Heralds Digest

“He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. ”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:35-36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.35-36.nkjv The world’s earthly and human resources will readily provide useful guidance in almost all circumstances of life, especially when there is no conflict of interest between the will of God and the wisdom of man. But in the likely times of conflicts, Jesus’ experience in Gethsemane teaches the disciples the heavenly resources in taking a walk away from the counsel of mortal men. To the first layer of prospective counsellors, He said ‘Sit here, while I pray’; and to the second layer of prominent counsellors, He said ‘Stay here and watch’. Whereas, He walked further away and alone to pray and sort out the conflicts between the will of God and the will of the fle...

“Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.27-28.nkjv Scattered experiences in life and relationships are indicative of the process of things not working out as planned. The resulting trauma may even get complicated with every attempt to establish the line of fault in scattered experiences. Prior to a scattered experience of the disciples of Jesus, it was difficult to imagine the possibility of anything separating them from the love of their Master. When people ask why God allow troublous seasons in their lives, career, family and ministries, it is instructive for them to note that the post-scattered Peter was better and more reliable than the pre-scattered Peter. When the sheep is scattered, the Shepherd (not an hireling) is actuall...

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.22.nkjv One of the significance of Christ’s instituting the Lord’s Supper is the solemn presentation of Himself as the Pascal Lamb to those who have truly experienced the Passover. As often as possible, disciples of Christ are there called to remember that the Master’s life was voluntarily given and not forcefully taken. Even when the voluntary gift was threatened with gruesome agony at Gethsemane, Jesus remained a completely poured out offering as the Pascal Lamb of God. Unfortunately today, volunteering of believers’ life and livelihood as living sacrifices must produce the evidence of a tangible dividends before the ‘offering’ can be laid on the altar. It is therefore not surprising that Christ have become unattractive to members of the family, workplace and society. Obviously, the free and no obli...

“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.12.nkjv There is no doubt that Judas Iscariot was among the disciples who were concerned about “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”. Whereas, Jesus responded by delegating only Peter and John for the assignment when Judah Iscariot was the recognized financial secretary. Notwithstanding, Peter and John really had nothing more than just the task of ensuring the readiness of the upper room, since almost all the necessities have been prepared. Symbolically, Jesus Christ was the prepared Pascal Lamb for the Passover, while many, in a bit to get involved, often get on the negative side of the preparation (like Judah’s betrayal). There are many tasks and expected transformation in believers’ life, family, career and min...

“After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death...Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:1, 10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.1,10-11.nkjv If breakthrough in life is solely established at the point where precious potentials meet open opportunities, no one would have the moral ground to blame Judas Iscariot for taking the available opportunity of financial blessing. Whereas, it would have taken significant intelligence for Judah to discover the needs for secret service to the chief priests. And the submission in his betrayal proposal clearly shows brilliant demonstrations of intellectual capabilities, without breaking the edge of a possible public outcry. Even tod...

“But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.14.6-7.nkjv Public assessment of the opportunities in time cannot be taken for granted for anyone who is conscious of public acceptance. Unfortunately, the heart is constantly burdened by the conflict of interest on the appropriate use of time, especially when it comes to making a choice between the will of God and the expectations of the people. For example, after the chief priests have invested on how to catch and kill Jesus, they discovered a public disapproval of the time for the execution of their plans. Whereas, the woman with the alabaster box of oil found the appropriate time for anointing the body of Jesus; but she received the disapproval of the disciples on the account of a waste of treasure. Obviously, everyday brin...

““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭13:32-33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/mrk.13.32-33.nkjv If match fixing is regarded as a serious offence in international sporting activities, it is understandable why knowing the exact date and time for Christ’s second coming or the end of life can be a cheat. Living for giving God the glory by the quality of the life we live will undoubtedly be compromised, if everyone is privileged to know the exact time of the Master’s returning. Whereas, proximate preparation for the Lord’s coming enables consistent compliance to the “Take heed, watch and pray” command. Unfortunately, many servants there be who are constantly distracted from the consciousness of their ignorance of the precise time. Just a failing to daily take heed of the preservation of own’s heart in holiness, distraction from watching the a...