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SCRIPTURE: Mark 13:24-37
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CHAPTER 13: THE CONTEXT
This chapter is often called The Little Apocalypse, based on its similarity to the Great Apocalypse of the Revelation of John.
Apocalyptic literature usually comes out of difficult times, and typically proclaims a message of hope in coded language not understandable except by insiders and therefore unlikely to draw the ire of hostile authorities. It usually reflects a strong dualism –– good against evil. It presents dramatic visions full of symbols –– numbers, colors, and animals –– codes that must be explained or interpreted. It sees time, not as cyclic (as the Greeks thought of time), but as a linear movement toward God's final judgment.
Chapter 13 begins with a comment by one of the disciples about the temple: "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!" (v. 1). Jesus responds by predicting the destruction of the temple (v. 2). The temple was the center of Jewish worship and life, but its days are numbered. The new center of worship and life will be the Son of Man.
Jesus will mention the destruction of the temple twice again –– at his trial (13:2) and at the cross (15:29).
At the time of the writing of this Gospel, Christians were experiencing persecution. Chapter 13 presents Jesus' promise that time is moving toward the coming of the Son of Man, who will gather all the people together and make all things right.
VERSES 24-27: THEN THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN
24But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, 25the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.
The Old Testament provides much of the imagery for these verses (Joel 2:10; Deuteronomy 30:3; Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Daniel 7:13). "The author draws on traditional apocalyptic imagery to underscore the crisis that impends when the Son of Man returns" Brueggemann, 8).
"But in those days" (v. 24a). Jesus has been foretelling the destruction of the temple and the persecution of the disciples. But after the events of verses 5-23 take place, the sun, moon, and stars will signal a momentous happening, followed by the coming in glory of the Son of Man.
"the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken" (vv. 24b-25). "In Mark's day... stars were thought to be heavenly powers that influenced human affairs.... The picture is one of total cosmic collapse" (Edwards 403).
"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory" (v. 27). The cosmic powers will be gone, and Godly power will reign.
While the imagery is frightening, it is intended to encourage Christians who are living in frightening times. It acknowledges their suffering, and promises that:
• The Holy Spirit will give them the right words to say (v. 11).
• "he who endures to the end, the same will be saved" (v. 13).
• The Son of Man will "gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky" (v. 27).
While this is encouraging, it is also demanding. Jesus places a high premium on faithful discipleship in the midst of terrible trials. He calls for us to endure and to be watchful.
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VERSES 28-31: MY WORDS WILL NOT PASS AWAY
28"Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near; 29even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors. 30Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"Now from the fig tree, learn this parable" (v. 28a). This is the first of two mini-parables included in our Gospel lesson (see also vv. 34-36).
"When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near; even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors" (vv. 28b-29). The disciples asked for a sign (v. 4), and Jesus finally answers their request. The fig tree blossoms in late spring, so its blossoms promise that summer is just around the corner.
"Most certainly I say to you" (v. 30a). This indicates the seriousness of the words that follow.
"this generation will not pass away until all these things happen" (v. 30). It seems as if Jesus is saying that the Son of Man will return within the next few years or, at most, the next few decades. That is troubling, because the Son of Man did not come in the expected way and time, and still has not come two thousand years later. There have been several attempts to resolve this problem:
1. Some scholars have suggested that "this generation" means Jewish people or humanity in general, but most reject this proposition.
2. Some scholars have suggested that "all these things" refers to the destruction of the temple rather than the coming of the Son of Man.
3. However, most scholars believe that "all these things" refers to the events that Jesus foretold in verses 5-23. According to this understanding, before the Son of Man returns (vv. 24-27), the temple will be destroyed (v. 2), there will be "wars and rumors of wars" (v. 7), persecution (vv. 9-13), and they will see "the abomination of desolation" (v. 14).
Hare sees the delay of the Second Coming "as a sign of grace. God's patience has extended the time during which the gospel may be proclaimed and people may repent" (Hare, 178).
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (v. 31). When Jesus says, "Heaven and earth," he means all creation. His words are derived from Isaiah 51:6 and Isaiah 40:8.
"but my words will not pass away" (v. 31b). This is a bold claim, but one that has withstood the test of history.
VERSES 32-37: WATCH!
32But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don't know when the time (Greek: kairos –– crucial time, decisive moment) is.
34"It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35Watch therefore, for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; 36lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37What I tell you, I tell all: Watch (Greek: gregoreite –– keep awake, watch, be vigilant)."
"But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (v. 32). In verse 30, Jesus seems to claim that the Son of Man will come soon, but in verse 32, he says that the Son does not know the day or hour. Some claim that this is inconsistent, but it is possible for a person to know a general time frame but not the exact day or hour.
"Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don't know when the time (kairos –– crucial time, decisive moment) is" (v. 33). We live in a world full of soul-killing temptations and distractions. The list of tempters is endless. When we succumb to them, we suffer the consequences. "Watch, keep alert," Jesus warns. Good advice!
"for you don't know when the time (kairos) is" (v. 33). Kairos has to do with crucial time or a decisive moment –– a pivotal point in history. When we talk about "missing the boat," (by which we mean missing the opportunity of a lifetime), we are talking about kairos time. When we say, "Now is the time to act!" we are talking about a decisive moment –– kairos time. To be late for kairos time is to miss our boat –– and there might not be another boat!
"It is like a man, traveling to another country" (v. 34a). As noted above, vv. 34-36 constitute a mini-parable about a master going away and charging his doorkeeper to be on the watch.
"for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning" (v. 35). These are the four Roman nightly watches:
• Evening watch (6:00 - 9:00 p.m.)
• Midnight watch (9:00 - midnight)
• Cockcrow watch (midnight - 3:00 a.m.)
• Dawn watch (3:00 - 6:00 a.m.)
These are all nighttime watches. We expect the master to return during the day, when traveling is easy, but you never know! Night is the time when we are likely to be least alert, so the message is that we need to be fully ready even in our least ready moments. It is a serious call to serious discipleship.
"Watch therefore, for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming" (v. 35a). If Jesus doesn't know the hour (v. 32), we certainly don't.
"lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping" (v. 36). In the very next chapter, Peter, James, and John (Jesus' inner circle) will fall asleep in as Jesus prays in Gethsemane. In fact, he will find them asleep three times (14:37, 40-41) in spite of his twice-repeated entreaty to stay awake (14:34, 38). Even worse, they will desert him and flee when Jesus is arrested (14:50).
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible(WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Bible, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. The ASV, which is also in the public domain due to expired copyrights, was a very good translation, but included many archaic words (hast, shineth, etc.), which the WEB has updated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Arthur, John W. and Nestingen, James A., Lectionary Bible Studies: The Year of Mark: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Study Book (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1975)
Barclay, William, Gospel of Mark (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1954)
Bartlett, David L., New Year B, 1999-2000 Proclamation: Advent Through Holy Week (Minneapolis: Fortress, Press, 1999)
Brooks, James A, The New American Commentary: Mark (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991)
Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV –– Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)
Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)
Donahue, John R. and Harrington, Daniel J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2002)
Edwards, James R., The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)
Evans, Craig A., Word Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27 –– 16:20 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001)
Geddert, Timothy J., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001)
Grant, Frederick C. and Luccock, Halford E., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951)
Hare, Douglas R. A., Westminster Bible Companion: Mark (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)
Hooker, Morna D., The Gospel According to Saint Mark (Hendrickson Publishers, 1991)
Jensen, Richard A., Preaching Mark's Gospel (Lima, OH: C.S.S. Publishing Co., 1996)
Klein, Leonard R. in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text. The Third Readings: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001)
Lane, William L., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974)
Marcus, Joel, The Anchor Bible: Mark 1-8 (New York: Doubleday, 1999)
Perkins, Pheme, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)
Thayer, Joseph Henry, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (NY: American Book Company, 1889)
Williamson, Lamar Jr., Interpretation: Mark (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983)
Wright, Tom (N.T.), Mark for Everyone (London: SPCK and Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001, 2004)
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