MARK 13
Read Mark 13:1-37
Jesus is now in Jerusalem and the time is approaching for him to die on the cross. The tone of Mark’s writing changes a bit here as Jesus spoke to his disciples about what is to come. He has spoken to them about this before but only in very general terms. Now the disciples get a real view of the future in terms that are a bit like the Book of Revelation.
In this passage Jesus sets out more definitively what he has hinted about his own ministry; the necessity of his death and resurrection. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the basis of the disciples’ salvation, but it is also the pattern for their lives; that is true discipleship, following Jesus in his suffering. There are repeated warnings to the disciples to be on their guard, to watch out. Being a disciple is not an easy ride and that can still be the case today where many people in the world suffer for their faith in Jesus and even in our own lives we can meet opposition because we believe.
The passage starts out with the disciples admiring the temple, how magnificent it is and how big the stones are (v1). Jesus replied that it will not last. All these magnificent stones will be thrown down. In one sense this is a straightforward prophecy. In the year 70AD the temple was indeed destroyed by the Romans. But on a deeper level it speaks about the nature of faith. We saw that when he entered Jerusalem Jesus went to the temple and cleared out all the traders and priests and said that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. He was speaking of how he was the Messiah and how he had come to replace the temple with himself (see the study on Mark 11 Part 1). Now, with his disciples, he was reiterating what he said then. The temple is not important; buildings don’t count for anything. It is the person of Christ who is the centre of faith. And the same goes for us. Sometimes we can get a bit too attached to our buildings and yes, it can be important to have buildings to focus our worship, but we should always remember that it is Jesus who is the centre of our worship and it is important that the people of Christ are united in that. The church is people, not the building.
In this passage Jesus also makes the promise that although he will die and be resurrected and ascend to the heavens, he will return (v26). When will that be? “No-one knows”, said Jesus, not the angels in heaven or even he himself, it is only God the father who knows. And then there is that warning to watch out again with a little story as illustration. If the master of a house goes away for a while and leaves the servants in charge then they better behave themselves and not get up to mischief because the master may suddenly reappear when they least expect it. Similarly, now that Jesus has gone, we need to be on our guard for his return, because he could come back at any time. We must be prepared at all times and live out our lives on that basis!