We continue in Mark for our Summer Reading Challenge of 2022. Today’s reflections from Mark chapter 13, address Jesus’ instructions for how His disciples should live in light of the last days.
- Mark chapter 13 is one large teaching segment with five main movements: (1) Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple & Signs of the end of the age (13:1-13); (2) Jesus warns of the Abomination of Desolation (13:14-23); (3) Jesus speaks of the coming of the Son of Man (13:24-27); (4) Jesus gives the illustration of a fig tree (13:28-31); and (5) Jesus informs us that “no one knows the hour” when these things will take place (13:32-37).
- Today’s episode focuses on how we should live in light of the things which Jesus discusses in this chapter — particularly focusing on the last portion of the chapter
PART 1: “The End of the Age”
- There are many different ways this section of Scripture has been interpreted. Some of what Jesus says is fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans in A.D. 70. And in many ways, that destruction of Jerusalem serves a type, or foreshadowing, of the antitype –namely, the final judgment at the return of Christ (see Mark 13:24-27).
- What can we say about these “sings of the end of the age”? They include geopolitical chaos (wars and rumors of wars); ecological chaos (earthquakes and famines); societal chaos (brother delivering brother over to death); religious chaos (false christs and false prophets performing signs to lead people astray); and cosmological chaos (sun darkened, powers in heavens being shaken)…
- And all of these lead to the culmination of “the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (13:26).
- So the question we may ask is: are we in the last days? And when will Jesus come back? That is a loaded question and honestly is FAR beyond the scope of this episode. But may I make a couple of suggestions?
- (1) First and foremost, I would encourage you to NOT formulate a rigid answer until you have studied (not just read) through all the passages throughout the New Testament that address this topic (and yes, that will take a long time).
- (2) Second, when you read from other books, I would encourage you read from multiple points of view – as an example, on Mark 13:30-31, the ESV Study Bible[1] has a great note that contains a summary of five major interpretations for this difficult passage.
- (3) Third – and this is paramount – whatever your specific answer, remember to hold the Scriptures tightly BUT our interpretations loosely (note – while they are held loosely, you are still holding your interpretations!).
- On this note, I want to highly recommend that you check out the concept of “Theological Triage.” In the description below, on this topic I have included links for two brief articles,[2, 3] one short video,[4] and a book entitled “Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case For Theological Triage” by Gavin Ortlund.[5] I may even do an episode on this topic in the future.
- Why would I spend all this time to not give you a specific answer? Precisely because we see these words from Jesus in Mark 13:32 — “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
- Well, what then, if anything, IS clear from this chapter? Ultimately, we can summarize the two following points: (1) there will be very hard days for the whole world in general and believers in specific; and (2) Jesus, the Son of Man, will come back to this earth in power and glory.
- So, I walk away from these texts believing these things, but how can I live them out?
PART 2: Living in Light of These Things
- I would like to recommend one more book for you on this topic, I have found it incredibly encouraging — it is called “Last Things First: Living In The Light of The Future” by Graham Beynon[6] – see the link in the description.
- While the specifics of exactly how these events will unfold may be widely discussed, Jesus gives us repeated and specific imperatives or commands throughout this chapter. Three times he tells us to “be on guard” (13:9, 23, 33) and four times he tells us to “stay/keep awake” (13:33, 34, 35, 37). So, let us consider, then, these two emphasized commands.
- First, BE ON GUARD!
- Jesus first says, “be on your guard” in 13:9 in the context of coming persecution against his disciples. Does that mean we should guard against persecution? Well, I don’t think we should seek out suffering — but it is worth noting that Jesus says “be on your guard, for they will deliver you over.“
- So we might say this – we should be mentally, emotionally prepared. Or we might say, we should not be “caught off guard” when we suffer on account of being a follower of Jesus.
- The second occasion in 13:23 is at the conclusion of a warning about false christs and false prophets who are performing signs and wonders seeking to lead people astray. And he says, “But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.”
- So we might say this – we should be mentally, emotionally prepared to face people or groups who would seek to lead us astray. Jesus even says that these people would perform signs! So, we should not be “caught off guard” when we encounter people who would seek to pull us away from the TRUE Jesus.
- The third occasion, in Mark 13:33, where Jesus tells us to “be on guard” is in the same verse where we first hear him say “keep awake.” And this verse is immediately following the verse where he says “no one knows the day or hour” (13:32). Why should we be on guard and stay awake? Jesus says “For you do not know when the time will come” (13:33).
- Thus we might say it this way – because we do not know when all these things will take place, from the coming tribulations to the return of Jesus, because we do not know when the time will come, we should exhibit an attitude of preparedness – live our lives as though we are ready to meet the Lord – whether that be at the time of our death or at His coming!
- Jesus first says, “be on your guard” in 13:9 in the context of coming persecution against his disciples. Does that mean we should guard against persecution? Well, I don’t think we should seek out suffering — but it is worth noting that Jesus says “be on your guard, for they will deliver you over.“
- So, the first command we hear from Jesus regarding living in light of the end of the age is to be on Guard. The second is STAY AWAKE.
- For those of you that are paying careful attention – you noticed that 4 times in the span of 5 verses Jesus says to keep or stay awake! What, then, do you think he is trying to get across as important?!
- In addition to the combined reference already mentioned, the other three places where Jesus tells us to “stay awake” are in verses 34, 36, and 37. These verses are in the context of an extended illustration of a man going on a journey and putting his servants in charge, each with his own work – while they did not know exactly when the master would return, they knew that he was coming – and thus should be alert for his return.
- Thus we might say that Jesus is calling us to live with an expectation and awareness, ultimately of His coming, but generally of all the things we have heard from this chapter.
Conclusion:
- In summary, what do we learn from Mark 13? That there are hard times to come and that Jesus is coming again. In light of these things, we should exhibit an attitude of awareness or alertness — and we should be on guard against threats against our faith – whether it is (a) suffering in general, (b) persecution in specific, or (c) the lure of false teaching.
- So my friend, what are you doing to sure up or strengthen your faith? How are you being rooted and grounded? Have you mentally and emotionally prepared yourself for the possibility of suffering and the attacks of false teaching? I want to encourage you to join me as we continue digging into the Word and living it out as we wait for the return of our Lord!
[1] “ESV Study Bible” (https://amzn.to/3azWAlJ)
[2] “A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity” (2005) by Albert Mohler – (https://albertmohler.com/2005/07/12/a-call-for-theological-triage-and-christian-maturity)
[3] “What is Theological Triage” (2021) by Gavin Ortlund – (https://ps.edu/what-is-theological-triage/)
[4] 1.5 min video of Albert Mohler talking about Theological Triage – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAnC6L0BT9A)
[5] “Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case For Theological Triage” by Gavin Ortlund – (https://amzn.to/3xPwggl)
[6] “Last Things First: Living In The Light of The Future” by Graham Beynon – (https://amzn.to/3NK9VX8)
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