Mark 13

Christ in the Bible: Mark’s Gospel

Keith Simons

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Chapter 13

Jesus describes future troubles

Verses 1-2

The temple (*God’s Great House) was a large and beautiful building. King Herod began to build it about 50 years before. He chose marble, which is a white rock. And he used plenty of gold.

There were yards, rooms and other buildings round the temple. These were all big and beautiful. The whole place was at the top of a hill.

But Jesus said that those buildings would not always be there. He was right. Forty (40) years later, the enemies of the *Jews destroyed all those buildings. Even the best things in this world will have an end.

Events before Jesus’ return

Verses 3-8

Jesus began to describe the troubles that will happen before his return. There will be wars. People will be without food. And some people will even say that God has sent them. This will not be true; but many people will still believe them.

These things have to happen before Jesus’ return. They happen because Jesus has not yet returned. They are the beginning of the troubles. Even worse things will happen before Jesus’ return.

Troubles for Christians

Verses 9-13

There will be many troubles for Christians. Theirs is the new world when Jesus returns. So they should not be surprised if people in this world do not like them. Some people will be very cruel to the Christians. They will take the Christians to their *judges. And many Christians will die because they believe.

But Jesus said that Christians should not be afraid. God will be with them. His *Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak to the *judges. And Christians have an important message for everyone. They must tell God’s good news in every country.

And in the end, God will save his people. Enemies may kill their bodies. But they will always live in *heaven. There, they will be safe. And nobody will hurt them then.

The worst troubles

Verses 14-23

Here, Jesus described events immediately before his return.

Someone will make something that is very bad. We do not know what that thing will be. Daniel also wrote about it (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12:11). People will put that thing in God’s special place. Their purpose will be to destroy God’s special place.

When that happens, the worst troubles will begin. The Book of Revelation says that those troubles will continue for 42 months (Revelation 11:2-3). After that, God will *punish *Satan and all the bad people. And Jesus will return to rule the world (Revelation Chapter s 19 and 20).

But before Jesus returns, there will be false Christs. These people will say that they are Christ. And there will be false servants of God. These people will help the false Christs. Many people will believe them because of the powerful things that they will do. So Christians must be careful. John told us how to decide if someone comes from God (1 John 4:1-3). We must not choose teachers who say the wrong things about Jesus. We must know the things that the Bible really teaches. We must give our lives to God; and we must let the *Holy Spirit teach us.

We must prepare for Jesus’ return

Verses 24-27

After all these troubles, Jesus will return. He will not return secretly. Everybody will know about it. Even the sun and the stars will not remain the same. Everything will change.

There will not still be bad rulers who do wrong things. Christ will save his people; and he will *punish those rulers. He will be powerful, and he will be beautiful. And God’s *angels will be with him.

Verses 28-31

We do not know when Jesus will return. But we know the things that will happen before his return. Trees prepare for the summer; they grow new leaves. And we should prepare for Jesus’ return.

When these things start to happen, the time will not be long. A person could live through all the events that Jesus described.

But that person’s life will have an end. Everything that we know will have an end. Even the earth and sky will have an end. But Jesus’ words are the words of God. And God’s word has no end (Isaiah 40:6-8).

Be ready!

Verses 32-37

The *disciples wanted to know when these things would happen. But only God the Father knows the answer to that question. Even Jesus did not know it. But he told the *disciples what they should do. They should be ready.

Before a master leaves his house, he speaks to his servants. He gives authority to each servant. Then the servant will be able to do his work. He tells them that they must watch carefully. They watch for anyone who may try to rob the house. And they watch for the master’s return.

Soon Jesus would leave the *disciples. He was giving them authority to do God’s work. And Jesus told them that he would return. So they must be ready for his return. They must do his work. They must use his authority well. They must be good and careful servants of God. They must not be lazy, because Jesus will return.

This book is in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

Gospel ~ a book that tells about the things that Jesus did. And it includes some things that he taught. There are 4 Gospels in the Bible. They are the books by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
judge ~ to say what is right or wrong, good or bad; A judge is a person with authority to say if another person is right or wrong.
holy ~ special for God.
heaven ~ God’s home.
punish ~ to cause someone pain. Usually, it is because that person has done wrong things.
Satan ~ the bad angel whom God sent away from heaven a long time ago.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.
angel ~ one of God’s special servants in heaven. Angels bring messages from God.
heaven ~ God’s home.
disciple ~ a student of a great teacher. Usually, the disciple travelled with his teacher and he worked for his teacher.

Mark’s Good News

Mark’s Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 13

Jesus warns his *disciples about the future 13:1-37

The *Temple at Jerusalem will come to an end 13:1-2

v1 As Jesus came out of the *Temple, one of his *disciples said, ‘Look, Teacher. What wonderful stones! What wonderful buildings!’ v2 Jesus said to him, ‘You see all these great buildings! Not a single stone will remain upon another stone. Men will throw every stone down.’

Verse 1 Herod the Great began to build the *Temple in about 20 *BC. It was not complete until *AD 63. It was a magnificent building. Herod had made it out of white stone. Some of the foundation stones were enormous. Gold covered the front of the building and it reflected the sun. The *Temple was the place of *worship for *Jews from all over the world. The *Jews could not imagine that anything could happen to their *Temple. It gave them a feeling of security. The *Temple was there. So they believed that God would never leave them.

Verse 2 Jesus’ words came true in *AD 70. The *Romans destroyed Jerusalem completely. The place where the *Temple had been became no more than a field. ‘Future visitors would not believe that the city had ever been there’ (Josephus, ‘The history of the *Jewish war’).

The beginning of troubles 13:3-8

v3 Jesus was sitting on the *Mount of *Olives opposite the *Temple. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him a question in private. v4 ‘Tell us, when will this be? What will be the sign that all these things will come true?’ v5 Jesus began to say to them, ‘Watch out! Be careful that nobody makes you believe their wrong ideas. v6 Many men will come. And they will say that they have my authority. They will say, “I am (he).” They will turn many people from the right way. v7 Do not be afraid when you hear about wars and possible future wars. This must happen first. But the end is not immediately. v8 Nation will fight against nation. *Kingdom will fight against *kingdom. The earth will shake in various places. There will be lack of food. This is only the beginning of the “birth pains”.’

Verse 3 To sit was the usual way for a master to teach his *disciples. From the *Mount of *Olives, there is a wonderful view across the Kidron Valley to Jerusalem city.

Verse 4 The *disciples wanted to know when Jesus’ *prophecy about the *Temple would come true. The idea that men would destroy Jerusalem was terrible. So, the *disciples may have thought that the end of the world was coming. The *Messiah will stand on the *Mount of *Olives after he has defeated all his enemies. The *prophet Zechariah wrote about that (Zechariah 14:4). They were therefore also asking about the sign of the end of the world.

Jesus gave the *disciples three signs that will happen before God’s final judgement:

1 False *Messiahs

Verses 5-6 Some people will say that they are the *Messiah. The *Greek words for ‘I am’ are the name that Jesus used for himself. ‘Before Abraham was, I am’ (John 8:58). ‘I am’ is the name that God gave for himself (Exodus 3:14). Judas from Galilee and Theudas tried to lead people against the *Romans (Acts 5:36-37). In *AD 132, Bar Cochba called himself *Messiah. There have been other people until the present day who make false statements about their authority from God. Some false *Messiahs say that they know the time of the end of the world. Jesus says that only God knows that (Matthew 24:36).

2 Wars

Verses 7-8 Wars between nations will happen during all the time between Jesus’ first and second coming. But the *disciples must not be afraid. God loves them and he is in control of events. Wars will not be a sign of the immediate end.

3 *Earthquakes or a serious lack of food

Verse 8 Less than 40 years after Jesus’ *prophecy, an *earthquake destroyed Laodicea. In *AD 62, *Mount Vesuvius in Italy threw out hot melted rock that buried Pompeii. The Christians for whom Mark was writing would know about this. There was a serious lack of food in the time when Claudius was the great ruler in Rome (Acts 11:28).

*Jews used picture language of a woman in pain because she was beginning to give birth to a new life. It was the sign of the troubles for the *Jewish nation that would bring about a new beginning (Micah 4:9-10).

All these signs would come before the end of the world. They were not the end itself. Paul had to warn the Christians in Thessalonica to do their work. Some were neglecting their duties. They expected that Jesus would return very soon. Some even said that he had already come (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Jesus says that the *disciples will suffer 13:9-13

These verses describe the trouble from enemies that Jesus’ *disciples must expect. But Jesus encourages them by promises of God’s help and protection.

v9 ‘Watch out! People will hand you over to the courts. They will strike you in the *Jewish meeting places. You will stand in front of rulers and kings because of me. There you will be a witness to me. v10 And people must *preach the *gospel to all nations first. v11 They will arrest you and take you to court. Do not be anxious before then about what you will say. Say whatever God gives you to say at the time. It is not you who will be speaking, but the *Holy Spirit. v12 Brothers will hand over brothers, whom the authorities will kill. A father will hand over his child. Children will hand over their parents for death. v13 Everyone will hate you because of me. But God will save the person who lasts to the end.’

Verse 9 The ‘courts’ and *Jewish meeting places refer to trouble from the *Jews. The *Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the chief court. But the *Jewish meeting places were also courts of law. They could whip a man if they had shown him to be guilty in such a court. ‘Rulers and kings’ refers to trouble from *Gentiles. In such situations, the *disciples would have the opportunity to talk about their *faith in Jesus. Peter spoke with courage to the *Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1-13). Paul stood in front of Felix and Festus (Acts Chapter s 23-25). In Rome, he spoke about Christ to the soldiers who guarded him (Philippians 1:12-13).

Verse 10 They must make sure that as many people as possible hear the *gospel. They must include everyone, *Gentiles as well as *Jews. The end will not come until they have completed their task.

Verse 11 They must not worry when they have to stand in court. The *Holy Spirit will give them the right words to say.

Verse 12 To be loyal to Jesus can cause disagreements in a family. Jesus had warned about that (Luke 12:51-53). Trouble can come even from close relatives. ‘Brothers’ can mean brothers by birth or close relatives. To be loyal to Jesus might cause pain and troubles. Some *disciples would suffer death for their *faith. In the early church, the *Jews killed Stephen. Herod Antipas made his soldiers kill James the brother of John (Acts 7:54-60; Acts 12:2). In many parts of the world today, Christians suffer trouble from enemies. Authorities put them in prison and even kill them.

Verse 13 People hated Christ. Therefore, they will hate those who obey him (John 15:18-19). There was a reason why Jesus emphasised this. Some *Jews believed that God always helped good people to avoid pain and troubles. Some people today think that Christians should not have any problems. But it is not true. Christians will not always be healthy and successful. Christians suffer difficulties in the same way as other people who do not obey God. And they suffer for their *faith as well.

But everything that happens is in God’s control. This knowledge should encourage Jesus’ *disciples to remain loyal. ‘To the end’ has three possible meanings:

1 ‘Until God has finished his work on earth’. Some Christians will still be alive when Jesus returns (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

2 ‘Until the end of life from natural causes’.

3 ‘Until other people may even kill Christians’.

God will give a welcome into his *eternal *kingdom to those people who remain loyal (Revelation 2:10).

Jerusalem will fall 13:14-23

v14 ‘You will see the “awful thing that causes disgust”. It will stand where it does not belong.’ (The reader should understand what this means.) ‘Then anyone in Judea should escape to the mountains. v15 Nobody on the roof should go down into his house in order to take anything out. v16 Nobody in the field should go back in order to get his coat. v17 How awful it will be in those days for *pregnant women! How awful for mothers who still have babies at their breasts! v18 Pray that this will not happen in winter. v19 Those days will be worse than any other days from the time that God created the world until now. And there will never be any days like them again. v20 If the *Lord had not cut the time short, nobody would live. But he has made the time shorter because of the people whom he has chosen. v21 Then someone may say to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “Look, there he is!” Do not believe it. v22 False *Christs and false *prophets will appear. They will show signs and *miracles. They will try to cheat the people whom God has chosen, if possible. v23 But watch out. I have told you everything before the time.’

Verse 14 ‘The awful thing that causes disgust’ are words from the book of Daniel (9:27). In 168 *BC, the *Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes defeated the *Jews. He then put a *Greek *altar in the *Temple in Jerusalem. He put an image of Zeus, the chief *Greek god, in the Holy Place. In *AD 40, the mad ruler Caligula planned to put an image of himself in the *Temple. Fortunately, he died in *AD 41, before he could carry out his plan. When Titus destroyed the *Temple in *AD 70, the *Roman soldiers put their military flags there.

Jesus may have meant any future time when people will be completely loyal to anyone or anything other than God. The *Jews expected a power that was completely evil. Paul called this power ‘the man of *sin’. This ‘man of *sin’ would set himself up in God’s *temple and he would demand *worship (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4).

‘The reader should understand what this means’. Perhaps Jesus meant when Jerusalem and its *Temple would be destroyed by the *Romans. Mark may have believed that, anyway. Perhaps this is why he did not explain clearly. It might have been dangerous for the Christians to speak about such an idea. They were already suffering because of their *faith.

Because of what Jesus had said, Christians left Jerusalem. The writer Eusebius says that they went to Pella. Pella was a city on the other side of the River Jordan. Other people crowded into the city at Jerusalem. They thought that its strong walls and its *Temple would protect them from the *Romans. But, in *AD 70, Titus camped outside the city for five months. He waited for the people to starve to death. The *Jewish writer Josephus described the terrible troubles of all those people in the city who could not get food.

Verses 15-16 When the first signs of trouble came, people must hurry to escape. They must not wait to collect their goods from the house. They must not return from the fields to collect a coat. This reminds us about Lot’s wife. When she looked back, she died (Genesis 19:26).

Verse 17 Jesus thought especially about the troubles of mothers with tiny babies and with children who were not yet born. It would be very hard for mothers to watch their babies die of hunger.

Verse 18 People who were trying to escape in the winter would find very little shelter from the weather. Food would be difficult to find. The river bottoms that dried up in the summer would be full of water. They would not be able to cross over them.

Verse 19 These words come from the book of Daniel (12:1). They were true of the terrible troubles when the *Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Thousands of people died and the *Romans took thousands more as prisoners into other countries.

But these words also refer to a time of great troubles before the ‘last days’.

Verse 20 The words may refer to when the *Romans destroyed Jerusalem in *AD 70. Or they may refer to the end of the world. But they mean the same. God will make the time of trouble shorter because he controls events in the world. He will not allow anyone to destroy the people whom he has chosen. ‘The people whom God has chosen’ were the *Jews. But the members of the Christian church are now ‘the people whom God has chosen’ as well.

Verses 21-22 Jesus warns the *disciples about false *prophets who could even perform signs and *miracles (Deuteronomy 13:1-3). ‘False *Christs’ perhaps means those who oppose Christ. False *Christs can also mean those who claim to be Christians. But they teach wrong things to *disciples. They would teach them to do wrong things. John writes about ‘many false *Christs’ (1 John 2:18).

Verse 23 Jesus had already warned his disciples (Mark 13:5). Now he repeated what he had said to them. They would have greater strength to oppose false ideas because Jesus had prepared them. And they would have greater strength to suffer troubles

When the Son of Man comes 13:24-27

v24 ‘In those days, there will be terrible troubles. After that, the sun will grow dark and the moon will not shine. v25 The stars will fall from the sky. The powers of the sky will shake out of their places. v26 Then they will see the Son of Man as he comes in clouds with great power and light. v27 Then he will send out his *angels. He will gather the people whom he has chosen from all four directions of the earth. He will bring them from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.’

Verses 24-25 The *Old Testament *prophets often spoke about signs in the sky that would come before God’s judgement day. There will be darkness because there will be no light from the sun, moon or stars (Isaiah 13:10; Isaiah 34:4). ‘The powers of the sky’ means the sun, moon and stars. Something like an *earthquake will disturb them from their natural places.

Verse 26 Daniel wrote, ‘Someone who looked like a son of man came in the clouds of the sky’ (Daniel 7:13). Jesus spoke about his second coming in words like these. A ‘cloud’ is a sign that God is there (Exodus 13:21; Mark 9:7). The great honour and beauty with which Jesus will come is the great honour and beauty of God the Father.

The need to be ready for Christ’s coming 13:28-37

v28 ‘Learn a lesson from the *fig tree. When its branches go soft, the leaves appear. Then you know that summer is near. v29 In the same way, you will see these things happen. Then you will know that he is near. He is right at the door. v30 I tell you the truth. People now alive will not have died until all these things have happened. v31 Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away.

v32 Nobody knows about the day or the hour. Not even the *angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows. v33 Be careful! Keep awake! You do not know when the time will come. v34 It is like a man who goes on a journey. He leaves his house and he puts his servants in charge. Each servant has his work to do. The master orders the servant at the door to keep watching. v35 So keep watching. You do not know when the master of the house will come back. It may be in the evening or at midnight. It may be when the male chicken calls at dawn or in the morning. v36 He may come without warning. And he may find you asleep. v37 What I say to you, I say to everyone. “Watch!” ’

Verse 28 They know that summer is near when the leaves begin to appear on the *fig tree. To sit under a *fig tree was a sign of peace when the *Messiah came (Micah 4:4).

Verse 29 The words ‘these things’ probably refer to the signs in the sky (verses 24-25). They will know that the *Lord will return very soon.

Verse 30 Many of Jesus’ *disciples believed that Jesus would return during their life. Paul had to tell the Christians at Thessalonica to carry on their normal lives while they waited (1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). In one way, Jesus did return very soon when he came at *Pentecost. He had promised his *disciples that he would not leave them without comfort (John 14:18). But the time when Jesus will return is still future. ‘People now alive’ may refer to the *Jews. If so, Jesus was saying that there would always be *Jews. But Jesus may have meant the kind of people who would be loyal to him. Then he was saying, ‘There will always be people who really believe.’

Verse 31 Everything will pass away. But what Jesus taught is always true. It is important for everyone, wherever they live or whatever their age. Heaven and earth may be of no more use, like clothing that has worn out. But God never changes (James 1:17). Jesus, too, is always the same (Hebrews 1:10-12; Hebrews 13:8).

Verse 32 Only God the Father knows the exact time when the Son of Man will come again. Jesus was God’s Son, but, as a man, he himself did not know. Some people say that he will appear on a certain date. Or, they say that the world will end on a certain date. Those people are wrong, because nobody can know that.

Verse 33 Jesus warns his *disciples to be prepared.

Verse 34 He is like a man who has gone on a journey. But the man has not said quite when he would return. Like the servants in Jesus’ story, each *disciple has his work to do. They are like the servants in the *parable about the three servants (Matthew 25:14-30).

Verses 35-37 Jesus may come at any time of day or night. He therefore emphasises the need to keep awake and ready. He will come suddenly. Jesus was not only warning the *disciples. He was warning everyone.

disciples ~ people who follow someone in order to learn from him.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
BC ~ 50 BC means the year that was 50 years before Jesus came, and so on.
AD ~ AD 50 means the year that was 50 years after Jesus came, and so on.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
mount ~ a short word for mountain; small mountain.
olive ~ a tree with small fruits (or the fruits themselves) that people use to make oil. They burned the oil to give them light. They used it in other ways too.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
kingdom ~ people or place that a king rules; or people that God rules.
prophecy ~ words that God gave to a person to speak or to write down.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
prophet ~ a person who told people what God wanted.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.
earthquake ~ when the surface of the earth shakes. If it is very strong, buildings can fall down.
earthquake ~ when the surface of the earth shakes. If it is very strong, buildings can fall down.
preach ~ to tell and explain the good news about Jesus to someone or to a group of people.
gospel ~ good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
Gospel ~ one of the first four books in the New Testament.
save ~ rescue from the results of sin.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus. It is about Jesus’ works and the things that he taught and about the first Christians.

'Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit. We cannot see him but he is there.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything about Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
faith ~ belief in someone or something, or things that Christians believe about Jesus.
eternal ~ with no beginning or end.
pregnant ~ when a woman is carrying a child inside her body during the time before birth.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
Christ ~ the Jews’ word for the king that God would send to rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
miracle ~ a wonderful work that someone does by God’s power.
altar ~ the special table, where they burnt animals or other gifts that people offer to God.
sin ~ when people do not obey God’s commands.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
angel ~ God’s special messenger.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
fig ~ a small soft fruit full of tiny seeds. People eat it fresh or dried.
Pentecost ~ the time each year when Jews thank God for their food; also the time when God gave the Holy Spirit to the church.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes what Jews believe.

Holy Spirit ~ God’s Spirit. We cannot see him but he is there.
parable ~ a story with a hidden meaning.