From Mark
Happy Easter!
A lot happens between last Sunday (Palm Sunday) and this Sunday (Easter Sunday).
To help us get from the one to the other, without ignoring all that takes place in between, here is a little summary of how Mark's Gospel presents the comings and goings of Jesus’ final week. Read it alongside your Bible to compare this summary with the full account of what takes place.
Mark on Mark (the final week)
In Mark’s telling, swift and stark,
The final days move like gathering dark.
A colt is found, a road is laid,
With branches strewn and palms displayed -
He enters hailed, yet knows the cost,
A king received, a kingdom lost.
At supper’s hush, the bread is torn,
A cup is passed, a vow is sworn;
One hand will betray, one voice deny,
While love stands firm though hope runs dry.
In Gethsemane, the olives weep,
While weary friends fall fast asleep;
He bows to a will perhaps in fear,
And meets the hour drawing near.
Before the crowd, the choice is made,
A cross for him, a thief delayed;
Mocked in purple, crowned in thorn,
The weight of sin is heavy borne.
The sky grows dim at midday’s breath,
A cry resounds, then yielding death;
The temple veil is torn apart -
No barrier now from God to heart.
Laid in stone, the silence keeps,
Till morning stirs where sorrow sleeps;
An empty tomb, a message clear -
He is not here… he is not here!