Jesus' trial has begun and the whole of the way, every party involved is behaving ironically. It is only Jesus who acts in a way consistent to His word. Furthermore, the enemies and disenfranchised devotees of His are still somehow living in fulfillment of His prophecies concerning them (Mark 14:53-72).

Faithfulness is most tested by difficulty. In this passage we see three examples, each unfaithful for different reasons. In contrast we see the ever-faithful one: Jesus. Mark desires not just to teach us to trust in Jesus' faithfulness instead of ours, but that we can be faithful because Jesus is.

Jesus' real power is displayed despite the circumstances of His arrest. Juxtaposed against the weakness of His disciples who can't even stay awake to the best of their abilities, Jesus is shown to have absolute power with kindness and without any trace of corruption (Mark 14:25-42).

This week in Ezekiel, God has tasked His prophet to bring a word regarding Egypt. God assures that His judgment will lead the people of Egypt to know that He is the true God. Despite this, God sends a written lament for Egypt, its fallen allies, and for Pharaoh himself.

When Jesus and His disciples celebrate the Passover, Jesus proves to be the ultimate fulfillment of the feast the Jewish people have celebrated for generations. His coming death on the Cross will seal Him as the true Passover Lamb (Mark 14:12-25).

Ezekiel's ministry of prophecy continues as God tells him a parable surrounding two women, Oholah and Oholibah, figures representing Judah and Israel respectively. Prophecies surrounding the siege of Jerusalem, and the nations of Ammon and Tyre are given to Ezekiel and in the midst of his prophetic career, his wife passes away.

When the chief priests and scribes are looking for a way to stealthily arrest and execute Jesus, they will find an ally in Jesus' apostle Judas. But before Mark tells that story, he first wants to pause and tell of the anointing at Bethany so we can see what's really going on (Mark 14:1-11).

Israel's continued rebellion has warranted judgment from God. Ezekiel is dispatched to tell God's people how God has temporarily replaced their promise of Holy dominion with divine judgment. But, as always, God promises to restore Israel to their place of grace.

In this final installment of our Politics by Design series, we learn that there is no simple cookie cutter paradigm for politics in the life of a disciple, but rather that the formation of laws and the applications therein must be based on deep consideration.

God describes His people as a faithless bride. The nation's idolatry is likened to adultery and prostitution. Even so, God promises to take back His people and restore them from their shame. God also speaks a parable of two eagles and the planting of a vine, this represents Jerusalem's betrayal of their arrangement with Babylon and the consequential backlash she received for it.