way!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – PASSOVER FULFILLED

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PASSOVER FULFILLED

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:22-26

In Luke 22:14, Jesus expressed His eager desire to share this final Passover meal with His disciples before He suffered. There is so much meaning packed into this ceremony. The entire Old Testament climaxed in that moment. Everything that Passover symbolised was being fulfilled.

The disciples, all Jews, would have understood the symbolism of the bread and wine, according to function and not form, not taking Jesus’ words literally, as some heretical branches of the church do, but interpreting what He was saying to express the stark reality of the events about to unfold. They may not have understood it all then, but after ave thanks. Pentecost it would all come alive to them. Then they would be able to “connect the dots” to see the whole picture clearly.

As we read the words of this simple ceremony, they don’t impact us a powerfully as they would have impacted those twelve men that night. Even Judas would have been riveted by Jesus’ disclosure. What thoughts ran through his mind as Jesus spoke of His broken body and poured out blood? How did he connect that with the dastardly act of betrayal that was already taking shape in his mind? Did he realise that he, in some perverted way, would play a part in the unfolding drama of redemption? His mind was probably fixed on the reward of his betrayal – a small fortune in a bag!

There is no fear, anxiety or distress in Jesus’ words. He disclosed the outcome of the next fateful hours with confidence, even expectation. He was not there to announce the end of His life but a transition into a new era with His friends – the kingdom of God. When would He share the Passover meal with them again? Would it be only after His return, when He wraps up this season of earth’s existence and restores everything to His original purpose? Perhaps, but is it not true that He shares that Passover experience with His people every time they celebrate the Lord’s Supper because, wherever His body is, there He is in the midst?

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – READ DEEPER…

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READ DEEPER…

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” Mark 8:14-21

Jesus’ mind was obviously preoccupied with His recent encounter with the Pharisees. What was the influence of their constant criticism for not adhering to the minutiae of their religious system? In a culture where all of life revolved around the Torah and its protective laws, the disciples were probably soaked in this way of thinking. Perhaps, because most of them came from Galilee, which had close ties with the Gentile world, they were not as heavily influenced by Pharisaic thinking and behaviour as those who came from Judea.

Jesus issued a stern warning to them all to be careful of the Pharisees’ influence. It was as subtle and all-pervading as yeast in a lump of dough. Although the disciples had neglected to bring enough bread for the day, He was not concerned about their lunch, or lack of it. He had a far greater concern for their hearts and for the danger of judging people by their own artificial standards of righteousness.

Once again, this incident reveals the contrast between the thinking of Jesus and the thinking of His disciples. The disciples were preoccupied with their immediate need while Jesus was concerned about their hearts and where they were in their understanding and attitude to the kingdom of God. They thought Jesus’ comment was a rebuke because of their thoughtlessness. They focussed on the physical – on bread.

Jesus was annoyed with them. His rebuke was not about their neglect but about their inability to understand the lessons they were supposed to learn from His dealings with people. The fact that the Father was capable of taking care of their needs went unnoticed. Not once but twice Jesus had provided food for thousands from a tiny supply because God cared that they were hungry. He could do it again for them if they needed help, in spite of their forgetfulness. Jesus was teaching them to read deeper into their experiences for the real meaning of life.