Lent Gospel is a campaign for people to read through the whole of Mark’s Gospel during Lent, in 40 short readings. Helpful notes on each day's reading are available from www.usefulbible.com/lent-gospel; and you can download the whole series in PDF or Kindle format (it's free - just right-click on the links then select ‘save as...’ to download). Of course, it doesn’t have to be for Lent... why not begin now?
Last part: Capture Day 32 Mark 14:32-52
· Read: Mark 14:53-65
Sometimes people say that Jesus never claimed to be Gods son. Their assertion is wrong, as this reading shows. Here in front of the most important priest of all, and in the intensity of a trial Jesus declared whom he claimed to be.
And he did it with candour that shocked the High Priest. In other words, Jesus answer showed absolute honesty and straightforwardness. There was no attempt at a political answer no desire to appease his critics or to compromise with his enemies.
And his answer left his enemies no desire to compromise with him, either. The High Priest tore his own clothes to show utter horror and revulsion at what Jesus had said. He declared it blasphemy because only the Messiah (that is, the Christ) had the right to call himself Gods son.
That was when everyone present started to do what people have been doing ever since: they started to mock Jesus. They insisted that he could not be the one whom he claimed to be. They rejected him and refused to consider his claim on their lives.
John would later write: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
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Next part: Denying Day 34 Mark 14:66-72 |
© 2012, Keith Simons.