November 17, 2024 Sermon
Sermon title: “When is the End?”
Scripture: Mark 13:1-8
(Other lectionary suggestions include I Samuel 1:4-20, I Samuel 2:1-10, and Hebrews 10:11-25.)
Mark 13:1-8
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
1As 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 birth pangs.”
If you were here last week, you may remember that I said Jesus looked for the important things, not just the BIG things. Last week we heard about the poor widow who put in only two copper coins into the Temple treasury. Even though her offering was small, Jesus observed that it was all she had, so in reality what she gave was much more substantial than what some wealthy people gave. Today the disciples were so impressed with the glory of the Temple, but Jesus was not impressed! In fact, he said that not one stone would be left on another - and as of A.D. 70, he was right! That was when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and also the Temple.
We might want to ask, “Could Jesus see into the future?” The answer is, maybe yes and maybe no. We should also point out that Mark’s Gospel may have been written just after the Temple’s destruction. So, when the author of Mark has Jesus saying something like “not one stone will be left on top of another,” Mark may have witnessed that destruction himself. In any case, Jesus had to have been a wise observer of the political situation of his day, and he was worried about his followers, who would be carrying on his message after he was no longer on the scene. And AFTER the Romans had destroyed the Temple and the city.
The sermon title is “When is the End?” It might be only natural for the top disciples to wonder when the end of things will be. Did you notice that Jesus did NOT give them an answer? Personally, I’m glad we have those words from Jesus. We may want to know when the end of time will be, but a lot has to happen before that takes place. And we ought to be skeptical always when somebody says, “I am he!” We just concluded an election, and there was talk that maybe one of the candidates was ORDAINED by God! I personally don’t believe that was true, and I hope you don’t, either! Before you put too much meaning into what a contemporary person says, remember the words of Jesus: “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.” Jesus finishes by saying that there must be all this turmoil, and even after the turmoil, the end is not yet. Jesus is saying that all the turmoil is merely the “birth pangs.” If you want to see our times as the end, see them only as the BEGINNING of the end - and the true end will take a LONG time to get here! When did Jesus walk the earth? Roughly 2,000 years ago! So, I’d guess we have at least another 2,000 years before there’s even a chance of his returning! But whatever you believe, don’t fall for the argument that the Second Coming is about to happen!
We are about to celebrate the Christmas season. Think of all the Christmas stories you have heard. Did Jesus come to earth with a great big announcement on all the media of his day? No! He snuck into a backwater town in a backwater country, and nobody knew about it! Only “certain poor shepherds,” as Luke says. Matthew mentions some Wise Men from the East, but they had to rely on a star that apparently not everybody saw! The point is, when Jesus comes again, we probably won’t recognize him, at least not right away. And those who DO recognize him will be nobodies, not famous political leaders! Don’t be led astray, as Jesus says.
Before I close, I want to mention last week’s sermon. That widow with the two copper coins gave everything she had. AFTER last week’s sermon - I always read something AFTER I’ve preached the sermon! - I read something that suggested maybe the widow was ANGRY! She was ANGRY that the religious folk of her day enjoyed being called “rabbi” and enjoyed sitting in the seats of honor at the Temple. Maybe her anger at the professional religious folk made her take her last two cents and throw it into the Temple treasury. At least there the professional religious types won’t get it! Just a thought. I had never thought of that woman as ANGRY, but maybe she was, and she wanted to make sure the Temple got it and not the scribes and Pharisees. One of the good things about the stories of Jesus is that sometimes there’s more than one way to look at something. That’s all I have. Amen.
Pastor Skip
