Mark 13:1-37

The Advancement of the Kingly Rule of God In The Midst Of The Battering of History: Preliminary Troubles - The Good News Proclaimed Among All Nations - The Coming Destruction of Jerusalem - The Coming of the Son of Man in Glory. The Temple Is To Be Replaced By God's Elect - All Are Therefore To Watch (13:1-37).

Having provided a glimpse through the withering of the fig tree of what God was going to do, Jesus announces that the time is coming when the great Temple of Jerusalem will be torn down stone by stone. This results in questions from His disciples, as a result of which goes on to describe the events which will follow and will lead up to the destruction of the Temple in the way that He has described, but alongside this the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God will go out to all nations, in readiness for the coming of the Son of Man in glory. For His elect will survive all that occurs. But they need ever to ready for most of what He describes (‘these things' which will portend His coming) will occur within their generation, although He then explains that He does not have knowledge of when that actual coming will be.

Analysis.

a One day unexpectedly the wonderful stones of the Temple will be torn down (Mark 13:1).

b The question is, When will these things be (the tearing down of the stones and the destruction of the Temple) and what signs will precede them? (Mark 13:3).

c False Messiahs will arise, and there will be devastating wars, earthquakes, and famines which will be the beginning of the birth pangs on earth (Mark 13:5).

d They must expect widespread persecution and to be delivered up to judicial authorities for His sake as a testimony to them (Mark 13:9).

e The Good News will be preached to all nations (Mark 13:10).

d The Holy Spirit will be their Advocate when they are brought to judgment and they will suffer persecution from their nearest and dearest for His sake. Those who endure to the end (in their testimony) will be saved (Mark 13:11).

c The desolating horror will introduce the incomparable tribulation of the Jews, and unless the days had been shortened no one would be saved, but for the elect's sake they will be shortened, and there will be false Messiahs and false prophets seeking to deceive even the elect, together with signs in the heavens which will be followed by the final coming of the Son of Man, the true Messiah, to gather His own, the final fruit of the earth's birthpangs (Mark 13:14).

b When they see what He has described (in Mark 13:5) they will know that ‘summer' is approaching when ‘these things' will come to their fruition. ‘These things' will happen within that generation. But no one knows the time of their fruition, for no one apart from the Father knows the time of His coming, not even Himself (Mark 13:28).

a So they need to watch. They need to be like a servants whom a householder leaves to serve and watch for when their Lord unexpectedly comes (Mark 13:33).

Note that in ‘a' the sudden and unexpected is to happen when the stones of the Temple will be torn down, and in the parallel they are to watch for when their Lord suddenly and unexpectedly comes. In ‘b' the question arises as to signs and when these things will be, and in the parallel the signs when these things will happen are illustrated. In ‘c' we have the indications on earth of what is coming in terms of false Messiahs, and wars and devastations, and in the parallel we have indications of what is coming in terms of terrible tribulation and false Messiahs, followed by heavenly events and the coming of the true Messiah. In ‘d' there will be heavy persecution which will result in a testimony before kings and governors, and in the parallel there will be heavy persecution, help from the Holy Spirit in their testimony when under judgment, and those who endure in their testimony will be saved. Centrally in ‘e' the Good News of the Kingly Rule of God will be preached among all nations.

Excursus on the Background to the Chapter.

There has been much discussion about this chapter. On one extreme it is used to bolster up certain theories about the second coming by manipulating what is there to fit in with whatever views are held, on the other it is said to be a composite production of which only part is the teaching of Jesus, and turned into ‘a little Apocalypse', even though it actually contains little of apocalyptic language and ideas. The former views at least accept the words as the words of Jesus. But the latter argue for their own position by pointing out on the one hand the stress in parts on the suddenness and unexpectedness of the coming of Christ, which they contrast on the other with the signs that indicate that much is to occur before that coming.

The fact, however, is that this tension between imminence and delay is a tension that continues throughout the New Testament. The Book of Revelation is a prime example. On the one hand the churches are to watch expectantly in anticipation of Christ's coming, on the other there is to be an outworking of history that is essential before His coming. And the same is true in Paul's letters. On the one hand, we have expectancy and imminency, and on the other, the description of events which must occur before the end, including eventually his own death. So this discourse is really no different in the problems that it presents from the remainder of the New Testament, although they are not really problems, for the aim in all cases is to produce alertness, while at the same time warning that the time may not be yet.

It is true there was a great deal of ‘apocalyptic' teaching around in the time of Jesus, insomuch that many far fetched ideas were introduced, but it is a mistake just to read those in here. For the fact is that Jesus did not just blandly accept apocalyptic ideas that He had heard. Rather He simply thought about them, as He thought about many things, and occasionally used some of the thought forms to convey the message that He wanted to convey.

The Gospels indeed reveal that Jesus was a deep thinker, second to none. He was not someone to be swept along by dreams and visions. We must not therefore interpret Jesus by apocalyptic. Rather the case is the other way round. He took from it what He thought was applicable, moulded it, and used it in order to proclaim His particular message.

So as we consider the chapter step by step, seeking to interpret it in its own terms rather than to fit in with any theory, we believe that its internal consistency will be revealed, and its differing paradoxes will fall into place. But we must tread lightly, for we are dealing with the mystery of the future.

End of Excursus.

It will be noted that the whole chapter can be divided into two, Mark 13:1 which leads up the coming of the Son of Man in glory, and Mark 13:28 which stresses the need to take heed to what has been depicted. Mark 13:1 can be analysed as follows:

a And as He went forth out of the Temple, one of His disciples says to Him, “Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings!” (Mark 13:1).

b And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, which will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2).

c And as He sat on the mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished?” (Mark 13:3).

d And Jesus began to say to them, “Take heed that no man lead you astray. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am he', and will lead many astray” (Mark 13:5).

e “And when you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be not troubled, these things must necessarily happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in divers places; there will be famines: these things are the beginning of labour pains” (Mark 13:7).

f “But you, take heed to yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them” (Mark 13:9).

g “And the Good News must first be preached to all the nations (Mark 13:10).

f “And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you will speak, but whatever shall be given you in that hour, that speak, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit”, and brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated of all men for My name's sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved” (Mark 13:11).

e “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not (let him who reads understand), then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house, and let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who breastfeed in those days! And pray that it be not in the winter. For those days will be tribulation, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be. And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved, but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days” (Mark 13:14).

d “And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there; do not believe it, for there will arise false Christs and false prophets, and they will show signs and wonders, so that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mark 13:21).

c “But take heed, behold, I have told you all things beforehand” (Mark 13:23).

b “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken” (Mark 13:24).

a “And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then will He send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven” (Mark 13:26).

Note that in ‘a' the disciples were looking at the glory of the Temple, and in the parallel it is the glory of the Son of Man Who has replaced the Temple that will finally be revealed. In ‘b' the stones of the Temple are to be thrown down, and in the parallel it is the stars of Heaven. In ‘c' they question Jesus and are to take heed lest they be led astray and in the parallel they are to take heed because they have been told beforehand in answer to their questions. In ‘d' many will come in His name and will lead many astray, and in the parallel false Christs and false prophets will lead many astray. In ‘e' are depicted wars and devastations, and in the parallel the great war against Jerusalem and the devastations from which they are to escape. In ‘f' they will be delivered up to different judicial authorities for His sake, and in the parallel they will be delivered up by relatives and be hated by all men for His name's sake. Centrally in ‘g' the Good News will be preached among all nations, and the Holy Spirit will act as Advocate for His people.