“And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’  But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee” (Mark 14:27-28).

We need Jesus.  Without Him, we would scatter.  He knows this.  Those sheep without a shepherd are helpless.  Notice that although He knows these things, He gives instructions to gather the sheep together again.  Our faith may not be as strong as we think.  What does it matter?  The most important thing is to move beyond our fears, not relying upon ourselves, but fully trusting the One who has come to save us.

Lord God, You know that I declare one thing publicly, and, when pressed, change my mind as if I had never made such a statement.  You know how weak I am, thrown about by the winds of this world.  Lead me out of such conditional living in order that I may hear and heed the word You have spoken.  There are so many things I do not understand, but You do, for You created all things.

Lord Jesus, I would like to think I would not deny You, but I am weak and probably would.  Only in You do I have strength to stand against the foul winds of this age.  Lead me into the way of living that trusts You and holds fast to what You have shown me is true.  Gather me with Your other sheep that I may learn and grow in the faith You have granted me through grace.  Amen.

“Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”  After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:25-26).

All that God gives is given with purpose.  The kingdom will be finally put into place when Christ has brought all things into subjection and laid them at the Father’s feet.  Jesus will subject the hearts of the faithful to willingly bow down in obedient submission to the Father’s will just as He did by going to the cross.  Until the end of this age, the battle rages on, but those who come in faith are at peace through Him.

Dear Savior, help me to understand simply the goodness You have given through the sacrifice of Your life for ours.  You have come so that we may be reconciled to You, Holy Trinity.  Create in me a new and clean heart that follows the path of Christ my Savior and willingly submits to Your will, Heavenly Father, in all situations.  Guide me, Holy Spirit, away from rebellion and into the truth which You have spoken.

Lord Jesus, You are still at work in me as well as those around me who live in the faith which You give to all who see the light of Your presence.  Guide me in this faith in order that I may learn how to live faithfully all the days which You give me.  Continue to teach me all that this means as You implant those lessons which You have given me to learn.  Help me to be faithful to You, my Savior.  Amen.

“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:23-24).

Jesus, the One who possesses the future, gives us His last will as the Messiah before His crucifixion.  “This is my blood, poured out for many.”  “Drink this and my life is yours,” Jesus is saying.  He is taking our death that we deserve so that we may have His life.  He who is life, is giving us His life.  As many as partake, He gives us the power of His life so that we may live.  He is the tree of life.  All who partake of Him will live.

Almighty Father, I know that the church has made a ritual of this, but it is so much more.  It gets to the heart of what You are doing for all who believe.  Yes, we receive it in the ritual of the church, but this is personal, between me and Thee.  Lead me out of the selfish heart that just goes through the motions to realize, at least in part, that You are creating in me the very image of Jesus my Savior.

Lord Jesus, in a lifetime of participating in this ritual, I still find great mystery in all that this means.  Help me to move beyond my limited  thinking to realize that You are doing so much more, not only in this, but in all  my life.  Guide me to learn how to be faithful and trust You above all things.  You alone are my Lord and Savior.  Lead me to follow You always.  Amen.

“While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body” (Mark 14:22).

Our Savior has given His body for us.  Let your body be exchanged for His body.  Give up your body to have His body become yours.  He literally gives His life to you.  Take Him in and become like Christ.  In the mystery of the faith, the Lord will do what He does with your submission.  His will, not yours.  He gives you love so that you might be able to give yourself up for Him in love.

Lord, the taking and eating is one of the things You have commanded us to do.  More than a ritual or rite, You are doing something through what You have commanded. So many have argued over the ages about how this is done and what this is.  I too have joined in the debates.  Help me to learn first how to obey all that You command, knowing that You are preparing me to be with You forever.

Lord Jesus, prepare my heart so that each time communion is offered I may come to You  knowing that You are ministering to me personally.  Lead me to have a humble heart, eagerly awaiting the next step of faith.  Guide me according to Your purpose to walk with You each step of the way, obeying what You have commanded and learning to love You and my neighbor.  Amen.

“For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21).

Those who follow the Lord will be forgiven their sin.  Those who continue demanding that things be the way they want them to be are given a dire warning.  Woe to the one who rejects the salvation of the Lord.  Be led not by Your desires, but by the truth which has been revealed to you in scripture.  The Lord has come to save all who will live in the salvation He offers.  Those who continue in rebellion remain in the condemnation into which we all were born.

Lord and God Almighty, without Your salvation, we continue on the path of condemnation.  To reject You is to betray the salvation You have given us.  Lead Your faithful children to remain true to the salvation You have given us by grace through faith.  Good Shepherd, open our eyes to see more clearly the truth that You alone are the only hope there is for all who come to believe the truth that You are the One who has come to gather the wandering sheep of this world.

Come, Holy Spirit, and minister to my heart.  Help me not betray the love You have poured into my heart.  Keep me in humbleness, willing to serve as I have been served.  Take me far from the temptation of thinking that I can do as I please, knowing that to love my neighbor means caring for them as You have cared for me.  Lead me deeper into the faith You have given me.  Amen.

“They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”  And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl” (Mark 14:19-20).

The first thing we often do is to build a wall of denial.  We all have guilt, and if we say we have no sin, the only one being deceived is ourselves.  The Lord will bring us to the place of introspection.  He will guide us inwardly to see the places where we have denied Him for something or anything other than humbly living in the truth of our God and Maker.  Judas was next to Jesus and dipped with Him the bitter tears of the Passover meal.

Almighty Father, Passover was not just about what You did for those who listened to Moses, but told the story of what would happen to Jesus too.  Help me to understand that You have come to save us from ourselves.  Aid me to connect Scripture so that I live according to Your word of grace and truth.  Where You have guided me through Your forgiveness, help me to never return to the rebellion into which I was born.

Lord Jesus, You went to the cross even as we were betraying You.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray.  Help me by Your grace and goodness to lay down the rebellion of sin and humbly walk in Your light.  Lead me to see that in You alone there is hope.  In You alone can I find what my heart longs for.  Guide me, Lord Jesus, in the way You know I need to go and do not stop aiding me, so that I may become more like You each day.  Amen.

“When it was evening He came with the twelve.  As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me – one who is eating with Me” (Mark 14:17-18).

We all have betrayed the Lord.  But there are the sins committed by those under grace and those which are committed by the ones under judgement.  The greater sin is the one which intends to thwart what God will do.  A sin of commission is a serious matter.  Weigh carefully what you do and why.  You are saved by grace, but do not fall to the place where you willingly betray the Lord.

Lord, I do begin to understand the difference.  So many around me have betrayed You by denying You because You did not give them what they wanted.  Who knows what we truly want?  We think we know, but we do not.  Help me to live looking to You, listening to Your word, and abiding by Your direction for my life.  Lead me so that I may understand more clearly that all things are in Your hands.

Guide me, Holy Spirit, in my inner thoughts.  I confess I have times of frustration, doubts, and even anger because things do not go the way I want them to go.  Help me to trust in the simple truth that all things are in Your hands.  Lead me now and always to humbly walk in the way of salvation, trusting You each step of the way.  Jesus, You went to the cross so that I could be with You forever.  Guide me now and always.  Amen.

“And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.”  The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover” (Mark 14:15-16).

We shall all find that things are the way our Lord has told us.  The world tries to get us to believe what it says, and we are often disappointed in the world’s false narratives.  We mix these lies into what the Lord says – which is exactly what the wicked one wants – and then are disappointed.  Trust the One who knows, and follow Him.  Trust that what He says, and know that it will come to pass.  He who knew you before you were born knows all that is needed.

Father in heaven, all things are in Your hands.  You know how all things began and will end.  Guide me to live in the truth which You have revealed.  Lead me according to Your purpose so that I humbly obey, and believe that I will find things to be just as You have revealed.  Take away the pride that causes me to stumble so that I follow Your only begotten Son on this journey of faith which You have set before me.

Thank You,  Lord Jesus, for being patient with each one of us.  You intentionally marched to the cross, setting things up along the way for our benefit.  Help me to live by this faith which You have given me.  Guide me to trust in Your word and not by the speculations of this world.  Through all things, teach me how to live life fully with each moment that You give me.  Help me to live this life in faith, trusting You above all things.  Amen.

“And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ (Mark 14:13-14)

The Lord does line things up to work out as He plans.  This is true of all eternity.  Notice the particularities and details.  The Lord works things out to the most minute detail.  He has been doing this since the beginning.  We get carried away with our prognostications while the Lord is holding all things together and working them together for good for those who love Him.  Learn to trust wholly in the Lord for all things.

Lord, I notice many things about this part of Your story.  First, You have lined things up, but also You want us to do things as well.  We each have opportunity to live by faith, trust Your word, and obey what You have directed.  You, who know all things, have called us to live by faith and trust that You will bring all things together, just as You planned from the beginning.

Lord Jesus, I see You pulling these things together as You head for the cross.  You give me every opportunity to live by faith.  Help me to not waste so much time trying to figure things out but instead live by the faith You have given me and humbly follow where You lead.  Guide me to live the faith You have given me, knowing that You go before me to prepare the way.  Amen. 

“On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (Mark 14:12)

The traditions are fulfilled.  By this time in His ministry, the disciples knew that things were going to be done in a particular way.  Many who go to church are in this situation.  They know things need to be done in a certain way, but, as we learn from the disciples, there is a difference between the religion of tradition and the faith of trusting Jesus.  Yes, He knows, but also, He is your friend as He was theirs.  He will lead you.

Lord, You know how often I come to You knowing that You know all things, but I do not come in faith and trust You.  Lead me out of such thinking so that I humbly walk with You knowing that You already have things planned.  You have offered me an eternal relationship, living with You now and forever.  Help me to obey You and do what You give me to do, and also to engage fully with You in this relationship You make possible.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being patient and kind.  You have led me all the days of my life.  Wherever I was (or was not) on this journey of faith, You have been there.  Guide me to live today knowing that You have plans for me, that You care about my life and all that is happening around me.  Teach me to be awake and aware, living each day that You give me, walking by faith, and in the grace for which You gave Your life for so that I might live with You now and forever.  Amen.