In Luke's account of the third day following the Crucifixion, we are reminded of how Jesus's life, death, and Resurrection culminate to make sense of our lives as His followers. Through Jesus's words and actions leading to the Cross, while on the Cross, and after the Cross, we find the hope and promises on which we stand in Resurrection today.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem and the Church approaches Easter, His followers joyously announce the arrival of the King! However, because Jesus knows that suffering precedes victory in the Father's plan, the Son weeps over the city. How do we, as followers of Jesus today, suffer for our city, in light of future glory and the hope we have in Christ?

In this passage, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus using a law given to them by Moses around marriage and divorce. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach that God's plan for any relationship is for the former to give his life in order that the latter be presented spotless and blameless before God. Jesus's body was broken and His blood was poured out for His bride. How does this compare to the love we have for one another? For our spouses? For our families? For our neighbors?

In this short but rich passage, Jesus reminds us that God uses unexpected people for the powerful work of the Kingdom. Pride can make us think God chooses us over others because of something special in us, creating unhealthy divisions in our hearts. How is Jesus calling you to put pride to death? How can faith in Jesus empower us to live for others?

In Mark 9:42-50, Jesus shows His wild side with regard to protecting His followers. He talks about the unquenchable fires of sin and the purifying fire that He offers, which leads to peace: peace with yourself, peace with one another, and ultimately peace between God and humanity.

As we see over and over again in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus's disciples often lose sight of God's call on their lives when they get caught up in the details. Yet, Jesus's reminder to them then, and us today, is that to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, we must live to be last, live to serve, and live to receive those viewed to be the least.

Scripture tells us that as believers our fight isn't against flesh and blood, but against darkness and spiritual forces of evil. But when we come up against our enemy, we can be confident that even a "weak faith in Jesus is better than strong faith in our flesh". God's Kingdom is infinitely stronger than the kingdom of darkness. Even in death, Jesus won and through Him, we are victorious!

When we are confronted with God’s glory, we realize that God is good, and we can be broken in front of Him and others. God’s glory gives us the freedom to live the truly authentic life Jesus came to give us.

Entering into Act 2 of Mark, our focus shifts to what it means for Jesus to be the Christ. God so values your soul that He gave up everything to teach us how to follow Him. Does God's approval mean more to you than man's?

In this passage, we learn that Jesus is keen to know who His disciples say He is and that in rightly declaring that Jesus is King, His followers receive their true identity in the Kingdom. As we wrestle with the same question today, we must ask ourselves, "What, or Who rather, do you stand for?"