This week, we see the burial of the Son of God and two unlikely disciples, boldly step out to be part of Jesus’ burial. Why do all four Gospel writers write about His burial They all write about it because His burial, according to Paul in 1 Cor. is of 1st importance. God ordained and orchestrated every detail. God orchestrates events in our life either supernaturally or providentially. The supernatural intervention is referred to as a miracle and usually interrupts natural law and processes. Thru Divine providence, God insured thru His burial that He was dead. He insured where He was buried and how He was buried fulfilled Holy Scripture. Finally, He providentially gave two secret disciples a chance to be BOLD in their faith. Previously, they were hesitant to publicly give testimony about their loyalty to Him, but they went above and beyond by taking down His body from the cross and honored Him with a proper burial.

This week, we see the crucifixion and death of Jesus at Golgotha, the “Place of the Skull.” Mark doesn’t focus on the physical pain or even the physicality of the crucifixion. Instead, he gives more detail about the mockery, scorn, and rejection by the religious leaders. After being mocked and offered a sedative to keep him calm, Jesus was nailed to the cross between two criminals under the charge “The King of the Jews.” As onlookers, the religious leaders, and even the criminals ridiculed Him to come down and prove His divinity, darkness covered the land for three hours. In that moment of divine agony, Jesus cried out to His Father, expressing the weight of separation as He bore humanity’s sin. With a loud cry, He gave up His spirit, and the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom—signifying direct access to God through His sacrifice. The very messengers of God’s hope completely rejected the HOPE sent to bring redemption and forgiveness. However, a Roman centurion, witnessing how He died, declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God,” while some devoted women who had followed Him for a while looked on from a distance, remaining faithful even in His death.

This week, we see the Gentile (Roman) trial which also has three phases. Jesus will go before Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again. Pilate over and over again says that Jesus is an innocent man, a man not guilty of anything deserving death. Herod even proclaims Jesus’ innocence. In spite of their witness that Jesus is innocent, Pilate chooses to please the crowd and religious leaders over ruling on the TRUTH of the matter. Why, because in God’s unfolding plan, Jesus had to go to the CROSS! If not, we would have all been doomed to eternal punishment!! God is the ultimate influence of the death of Jesus…not Judas…not Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod…Yahweh!

This week, we see darkness at every turn. We see the betrayal by Judas. Jesus is then arrested and tried by the people responsible for instructing and leading God’s people. We see the “Shepherds of Israel,” the Sanhedrin and High Priest hold an illegal trial and commit many illegal acts as they carry out their plan to have Jesus killed. They hated His message of grace and they were extremely jealous of His popularity. Finally, we see one of His closest disciples deny Him three times, just as Jesus prophesied.

This week, we see a final attempt by Satan to try and keep Jesus from going to the cross by tempting Him to not take up the cup of God’s wrath. We see the weight of the world’s sin and the wrath of God start to weigh heavy on Jesus. How does He respond? He goes to His Father for comfort and strength. When we are hurting because God has called us to a path that is painful and costly, how do we respond? We can learn a lot from Jesus as He models trusting in the Father, even when we don’t like what He’s called us to do.

Last session, we saw a contrast in a devoted follower who was a true worshipper of Jesus and a “wolf” in sheep’s clothing. We saw the passion of Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, for Jesus demonstrated in her actions and also saw the selfish and idolatrous deception of Judas, who followed Jesus geographically, but not spiritually. He saw all of Jesus’ miracles, heard all His teachings, and even taught and healed people, but was ultimately a fraud. Our actions ultimately reveal our hearts and our true loyalties.

This week, we continue looking at Jesus and His disciples celebrating the Passover. This is the last Passover, not just for Jesus, but for all true followers of God. Jesus institutes His “Passover” to be remember by our celebrating and remembering his suffering and death on our behalf. We also see Him remind us that pride and self-sufficiency is a universal problem without a cure, apart from Jesus.

This week, we see a contrast in a follower who is a true worshipper of Jesus and a “wolf” in sheep’s clothing. We see the passion of this follower for Jesus demonstrated in her actions and also see the traitorous deception of a fraudulent follower of Jesus in his actions. Our actions ultimately reveal our hearts and our true loyalties. In less than 24 hours, Jesus will be beaten and crucified, but before that happens, he has some important instructions about his departure. This is the beginning of the end of His time on earth.

Last session, we looked at chapter 13:1-27 and the beginning of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ final prophecy before the cross. It was late on Wednesday of Passion Week and Jesus left the Temple for the last time. When the disciples marveled at how awesome the temple was, Jesus stunned them: “Not one stone here will be left on another” (Mark 13:2). This prophecy came true in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple. Later, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “When will these things happen, and what will be the sign?” Jesus’ answered them by teaching them about the fall of Jerusalem and His ultimate return. He shared that between His 1st and 2nd coming, time on earth will be filled with wars, death, and danger. He prepares them by telling them what is going to happen in the immediate future and right before His 2nd coming…proving His Divine nature by predicting the future events. The purpose of this discourse is not date-setting but Kingdom discipleship: a call for believers to remain watchful, discerning, and faithful until Christ comes again.

This session, we look at Jesus sharing some instructions, an important warning, and a couple of illustrations to help the disciples understand and apply what He has been teaching them about His return and their mindset about the future. “Prophecy is in every book in the Bible.” Dwight Pentecost It’s in there to change our mindset and our life!

Today, we dive into chapter 13 and the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ final prophecy before the cross. It is one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament, filled with Old Testament allusions, imagery, and layers of fulfillment pointing to the end of the age. After entering Jerusalem, cleansing the Temple, and confronting the religious leaders, Jesus left the Temple for the last time. When the disciples marveled at how awesome the temple was, Jesus stunned them: “Not one stone here will be left on another” (Mark 13:2). This prophecy came true in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple. Later, on the Mount of Olives—where God’s glory once departed (Ezek. 11) and where the Messiah will return (Zech. 14)—Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “When will these things happen, and what will be the sign?” Jesus’ answered them by teaching them about the fall of Jerusalem and His ultimate return. The disciples are not ready for what he is about to share. They think he is about to establish His rule and reign on earth. He does reign, but the timing of His earthly Kingdom reign isn’t now. Between the 1st coming and 2nd coming, time on earth will be filled with wars, death, and danger. He prepares them by telling them what is going to happen in the future…proving His Divine nature. The purpose of this discourse is not date-setting but Kingdom discipleship: a call for believers to remain watchful, discerning, and faithful until Christ comes again.

This week, we continue to look at Jesus’ warning to the crowd and His disciples about the religious “Posers.” Jesus warns us against them, their pride, their pretense, and their perversion of the faith. He points out a lonely widow who had been abused by the system as an example of how bad things had become. She gave her last little bit of money to secure her blessings and salvation from God. Sounds a lot like the religious hucksters of today!