Mark: Living the Way of Jesus in the WorldSample

First Thought 

As we read this passage, we sense this is a holy place that we’re invited to enter. It’s a moment of exquisite pain and intimacy between the Father and the Son, as Jesus wrestles with the horror that lies ahead for Him. Jesus who has been calm, controlled, and strong in the face of impending death throughout the Gospel so far now reveals His innermost agitation and anguish. In the Old Testament, the prophets refer to ‘the cup’ as a metaphor for God’s wrath and judgment. God’s justice is poured out onto injustice, dealing with humanity’s sin and its effects. Now, through Jesus’ suffering and victorious confrontation with evil at every level, death, the final enemy, would be defeated; people would be set free, and creation renewed. The cost for Jesus would be agony in every way. He knew that. We can scarcely imagine it. This is love. 

What Does the Bible Say?

Jesus exhorted the disciples to pray for themselves. What temptations do you think the disciples faced?

Living it Out

In what ways does the sacrificial love of Jesus shape who you are today? 

Responding in Prayer

Father God, I yield to your will and not my own (…). Amen.