October 21, 2024: Monday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 14:53, 55-65
May the Love of Jesus Christ for you be in your heart throughout this day, and every day.
It's good to be with you this Monday morning. Today I want to especially thank you all for your generosity for the CROP appeal that we have been collecting throughout the month of Oct, and on through the first Sunday in November. At this time, we are over $1400. I am hopeful that we can top $1600 dollars again this year. Thanks for considering this extra gift in your stewardship. SERRV Fair Trade catalogues are in the Narthex this Sunday, and they are full of Christmas Ornaments and many other gifts that come from cottage industries from around the world. Melody's and My order has already arrived. We try to give the children an ornament every year so that they can begin to build, or add to, their own collections when they are on their own. Of course, there is chocolate to order too! This Sunday we will have pumpkin carving on the patio starting at 9AM. If you don't want the mess at home, come and create your pumpkin at church on the patio. Bring your own pumpkin, and your own carving tools. This week is also Reformation Sunday, and we will be celebrating with an adult Baptism at our worship service with a short cake reception after service for Madison. On the 3rd of November we have our Gospel Music service as we gather for All Saints Sunday. Our carry-in meal that morning will be Autumn Harvest/Comfort food. I hope that you will be able to join us for both of these Sundays. The heat is coming back this weekend, but with the dry air in place the coolers at church will be really effective. And let's be certain to remind one another about the great privilege that we have to vote. Be sure to make your choices, and to be certain that your ballot has a chance to be counted because it has arrived on time. In person voting must be accomplished by November 5th. As this election unfolds let us pray for our nation for unity and peace in our great experiment of democracy. We are 247 years old this year. Let's celebrate with thanksgiving.
Today we are in Mark 14:53, 55-65. I know that it would seem like so many verses should mean that my discussion should be much longer today, but this really is the time that Christ has sought, and we see that in His willingness to answer the High Priest's question about Christ's blasphemy, claiming to be the Son of God, and the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Christ Answer is very precise and short. He uses for Himself the two-letter name which God uses throughout the Bible when asked by Moses and others who He is. His Answer, and Christ's is I Am. Of course, to seal the bargain with the anger and hostility of the religious leaders, Jesus adds that they will see Him at the right hand of Power in Heaven, and coming again with the clouds of Heaven. After what we can see as countless accusers, who are brought in to help condemn Jesus, there was no certainty, leaving the leaders' judgements absent a guilty charge. A legend about this trial says that many of those asked to be witnesses against Jesus, instead stated that they had all experienced His miracles of healing and His generous acts of Grace. Be all of that as it may be, it was the High Priest's question which brought it all to a head. What you may not know from a casual reading, or even a careful reading of this passage, is the desperation of the religious tribunal to arrive at a judgement to destroy Jesus. In the rules that existed for the religious tribunal to follow, we discover that every single rule for this gathering was against Jewish law. As the Sanhedrin gathered, it consisted of 71 members who were Scribes, Pharisees, and then Sadducees who were all of the priestly caste in the Temple, even with old men who were considered wise sages of the communities. This group was never to meet at night. Its meetings were supposed to be transparent to the community. This tribunal for Jesus met in the dark of night. They were to meet in a room in a semi-circle of seating so everyone could see everyone else. It is likely that this tribunal was quick, and it met standing in groups. Any judgement decided by the tribunal was made in the light of day, then a night of contemplation about the judgement, in order that the members might find the next day that a change of mind was best. After witnesses had presented their information, the vote took place from the youngest to the oldest, one at at time. At Jesus' trial it was a judgement of basically one man, the high priest of the Temple, though it is likely that the rest responded by mob acclamation. So nearly every rule the Sanhedrin had set for itself was broken because of their hatred and haste. As Jesus had prepared, this trial took place in the time in which it needed to. Even the servants treated Jesus with distain and physical disregard. It is here, once again, that we see Jesus' courage and confidence in His Father's promises to be with him, and to establish through Him the miracle gifts of Forgiveness, Life with God, and Salvation which belong to you and me through Christ sacrifice on the cross for the sins of people and creation. Christ paid the blood price, bearing our sins on His own perfect sin-free person. This is truly the miracle of the Trinity's Love for all of us. Today there are those who also make a mockery of what Christ calls us to in our lives, by the way those people act and speak without regard for the Holy One who lives in, with, and around us all of the time.
I will be back with you tomorrow once again. With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim
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