A Serving Leadership Insight from the Life of Jesus Christ (Mark 14:12-16)

“So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, “The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’” (See Mark 14:12–16 for full text)

In Mark 14:12–16, Jesus commissioned two of his disciples to make final preparations for the Passover feast. They were to go into Jerusalem and meet a man carrying a jar of water. Women and slaves typically carried water, so they would easily notice who to meet. They were to follow this man to a home that had a large upper room furnished and ready for a feast. Jesus most likely had made reservations ahead of time with the owner—someone obviously quite wealthy given the fact that he had a two-story house. In any case, Jesus arranged a very special meal in an intimate setting to celebrate the Passover with his closest friends. It would be his final meal with them before everything fell apart and one of their number would be lost forever. Knowing what lay ahead, Jesus took these final moments with his friends to show them the extent of his love and the ultimate significance of his life as fulfilling the Passover.

KEY QUESTIONS: How intentional am I in setting aside time to invest in key relationships? Do I tend to throw things together last minute or do I put time and effort into designing an experience that communicates high value to those important to me?