Signs of the Times
Notes
Transcript
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
The dating of the writing of the Gospel of Mark is important, especially as we study from Mark 13, which lays out an apocalyptic narrative about the destruction of the temple and the signs of the unveiling of the Son of Man, coming in glory. We know from historical record that the Temple in Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed in the year 70, the culmination of the First Jewish-Roman war. Whether or not Mark wrote with the temple’s fall after the fact or prophetically beforehand is up for debate, but the text is clearly written from an urgent, dramatic, foreboding perspective.
This is important for our context and understanding of this passage, because it echoes of the kinds of apocalyptic and cataclysmic events we see occuring in the world and makes us wonder at what might be being “birthed” from the struggles of these moments. If we study history, we know that there are common patterns and occurences that repeat over time, showing us the same troubles and opportunities as a people. Kings and rulers rise and fall. Great buildings rise and fall.
This summer, one of the most interesting parts of our sabbatical journey was to encounter sites in places like Rome or the Scottish islands where ancient history lives amongst modern society. My son, Asher, is particularly interested in the constructions of the Roman empire. We visited the Roman Colloseum, the Pantheon, the forum, all areas that have endured through the rise and fall of Rome, cared for by archeologists and historians to preserve their stories.
We visited a very interesting exhibit in Rome that took you through digital reproductions of the Roman city architecture through the years, showing how the city developed from the original settlements on its 7 hills. As the city evolved, different buildings were set upon old foundations, remaking the city for the needs of politics, military, and commerce.
Mark writes with this world in his mind, the ancient world where the Roman empire reigned supreme and time when, as through history it has continued to be, Jerusalem a site of great upheaval and conflict.
Why do I share all of this? Well, it’s very important that we think about when in history Jesus lived and how his followers told his story in the context of their sociopolitical environment. Even 50 or more years following Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, stories were developing about the meaning of his life on earth, how he fit in with the struggle of the Jewish people to emerge from the oppression of the Roman Empire, and what kinds of longings the people still had, even after the Good News had dwelt among them.
Before we move on from the first part of this passage, just consider this. Consider walking through the streets of Bellingham with Jesus. Maybe you and he walk through the library, city hall, courthouse blocks of the city. And he starts teaching and says something like this: you see these buildings? They will all fall. Maybe that’s a little too close to home, so let’s consider another location and much grander scope of architecture. Perhaps you and Jesus are walking along the Washington Mall in Washington, DC. How would you respond if you heard Jesus utter these words in that space? I mean, that’s the kind of thing that could get someone into trouble, right? It’s the kind of thing you instruct your children NOT to say when they’re going through security at a governmental building, right?
We give these prominent architectural marvels a pretty high place in our society. To speak of their destruction is unnerving, in the least.
Our text transitions, following vs. 1 and 2. In vs. 3, we find Jesus sitting with his closest disciples on the Mount of Olives, looking back upon the temple from a distance. They have stepped back, physically, but Jesus is also using this as an opportunity to step back and teach from a bit more global perspective.
His friends begin to ask, what is it that you mean about the temple and its destruction — how does this happen? Remember, Mark is likely writing down the stories that have been told for decades now about Jesus. He uses his author’s perspective to speak up about the dis-ease the disciples feel following Jesus’ claims about the temple’s destruction.
How will this happen? We want to know. Don’t we?
Jesus warns them against trying to understand the time and place and how of these events.
Elsewhere, later in this chapter, Jesus warns that no one knows the time or season of these moments. In our passage, Jesus’ warning is direct: People will try to tell you they know and they will try to lead you astray — resist this.
Mark 13:5–6 say, “Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.”
Have you ever been led astray? This is good shepherd language, here — do not be led astray, like a sheep following the wrong shepherd.
Are there people in our world who will lead us astray? Umm, yes. Obviously.
Let me use a simple example, from experience, about how this could look. And I’m gonna use this example as a public service announcement: I will never email you out of the blue asking you to buy gift cards for someone in need.
Now, that might sound kind of odd or even funny. And it is, but it’s also deeply troubling.
Every couple of months, one or more of you get an email from someone impersonating me, asking for help gathering gift cards to support a person in need. This is a scam. The way it usually works is there’s a request to send them, via email, the codes and numbers from, say, an Amazon gift card. The scammer hopes you will go buy a card, scratch it, and send them the numbers. You see, what happens is they get the number, use it to buy stuff, and you get robbed.
While I have your attention, let me repeat myself: I will never email you out of the blue asking you to buy gift cards for someone in need.
I promise. Honestly, if there’s a need like that, you’ll hear it publically in worship on a Sunday. It will be an organized, open thing. And honestly, I’m not the kind of person who sends emails like that. Come on.
Jesus warns his followers — you will be led astray, there will be people who try to guide you under false pretenses. Be careful.
Before I move on, I have to also say how enraging it is that these scams exist. Especially in a context like ours, where we have a high number of older members. These scams seek to abuse and swindle elderly folks who perhaps don’t know better. This is evil.
And yet, don’t we know the truth of this warning? Many will come in Jesus’ name and say, “I am he!”
If someone tells you they’re the Messiah, the one who will fix it all or save us all — be very very cautious. In times like ours, we may hear murmurs of the end of the world and the rise of a figure who is anti-Christ. I think we get mixed up if we believe that Antichrist means someone utterly evil and proudly wicked. No. While the motives might be evil, the way the Antichrist comes into the world is through deception and false pretenses. They are the one who says one thing but means another. Duplicitous.
And, through the Christian story, there have been many who fit those parameters. I don’t need to list through history all of the megalomaniacs or cult leaders or dictators who have attempted to be the savior we long for. We know what this looks like.
We’ve got to stay in the darkness of this passage for a little longer, but I ensure you, there is hope and good news here.
Vs. 7 says, Mark 13:7 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.”
Wars and rumors of war — do we see this, even now? Think again about Mark writing this Gospel in the context of a historic war between Jews and Romans. The drums of war are beating. The people were certainly afraid of what would come.
Wars and rumors of war — think, where are we witnessing this today? Ukraine? Gaza? Or think back 20 years ago, what conflicts would we have thought of…Afghanistan? Iraq?
Jesus is reminding us that even while these conflicts, or earthquakes, or nations divided against themselves, these are all precursors to the coming changes. These are just the birth pangs.
What a downer. And, also, what truth.
So. The temple will be destroyed. Nations will be at war. Earthquakes and natural disasters will increase.
What is Jesus’ instruction here? Do not be alarmed.
Do not be alarmed? Right. How does one do that?
I think it’s pretty safe to say that we are relatively alarmed these days. A lot of things seem like they’re heading in dangerous directions. Conflicts are accelerating. The status quo is challenged. Some of it is pretty alarming.
Does Jesus not get that? Does Jesus not see how his disciples are afraid, concerned about the future?
How do we work with this? What does this story from Jesus’ ministry teach us today?
Friends, this is about us learning to see the signs of the times. This teaching is meant to orient us to reality, to the way things actually are.
Back to these fake emails being sent — We must learn to see the signs and hold fast to what is true.
Did you know that you can easily check what email address is being used to send those messages, simply by reviewing the header of our email in our browser or email app? Look at the name of the sender. Click on it. If it doesn’t say pastor@saintjamespres.org — then it’s not from me.
We have to learn to see the signs of the times and be wise about how we respond. Do not be afraid. When war or disasters shake our world — does freaking out and panicking ever help? Not really. We must be a wise, discerning people. We should check our intuition against the facts. We should listen to one another, discerning what God is saying to us all about these times, rather than getting lost in our own heads about something that may or may not be true.
For this, we need each other. We need, like Jesus does with his disciples, to step back to the Mount of Olives and get the fuller view. We need to ask questions, like the disciples, of “how should we live” or “what signs should we look for.”
And here’s the good news: All of these disasters and wars — they are the distraction, the antichrist. They are meant to obscure the throughline of God’s unending grace. What is the sign, what must happen? In all of this, we see Jesus pointing to the promise that the Kingdom of God will reign and restoration will occur. Later in this section of Jesus’ teaching, he goes on to say this:
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
All things will pass, but God’s word, God’s abiding, grace-filled Word, remains. All these conflicts? They will cease, they will exhaust themselves and fold. What remains? The hope of God’s word, enduring, reminding us who we are, who we belong to, and whose image we bear. Hope through the darkness.
Friends, may we watch, wait, hope, and live anticipating this hope which dawns after the darkest of days.
Amen.
