Mark 14:17-21 Dipping bread
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 9, 2018, Mark 14:17-21
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you with certainty, one of you is going to betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be very sad and asked him, one after the other, “Surely I am not the one, am I?” He told them, “It’s one of you Twelve, the one who is dipping his bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born.”
(Understanding the Text) It took all day to make the preparations. During that time, Jesus stayed outside the city with ten of His disciples. He may have been keeping to public places so that there would be no chance to secretly arrest Him. About 5:30 or 6:00, Jesus started to make His way to the house where the preparations had already been made. I wonder if Judas had tried to subtly ask during the day about Jesus’ plans. There may have been people other than the disciples who came and went and spoke with Jesus during this time. Peter would not have known since he was in the house making preparations.
Jesus and the ten disciples made their way to the upper room where Peter and John were waiting for them. Did some of the others tease the two about being their servants? Or were they quiet because there seemed to be something different about their Master that evening? They took their places around the table and began to eat. John was sitting near Jesus. Judas was also keeping close and sat on Jesus’ other side, according to something I read. This put Peter down one seat away from Jesus. I wonder if Judas had hurried to get the honored position and smiled triumphantly at Peter when Jesus said nothing. John tells us that the footwashing happened next. Then they began eating.
They had started eating the lamb and the bread already when Jesus interrupted their meal to announce that one of them was a traitor. The way Jesus said it was as a prediction and caused each person to ask if he was the one to betray Jesus. Jesus would secretly identify Judas to John and Peter but He does not denounce Judas to the others. Why does Jesus announce it like this? I think maybe Jesus wanted them to understand that He was not fooled or tricked, that He was in control of the situation to comfort them later. However, I wonder if He were not trying to make them examine their own hearts because in some ways they all would betray Him. They all ran rather than stay and be arrested with Him. After getting them to think, Jesus says the words that would show that He was talking about a specific betrayal of one man not general cowardice.
(Revelation of God) In the past when I read the last words about it being better never to have been born, I looked at them as a sort of curse for Judas, but now I think it was Jesus’ pity on Judas and maybe one last attempt to get Judas to turn from his path by direct confrontation. I think Jesus looked at all that potential that Judas had had to be a son of God and saw that it was all wasted and that never having existed would have been better for Judas than the destination he was headed for.
(Application) My application is that I should examine myself to see if my motives are pure and not take for granted that everything is okay. I should pay attention to God’s warning so that I have faith when I am discouraged. When communing with God, there is joy but there is also the discomfort of self-examination.
(Prayer) Teach me to understand myself and to depend only upon You rather than my own confidence in my ideas. Let me see how much You love me, and develop the potential that resides in me for Your glory.