The central claim of Christianity is that Jesus died and came back to life.  However, that claim has been understandably doubted and challenged for thousands of years.  Without a literal resurrection, Christians are the most pathetic people on the planet.  But if it is true, it is the most important event in all of history.

Throughout Scripture, there is an emphasis that blood is a requirement to take away sin.  Another way to say this is what Paul writes in Romans 6:23 “…the wages of sin is death.”  Jesus gave his life to atone for the sin of the world.  As the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), Jesus shows us what God is like.  There is nothing else like the cross that so clearly shows what our God is like.

We all make mistakes.  Some are small and just a bit embarrassing, but others feel like permanent limitations on us.  Throughout the course of Mark, the disciples fall short over and over again.  The most notable failure, though, belongs to Peter.  He vehemently denies knowing Jesus and curses those who confront him.  If anyone should have been crippled by failure, it was Peter.  But Jesus doesn't leave us in our failure; he restores us.

In the final hours before His death, Jesus celebrates Passover with his followers for the last time.  Originally, its purpose was to remind Israel how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt.  However, Jesus gives new meaning to the bread and wine.  While the Passover signified Israel's deliverance from bondage, Jesus' body and blood gives all people freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

Everyone has a value system.  We place more or less value on the things that are more or less important to us.   The challenge for us is aligning our priorities with Jesus' priorities.  For the woman Mark 14, Jesus was worth abandoning social norms as well as losing an enormous amount of money.  For Judas, Jesus was worth a few pieces of silver.  The question is, what is Jesus worth to you?

Seeing the world the way Jesus sees it is always a challenge.  In fact, his way is often the complete opposite of our way.  While people judge outer appearances, Jesus sees through appearances and looks at the heart.  When it comes to generosity, we often marvel at large gifts or sums.  In this passage, Jesus sees the heart of the poor widow who gives all she has, even though the amount itself is small.  He is much more concerned with the heart of the giver than the amount of the gift.