Mark 14 - Friday 19th April

Today’s chapter is Mark 14

Tom writes:

Jesus knew where the donkey would be, where the man with the jar would be, that one of his disciples would betray him, that Peter would disown him (and how many times, and before when). And he knew he would be crucified. While the crisis unfolded around him and enveloped him in its murderous wake, Jesus suffered no crisis of faith. He knew what he was doing. He was the master of his ship. Compare that to everyone else in this story. No-one else holds it together. Not even those who are bringing their wrath down upon him. One by one their composure slips from them like the linen garment from the unnamed man. The disciples scatter, the false witnesses can’t agree, the temple leaders lose grip of their fury, and even Pilate doesn’t know what to do with the Christ. Here we see the de-creating power of suffering. Suffering unpicks plans, fractures faith and wrecks relationships. Suffering de-creates everything… except for God. Suffering may feel it has kidnapped the Christ but Jesus has willingly complied and he will wriggle free on the dawn of the third day. This is the glorious triumph of these closing chapters of Mark.

We see that our King can not only resurrect but can remain righteous in the de-creating riot of pain. Nowhere is this “stability” needed more than in our post-god 21st century society. We may be richer than ever, but we have no grid for suffering and it is spitting on our spirits and mangling our mental health. Believers and non-believers alike seem to morph into different, confused people when suffering comes calling. Anxiety and anger have become the amniotic fluid of those pregnant with pain. But not so with Christ. And, therefore, it need not be with us. How do we do this? How do we avoid being de-created by suffering? We “take” Jesus’ body and blood into us. We invite Jesus to truly meet us in our suffering and to soothe us and school us in every step. The deliberate learning of intimacy and obedience as ways of life are what is symbolised by the drinking of his blood and the eating of his flesh. We fill our veins with intimate prayer and fill our stomachs with trusting obedience. And we do it over and over again. We truly try to digest these “Ways”, and we pray for Jesus to help us by his Spirit. Then, in the midst of decreating suffering we find ourselves not only being stable but even becoming more alive in God.

Question for reflection

Do you suffer well?

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