Week Twenty-One

FPCBR

Week Twenty-One

March 16, 2023 • Jaime Carnaggio • Mark 14:12–31

What a rich time studying through the events of the Last Supper, this glorious final Passover Meal, where Jesus as our Suffering Servant (his body is broken) and our Sacrificial Lamb of God (his blood poured out) come together. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for sinners. We don’t earn it or deserve it. The prerequisite required to approach the table is to recognize our NEED for him.

Reflection: What is your experience with Communion personally? What does it mean to you?

Such great discussion around Judas’ betrayal, the discomfort that it brings. R.C. Sproul says, “There’s a mysterious intersection here between the secret counsel of God (his sovereignty) and the conspiracies of the human will (free will). In God’s providence, these two streams come together. God didn’t coerce Judas to betray Jesus (Judas did exactly what Judas wanted to do). Rather, God was working his will in and through Judas’ choices. In a divine mystery that we will never comprehend in this life, we embrace the truth and tension that divine sovereignty never cancels out human freedom and moral responsibility."

Reflection: In what ways are you like Peter, guilty of believing you are incapable of certain sins?

Week Twenty-Five

May 4, 2023 • Jaime Carnaggio • Mark 16

The evidence is undeniable. Mark’s Gospel leaves no room for doubt. The angel clearly and plainly states, “Jesus was crucified. See the place where his body was laid. He is not here. He has risen.” Fear is a powerful emotion, one that can deeply affect us, impact us, and transform us. The women at the tomb experienced an appropriate fear in the face of the Lord’s resurrection. It should stir up the same in us because it’s both historically certain and eternally significant. Even though we may be scared and uncomfortable, even though we doubt, we are called to be disciples. We are to go out and share the good news of the gospel, trusting that he goes before us and with us, with the assurance that Jesus has risen from death to life. And we will too!

Week Twenty-Four

April 27, 2023 • Jaime Carnaggio • Mark 15:21–47

Take notice of the “circles of rejection” in verses 29-37. Reflect on where you are in this story. In what ways does the world reject and mock Jesus today? Read Psalm 22 and feel the ways that it illuminates Jesus’ time on the cross . . . how it moves from the suffering to the glory! “The cry from the cross represents the deepest possible pain. The Father and the Son have enjoyed perfect, unbroken harmony and fellowship in the Trinity for all of eternity . . . until now. THIS is the moment that the Father places the sin of the world upon his Son as the Lamb of God, as Jesus carries the full measure of the pollution of our wickedness, an obscenity God is too pure and holy to behold, so he must turn his face away for the first and only time. Jesus endures a moment of separation from God, which is far worse than the mocking, scourging, and crucifixion . . . it’s the searing pain of forsakenness . . .” R.C. Sproul.

Week Twenty-Three

April 20, 2023 • Gerrit Dawson • Mark 15:1–21

Gerrit points out how much Jesus’ composure changes from the Garden of Gethsemane to his time before Pilate. In the garden, he was greatly distressed, crying out to his Father, in agony. Before Pilate, he’s resolved, accepting, humble, even peaceful. What changed? He submitted to his Father’s will. “Not my will, but yours be done,” he prayed. The same freedom is available to us when we submit to God’s will for our lives. It's difficult to read these passages because we shudder to think our Lord (holy and innocent) had to endure such harsh things. But it’s also sobering because WE are in this story. “Ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers.” as the hymn says. In what ways are you like Pilate? Like the “stirred up” crowds? Like Barabbas? Like the soldiers mocking Jesus?