“As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene” (Mark 14:66-67).

Peter has just cut off the ear of the servant in a skirmish during the arrest of Jesus.  He was confused, angry, and combative.  He is confronted by another.  What would you do?  So often we like to think that we will react in a good and godly way, but what is our real reaction in the moment?  In our worst moments, we meet the sinner who still needs to be put to death.  We are often self-centered when we need to put our focus upon the Lord.

You know, Lord, how many times I am self-absorbed with my thoughts and feelings.  When in doubt, I often display who I really am.  I may not let others see it, but You know it is there.  Help me to the core of my being.  You are the One who has come to save me and I need saving.  I know that the transformation of Peter was great, for from the fisherman to the one who fished for men, You transformed him.

Lord Jesus, I often tell others what I would do if I were in Peter’s shoes.  The truth is that I do not know what I would do.  Help me to be honest before You knowing that You know me to the core of my being.  Keep me from becoming caught up in the games I play with myself.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to live into the life to which You are calling me.  Aid me to keep my eyes upon You.  Amen.

“Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face” (Mark 14:65).

This is how the world treats God.  They pretend He is not there, cannot see, and make outrageous demands.  The world is in rebellion and does not want to submit to the One to whom every knee will eventually bow.  All are invited to come into a right relationship because of what Jesus did when He was ridiculed and mocked.  It does no good to ask if there could have been any other way, for this is the way the Lord has chosen to reconcile us to Him.

Lord, I am in the world, but I do not want to be a part of its rebellion.  Through Your Holy Spirit, grant me wisdom so that my rebellion would end.  Lead me to see things through Your eyes.  Help me to ask good and right questions and not be a part of the insanity of this world.  Things are the way You have made them to be.  Lead me according to Your wisdom to see things as they are.

Lord Jesus, You endured all of these things so that each of us might have the opportunity to be rid of that which separates us from You.  Lead me in the way of salvation so that I may humbly follow You wherever You will take me.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to see that in You alone there is a new and better life.  You are the hope that our hearts long for.  Keep me in Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life.  Amen.

“Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death” (Mark 14:63-64).

If Jesus is not who He says He is, the high priest would be right in condemning Jesus.  God is One.  But one wonders if the high priest ever considered that this is God who has shown up?  It seems that too many never consider that question.  Has God shown up to personally be with me?  This is the question, when answered with Jesus, which changes everything.  Only the God of love would do such a thing.

Guide me, Lord, out of the way of thinking that is so inward that I am unable to consider the good questions which would bring me light and life.  You are the Creator of the universe and all things are in Your view.  You do things that are surprising.  Guide me away from the true blasphemy, which is denying that You are my salvation and that You have come as one of us to take away the sin of all who believe.

Lord Jesus, the indignities that You have suffered for our sake are unfathomable.  Teach me how to love as You love.  Lead me to serve as You serve.  Guide me to be like You and love You and my neighbor with willingness, laying all down for what is good and right.  You have redeemed me and I am Yours.  Keep me along the path of righteousness such that I do what is pleasing to You.  Amen.

“But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61-62).

There are times when the only answer one can give is silence.  Even when you know that what has been done is a trap, answer truthfully.  Equality with God is not something to be grasped.  Jesus made the proclamation that He and the Father are One.  In this place, there are only three options.  Jesus is crazy, he is a great liar seeking to deceive, or He is who He says He is.  The confession of Peter should be our confession: “Thou art the Christ!”

Almighty Father, You sent Your only begotten Son to accomplish what could not be accomplished by anyone but You.  You have made possible our redemption and salvation.  You have set the course before all people of faith that they might become like Jesus.  You have set Jesus at Your right hand and have given us hope that no matter what comes in this age, You will see all things through to fulfil Your word.

Lord Jesus, the world still hates what You have said.  There are those who want to make of You a mythical person who never existed.  Others want to make of you just a teacher or maybe a prophet.  Still others just ignore You, and pretend that the Father’s will means nothing.  No matter where I have been or I have done, help me to live in the truth of the good confession by joining with the disciples, knowing that You are my Savior, my Lord and my God.  Amen.

“Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.  The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer?  What is it that these men are testifying against You?” (Mark 14:59-60)

How does one answer constant accusations that are inconsistent?  Does this not describe what happens to us in our day as well?  Fighting against lies is impossible, for the liar will change the tune, dig a pit and try to snare us in the lies.  Jesus stood there listening to the accusations.  There was no response to the insanity.  How can there be?  Jesus was being led to the slaughter.  That is the way of wickedness.

Lord, help me to believe that there is no room for indignation.  When just part of an accusation is true, help me to focus upon the whole statement to know a lie from the truth.  When accused falsely, help me to stand and be silent.  The foolish ones of this world will be carried away with their foolishness.  Help me to not be carried away, but to humbly follow where You will lead me through whatever may come.

Lord Jesus, You are the example of how to live in every situation.  You have shown me that there is no good that can come from arguing with those who are liars.  You have spoken the words of truth.  Help me to focus upon Your word so that I may stand in the truth.  Guide me to be guarded with my tongue and live the life You have given me to live.  Lead me, Lord, and help me by grace to always follow You, the way, truth and life.  Amen.

“Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying,  “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands’” (Mark 14:57-59).

False testimony most often has elements of truth.  See the insertion of “Made with hands.”  The devil twists what the Lord has said and makes it into a lie.  Evil takes truth and twists it.  The wicked will not hear reason, but relish in the lies.  You have been called to be a person of truth.  Dwell in the grace which is Yours through our Savior.  Listen carefully for the twisted words that are injected into statements of truth.

Lord, open my ears to hear what You say.  Let Your word dwell richly in me so that when another injects something that is not true, I may hear it and understand the truth more fully.  This world is filled with twists and turns.  You alone know how to navigate through these things.  Help me to stay on the narrow path of truth so that I may not be led astray by the false witness that is all around me.

Lord Jesus, heal me of all of the twists that have been introduced into my thinking.  You know where I have taken in what is false.  Guide me out of the malaise of this world to walk in the righteousness You give by grace.  Lead me on this upward path so that I may learn to be more like You each day.  Keep me in Your goodness and mercy so that I may humbly follow You wherever You lead me.  Amen.

“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any.  For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent” (Mark 14:55-56).

The wicked will seek to do whatever they can to promote their cause.  Yet even they need to provide a trail of legitimacy.  Evil must use good and pervert it in order to move to judgment.  Good can be good for its own sake, but it never uses evil.  There are those who will lie for the sake of wickedness.  Be wary of what you hear.  The Lord always speaks truth.  Learn from Him.

Lord, even with the exaggerations I learned to use as a child, I too have the problem of false testimonies which come off of my tongue.  Lead me to understand where I am not being absolutely truthful.  Guide me so that I may neither give false testimony, nor listen to that which is false, and learn to discern the truth when it is spoken.  Teach me the way of purity so that I know what is false because I know what is true.

Lord Jesus, You walked in the way of righteousness.  Teach me Your way.  Help me to see the consistency of what is true so that I may clearly understand when testimonies are not consistent.  Your word is truth and it is consistent.  Lead me to understand that through You alone can I move in the way of righteousness.  Guide me in the way of life that is pleasing to the Father.  Aid me to be like You.  Amen.

“They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.  Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire” (Mark 14:53-54).

We all have curiosity, especially when experiencing events that are out of the ordinary.  We each have thoughts running through our minds and wonder what is going to happen.  When the wicked plot and scheme, we are not sure what the outcome will be.  Rest upon what You have been given and trust that the Savior of all will work all things together according to the Father’s perfect purpose.

Lord, I often wander in this world wondering what You would have me do.  Guide me into a life that seeks what is right and fitting for each circumstance in which You have placed me.  Lead me to see that in You alone is there hope and a future.  Guide me according to Your purpose to hold fast to what is right.  Keep my mind in check by bringing Your word to remembrance in all circumstances.

Thank You Lord Jesus for being vulnerable and showing me human weakness.  Help me to be humble, admit my faults, and bow in the grace You give me.  Guide me according to the Father’s purposes so that I may, now and always, live according to the word You have given me.  When confronted with overwhelming curiosity, bring to my mind Scripture, Psalms, and praise so that I may focus upon You and the grace You give.  Amen.

“A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him.  But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked” (Mark 14:51-52).

Who is this?  We do not know, but Christians over the ages have speculated.  He was a witness of these things.  Is this the one who heard Jesus praying while the disciples slept?  The Lord provides witnesses to speak of what they say.  The who here isn’t as important as the message reporting what Jesus said and did.  Keep your eyes upon the Lord and not upon the one giving the report.  Eye-witness reports may vary, but the Lord of life does not.

Lord, You know how easily I become titillated with speculation, often to the point of being distracted.  Help me to keep my focus on You so that I spend more effort on what is being said rather than who is saying it.  Lead me in the way You know I need to go so that I am not caught up in the constant speculations that surround me.  Guide me to live by faith, trusting in You above all things.

Lord Jesus, You went through all that You went through that night for each one of us.  I dive into Your word and want to know more, but what do I really need to know anything other than You?  Guide me to live a quiet life, trusting in Your goodness and grace, seeking the path that conforms me to You.  When distracted, remind me that I am letting myself be distracted.  Lead me to live the life of faith which You have given me.  Amen. 

“Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.”  And they all left Him and fled” (Mark 14:49-50).

This is the way of the world.  Afraid to confront in public, clandestine means are used to bring about a controlled result.  What was it about Jesus teaching that made them so mad?  He introduced nothing new in morality or the law; but called for all to follow the Lord’s commands.  What is different is who He is, not only what He said.  Those who sought His condemnation condemned Him for who He claimed to be, not what He said or did.

Lord, You are the Creator of all things.  All power and authority belong to You.  In rebellion, we want to control what we want to control.  Therein, we violate the first commandment by not trusting You above all things.  Whether in small measure or large, this is the problem of sin.  You have come to free us to live in the truth.  Help us to hear Your voice and live in the truth that You alone are the Sovereign One.

Lord Jesus, You willingly went with those who condemned You.  I who deserve it was replaced by You who did not.  You have taken my punishment so that I could take on Your life and live as life is meant to be lived.  In all of the ways I live, help me to not betray You, but live according to the model You gave me with Your own life.  Lead me to always live in the grace You have given me.  Amen.