Our devotion this week, Dangerous Prayers, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Life.Church. For more information, please visit: https://www.life.church/
Broken And Poured Out
You know what doesn’t make a whole lot of sense? Asking to be broken. You know what else doesn’t make sense? A perfect God giving up his innocent Son in exchange for greater closeness to a ragged bunch of sinners like us. So why do we pray this dangerous “break me” prayer? Because it’s the only rational response to Jesus, who was broken for us.
During Jesus’ last big meal with His closest friends, He picked up some bread, broke it, then passed it around, calling it His body. Later, He poured out some wine, calling it His blood. We now call this sacrament communion. Jesus asked us to continue this in remembrance of Him, and we do. But maybe He didn’t want us to just break bread and pour out wine as tradition in our church communities. Maybe He also wanted us to be broken and poured out for the people we’re in community with. Maybe when He told us to keep doing what He did, He actually meant He wanted us to keep doing what He did!
Think about it. If following Christ is a journey to become more like Him, then communion should be not only symbolic of what Christ did, but also a model for what we still do. Asking God to break us is not just a prayer for some kind of graduate-level Christian. It’s where Christianity begins. Without brokenness, where is the need for a savior?
A few verses before the story of communion in the book of Mark, is another story of a woman who broke open an expensive jar of perfume and poured it out over the feet of Jesus. This perfume would’ve cost a year’s wages, and she would’ve used it for her past career of luring men. In one moment, she broke open her past and poured out her future in worship at the feet of Jesus. Today, we must do the same.
Pray: Jesus, You were broken for me. It’s only rational that I be broken for You. Jesus, I want to pour out my life’s work, my worldly possessions, my gifts and abilities at Your feet. I need Your help to do this. Will You break me? Amen.
Read Mark 14:22-26.
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Read Mark 14:3-9.
3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Read Luke 22:19.
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Read Isaiah 53:4-5.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
