Mark 13:1-8 - The Little Apocalypse

13As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large
stones and what large buildings!” 2Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings?
Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” 3When he was
sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked
him privately, 4“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are
about to be accomplished?” 5Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads
you astray. 6Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many
astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take
place, but the end is still to come. 8For 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 birthpangs.

The Gospel of Mark: The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and, we think, the earliest written
of the Gospels in the Bible. It is the only book in the Bible that calls itself ‘an account of the
good news.’ The book is a collection of traditions about Jesus that are written in story form
probably sometime shortly after the great fire in 64 ce after which Christians were blamed
and real persecution intensified. Although there is really no way to know for sure, this
would have been during the time of persecution in which Paul and Peter and scores of
other Christians were killed. The writer does not refer to those deaths nor to the
destruction of the Temple in 70 ce so we can only surmise. As with all writing, knowing
what was happening around the writer helps. What is clear regardless is that the purpose is
to bear witness to Jesus Christ as proclaimer and embodiment of the Kingdom of God and
to challenge hearers to follow him. Mark is often called a passion Gospel because fully one
third of the book deals with the events of Jesus’ betrayal and death.

Context of Today’s passage: Jesus is in Jerusalem for the last time. He may know this. His
disciples do not. They have just left the Temple after his sad encounter with the wealth
hypocrisy of the scribes and the tender example of the widow and her two small coins. As
they leave, his disciples marvel at the Temple and its grandeur. Clearly they did not fully
grasp the lesson of the widow, but it is not hard to understand their awe. The Temple was
enormous, built of huge white stones 37’ long by 12’ high by 18’ wide. The outer walls were
completely covered in plates of gold situated to catch the sun. Four times the size of the
Acropolis, historians of the time described it as a great white mountain adorned with gold.
The Temple complex covered what would in our day be many city blocks and included
impressive colonnades and gardens.

About Apocalyptic: Apocalyptic, or end time stories, are common throughout the Old and
New Testaments. The best known of these works is the closing book of the New Testament,
Revelation. In general, scholars tell us that this type of thinking arises from a pessimistic
view of history couple with the anticipation that God will put an end to the horrors of the
present and usher in a new world of beauty, peace and justice. These stories, while
terrifying on the surface, are intended to provide hope and comfort.

Word Study
Vs. 2 – Some suggest that this statement was a literal prediction of the destruction of the
Temple that would occur some forty years later. Two other points are important. 1. Jesus is
not just talking about a building. He is talking about the hypocrisy that has invaded it and
rendered it impotent. 2. What he says would be considered a threat and treason.
Vs. 3 – The Mount of Olives – This mountain that figures significantly in the events that
are coming, is east of Jerusalem and higher. From it, Jesus could see the city with the
Temple magnificent in its center.
Peter, James, John and Andrew – This was Jesus’ inner circle in the Twelve. They
were the first he had called. They had been with him the longest and often received private
instruction.
Vs 4 – The disciples clearly think Jesus is talking about a concrete and specific event to
come in history. Naturally they want to know when these things will occur.
Vs. 5 – Beware – This is the first of 5 imperatives that Jesus gives his friends in Chapter 13.
All of them are different ways of saying the same thing. In the midst of any chaos or trouble
the command is to live wide awake, with eyes on Jesus and the bigger picture of the
kingdom into which disciples are born anew.
Vs. 6 – in my name – Jesus is saying that many will claim to speak for him or to actually be
Messiah. They are deadly and will lead people astray.
Vs. 7 - The end – This is the word for completion. It can refer to the end of an age, the
world or the completion of a necessary task.
Still to come – this is a phrase for an unspecified time later
Vs. 8 – beginning of the birthpangs the earliest stage of a transition. Something new is
being born from times of travail and chaos.

Questions for Personal Reflection
1. End time stories are always born in times of trial. They come from the longing for
deliverance. Have you ever experienced a time when you needed God to enter in and
change everything to help you out? How did that deliverance come?

2. Setting aside the end of the world horror films we’ve all seen, in what ways have you
seen Jesus ‘come again’ in your life and community? In what ways has he entered in to set
things right that were terribly wrong?

3. Jesus does not answer his friends question about end times directly. He rarely does.
Rather he points them toward a way to live during confusing times where evil and
hypocrisy seem rampant. What would you say are the ways of life that allow you to
navigate difficult times?