In this passage, Jesus is arrested and put on trial. There's much that could be said in this narrative, but specifically what's striking is the way Mark contrasts how Jesus handles suffering verses how the disciples did. 

For Jesus, suffering led to honest prayer and ultimately trust.  For the disciples, it led to betrayal and fleeing.   When suffering comes, where will you turn?  Will you do what you can to control your life, or will you yield and trust?  Will you curse and abandon God, or will you show up honestly in prayer, giving God your feelings, desires, and ultimately your trust? 

Trusting God is not a cheesy “Christian t-shirt”, or callous words given to those suffering in order to spiritually bypass real pain; it's a new way of being on this side of the resurrection.   Trusting God in suffering is, in fact, the way of Jesus.  

Teacher: Will Solomon

Text: Mark 14. 27-72