Back when we put together the schedule for Mark, this week was supposed to be a communion Sunday. Since Easter is in a few weeks, the plan for this week was to skip forward to the institution of the Lord’s Supper in Mark 14. Then next week, we’ll be looking at the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, and then the Resurrection on Easter. After that, we’ll return to our regularly scheduled march through Mark.

As we continue to adjust and settle into this strange new rhythm of life, the question of what God is doing through this pandemic comes up all the time. We read verses like Romans 8:28 that promise that things will work together for our good, and we look around trying to harmonize what’s going on with the idea that it is somehow for our good. And as is the case with most things, we struggle to get our heads around big-time tragedies or times of suffering. But, we know God’s got a good plan. We just can’t see how it all works.

And this week’s passage, Mark 14:12-25, at first glance, doesn’t seem to be about God’s plan. It seems like it’s about the Last Supper and the betrayal of Judas. But I think that Mark is making a profound point about God’s plan. Each part of the story, the preparation of the meal, the discussion of the betrayal, and the institution of the Lord’s Supper, testifies to the control the Lord has over events. We will hopefully see that the Lord Jesus takes the worst circumstances, the betrayal of a close friend and looming death, and turn it into the Gospel of grace which is made in the new covenant of his blood. Listen and watch this Sunday to hear about God’s plan in spite of sin and His plan for us. I’m looking forward to worshiping with you all in Christ!

~Frank