Mark 14:43-52

Mark 14:43-52Let us notice how little our Lord's enemies understood the nature of His kingdom. Let us notice how all things in our Lord's passion happened according to God's Word.Let us notice how much the faith of true believers may give way. Let us leave the passage with a deep sense of our Lord's ability to sympathize with His believing people. "The cause of truth does not need force to maintain it...It stands by the power of the Holy Spirit. It grows by the hidden influence of the Holy Spirit on men's hearts and consciences. There is no clearer sign of a bad cause in religion than a readiness to appeal to the sword.""The course of this world may often be contrary to our wishes. The position of the Church may often be very unlike what we desire. The wickedness of worldly men, and the inconsistencies of believers, may often afflict our souls. But there is a hand above us, moving the vast machine of this universe, and making all things work together for His glory.""Let us learn to be charitable in our judgment of other Christians. Let us not expect too much from them, or set them down as having no grace at all, if we see them overtaken in a fault. Let us not forget that even our Lord's chosen apostles forsook Him in His time of need. Yet they rose again by repentance, and became pillars of the Church of Christ.""He is never weary of forgiving."Questions:1. Is our confidence in the Spirit of God to take and use His Word to transform hearts, or do we find greater power in other things?2. Does the Sovereignty of God and his providential hand in all things give us comfort and peace, or does it just make us uncomfortably and is an area of dispute?3. Are we more often confident in our own abilities or in God’s abilities? Are we clothed with humility as we walk day-by-day in this world?4. When we sin and fall, do we find Jesus as one who can sympathize with us, or is He more like a moral police officer rifling through our baggage longing to find something and beat us over the head?