SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2024 | AFTER PENTECOST - Proper 28 (B)

Texts - notes

Daniel

prophecy about the judgement day?

Mark

Mark was written after the fall of the second temple - the text is thus pointing back (literal fall of the temple) as much it is also pointing forward (proverbially - the judgment day)

News:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260427/anglican-archbishop-of-canterbury-resigns-over-handling-of-abuse-cases

Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over handling of abuse cases

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/us/louisiana-ten-commandments-law-blocked/index.html

Federal judge temporarily blocks Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display Ten Commandments

https://www.vox.com/climate/384323/drought-new-york-east-coast-wildfires-water

It’s not normal for the East Coast to be on fire

https://apnews.com/article/abu-ghraib-civil-trial-iraq-virginia-3a2841ec2892fb111b4e26a70e761208

Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/10/israeli-football-fans-pro-palestinians-attacked-in-amsterdam-what-we-know

Good morning,

We continue our Markan journey to the cross - only a few chapters left in Mark. Of course, we will pause momentarily as Christ The King Sunday is drawing near and so is Advent. However, it is still worthwhile to locate our passage on the journey. At this time, Jesus is still keeping close to the Jerusalem temple - he taught there, warned about the affluent caste of Scribes, lifted up the poor widow trusting in God with her scarcity, and now as he is exiting the temple complex, he responds to a disciple’s wonder at the buildings with a harsh prophecy about them being thrown down. A bit of a puzzling statement for onlookers as later on, detractors and accusers from the religious leaders tried to use these words to paint him as someone calling for a destructive rebellion.

I think the disciples got it because they are asking “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” - they understood it as an end of times, Armageddon event in the near future. Jesus then confirms it, alluding to times, when others will claim to be him and there will be wars, natural disasters, and famines.

And of course, Jesus was right - again and again, there have been people claiming to be Jesus, such as Welsh prophet Rhys Evans in 17th century, the founder of the Shakers Ann Lee in 18th century, Sudanese Masalit leader 'Abd Allahi al-Sihayni in 20th century, or perhaps South Carolina republican Todd Kincannon in the 21st century. Some formed cults, others led armed rebellions, and yet another subset of them committed violent crimes. And needless to say, throughout history, there was a plethora of “world ending” wars that people thought SURELY must be the end of the world, especially when chemical and atomic weapons entered the picture. And yet, here we still are some 2000 years later....despite the warning, Christians were believing to live in the end times pretty much from the beginning.

And Mark, even though it is the earlier gospel, is still written after year 70, the fall of the second Jerusalem temple after the Romans besieged Jerusalem and suppressed a rebellion - many Christians thought it is the end then and I think that is why is this text so important, then and now.

There is no doubt that falsehoods, suffering, and pain is an integral part of our existence here in the world - not sure that anyone can claim to avoid them during their lifetime. And our suffering is often exploited - many leaders throughout history have promised an end to suffering, only to turn around and cause more of it in the name of achieving the blissful state. Just a little more and all will be well, but it rarely is. As Christians, we are called by Jesus to stand firm in the storms to come, not get overcome by falsehoods, and still continue loving our neighbors, friends, and enemies and being the light in the dimmed world. We are not supposed to join in causing pain and suffering on the command of a “messiah”.

It is what is so startling that so many religious people are manipulated into holy wars of different kinds that have ultimately little to do with the religion that the movements are hiding behind - Christian crusades against the Arabs, offensive jihad against non-believers, Zionist illegal settlements, or the American quasi-Christian theocracy movement that want to put Ten Commandments in classrooms and do away with free lunches for kids.

All religious people should know better than to cause suffering onto others in the name of one Deity or another, especially us Christians, whose very incarnation of God was persecuted and executed by the establishment professing religious values. We are not meant to become the establishment to save the world for the temptations are too great and we will always eventually turn into the very empire Jesus opposed and warned us about and we have crusades, holy wars, burning of books, women, and free thinkers and a saviour complex.

For institutions and whole empires will fall in their hubris, greed, and self-importance, but the light and love of God remains and so is our unearned salvation and security in Christ. We are to be the lighthouse in the storm, the shelter in the hurricane, and the soup kitchen in the famine, not enforcers and bouncers. Jesus is the way, the life, and the truth and so we are called to be on our way and witness to the life and truth of Jesus. Let us not confuse institutions and buildings to be the be all end all and that we have to convince, or even force others to join and come in. Instead, we are called to be the agents of God’s love, peace, and reconciliation, even as the buildings and institutions inevitably fall in a world full of suffering, pain, and falsehood. As we receive, we ought to give! Amen.