Y2 Day 302 – Mark 14; Jer 51-52; Ps 126

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Mark 14

Abstract thought for the day – I am curious about the owner of the upper room, where Jesus and His disciples ate their Passover meal.  Jesus Himself gave His disciples explicit instructions guiding them to this room.  But who told the owner to have it ready?  Maybe he typically rented the room out for Passover to whomever might request such a provision.  However, I don’t see any indication that they paid for the room.  Also, the wording of the request, “The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room” (from Mark 14:14) suggests that the man was expecting them.  So maybe he was just a God fearing man, living an obedient life without fanfare.  We don’t have to be named, honored, or noticed by men to take part in God’s plan.

Jer. 51-52

What is the purpose of the final story about King Jehoiachin being released and eating at the king’s table?  I see a progression through the book of Jeremiah.  Back in chapter 29, Jeremiah told the people of Judah exiled in Babylon they would be there a long time.  God commanded them to settle there and serve the king of Babylon, and seek the peace and prosperity of the city.  But here Jeremiah tells the people to flee because the time for God’s vengeance has come.  “Come out of her, my people!… You who have escaped the sward, leave and do not linger!” (Jer. 51:45a, 50a).  There is also a finality to the prophecy against Babylon, with no promise of restoration as there is with other nations. 

Thus, I see all of that as a prophecy of what now is and is yet to come.  We, God’s people are currently in exile in a land not our own.  We are to settle here as good, law abiding citizens, keeping ourselves for God and bringing His peace and prosperity to all who will receive it.  A day will come, however, when God will call His people out of this land to take us home.  His judgment will then fall on those who rejected Him, placing their trust in other things.  And His judgment will be final.

The book of Jeremiah ends with a tale of two kings, both from the line of David.  Zedekiah rebelled fully against God and died in his captivity.  Jehoiachin, on the other hand, surrendered to Babylon, as commanded. Though he was in prison for 37 years, he was given a seat of high honor at the king’s table and died a freed man.  This chapter is not a part of Jeremiah’s prophecies, but I think it sums up the redemption message in it all for us.  It all comes down to the same two choices that have been since the beginning.  We can, like Zedekiah, choose to reject God and die in the prison of our sin.  Or we can humble ourselves in obedience to God and freely partake of the abundance at His table of life.

Ps. 126

What great things has the Lord done for you that make you want to sing for joy? Take a moment and sing!  God is a God of restoration!  He makes old things new, turns sorrow to joy and ashes to beauty, and gives freedom to the prisoner and life to the dead.  He does all of this at His own expense for us, who do not deserve any of it.  Truly, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Ps. 126:3).