Desertion: 3rd Sunday of Lent
Third Sunday
Desertion
48 Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 All of them deserted him and fled.
51 A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.
Mark 14:48-52
Response:
Also in Matthew 26:55-56; Luke 22:52-53; John 18:4-9.
That’s Mark, Lord, that was!
It’s good to know he was there, teenage eyewitness, following from his mother’s house in the secrecy of the bushes; it underlines his later record, a signature to his Gospel.
I can understand his running away.
They all ran away:
I can understand that very well too.
But what is almost beyond my understanding is you, Lord:
I saw you wrestling with doubt and all those other dark forces;
now you stand
calm, controlled, caring, confident,
handing yourself over
to the agents of those same dark forces.
Now you are utterly alone
… and go deeper into the darkness
. . beyond where we could go
… for our sakes.
Such love is too wonderful for me.
Jesus of Gethsemane, I adore you.
Response:
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