Today's Daily Lesson comes from Mark chapter 14 verses 12 through 16:
12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ 13So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” 15He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ 16So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
The Day of the Passover had come and Jesus had arranged a safe house for himself and his disciples. But the house could only be as safe as those who were with Jesus. And we all know that he would be betrayed by one of those closest to him.
The psalm says, "Day and night they prowl about on its walls; but malice and abuse are within."
Today for Christians is a day to think, not on enemies outside, but the enemy within.
It is a day for solemn consideration and prayer, and the confession of our own sin. It is a day of admission of the disciples' own guilt, betrayal, abandonment, and dereliction of duties.
The Feast of Unleavened bread was a day for purification, leaven being a symbol of sin and unholiness which had to be purified as a part of the ritual.
The day of purification for us comes. Yes; there are many enemies out there. But we also have our own enemies within. Today is a day to consider our own impurities, pray for the forgiveness of our own sins, and commit ourselves to the purification of our own souls and selves.
There are many enemies of love, and peace, and justice and all the other things Jesus stood for in this world. Let us take today to commit that we ourselves not be enemies in our own souls.
Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
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