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July 21, 2019
Jason Meyer | Mark 13:1-37
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
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 all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”—Mark 13:1–37
Introduction
Last Sunday was a moment of corporate lament and learning and repenting as we walked through the dark valley together concerning this incident of sexual misconduct that happened to a child in our Early Childhood ministry. We can’t just have a sermon on something like that and then move on to Mark without mentioning more. I want you to know that there is going to be ongoing updates and accountability. As we engage the GRACE training and examine our policies and procedures, I am planning to preach a follow-up sermon when we let you know some of the things that we have learned and some of the steps that we have taken as action items. That just needed to be said at the outset—we are not just moving to the next thing and leaving this behind.
Today we are back in the Gospel of Mark and, because we have been away from it for a little while, let me do some orientation. Mark chapters 11–13 has three divisions—that represent three trips to the temple.
1st trip to the temple (Mark 11:1–11)
2nd trip to the temple (Mark 11:12–19)
3rd trip to the temple (Mark 11:20–13:37)
The theme of this entire unit is Jesus’ conflict with the entire Jewish religious system. In the first trip to the temple, Jesus fulfills what the prophets said would take place in the last days. The King comes riding on a colt (Zechariah 9:9), and the Lord suddenly comes to his temple (Malachi 3:1).
In the second trip to the temple, Mark presents a fig tree sandwich with the cursing of the fig tree (11:12–14), cursing of the temple (11:15–19), fulfillment of the curse (11:20–25). Remember that the tree was totally cursed so that “they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots” (Mark 11:20). Being withered away to the roots is a picture of total cursing and destruction. That is exactly where we pick up in chapter 13—with the total destruction of the temple.
In the third trip to the temple, the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus in his words three times and utterly failed. Then he gave three responses to them and left them utterly speechless. Some of his final words in chapter 12 were to contrast the sham showmanship of the scribes with the hidden devotion of the poor widow. Now we come to chapter 13.
We are going to take chapter 13 in two sermons. This first sermon will take the whole chapter and walk through the four movements of the text:
The next sermon will focus in more detail upon verses 3–27 and the Second Coming. So we begin today with the first two verses.
1) Total Destruction (vv. 1–2)
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
1. The Blindness of the Disciples (v. 1)
The disciples seem to be blind to Jesus’ confrontational curse on the temple. They are still dazzled by the external aspects of the temple (wonderful stones, wonderful buildings). Jesus has been addressing the internal corruption of the temple—just like the Pharisees—the temple is whitewashed on the outside and full of dead men’s bones and unclean on the inside, just as the Pharisees wash the outside of the cup, while the inside is filthy (Matthew 23:25). They don’t see things as Jesus does.
2. The Prediction of the Total Destruction of the Temple (v. 2)
Jesus brings crystal clear sight back to the situation. The buildings may look great now, but the time is coming when they will be utterly demolished. Not one stone upon another. All will be thrown down.
Now the disciples ask him privately the question begging to be asked. When?
2) The Timing of the End (vv. 3–27)
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 all these things are about to be accomplished?”—Mark 13:3–4
The disciples ask when will these things be, and they ask what will be the sign? Jesus replies that the disciples’ desire for a sign will open them up to the possibility of being led astray. There will be many cosmic disturbances in this world, but the end is not yet (v. 7). There will be three stages: 1) Signs or Birth Pains, 2) An Abomination, and 3) The Coming of the Lord. The abomination that causes desolation is a desolating sacrilege. Once this desolating sacrilege comes, people will flee. And then the Lord will come. But Jesus does not end his discourse here with an end times chart or further detail about the end. Rather he returns to chapter 11 and the Fig Tree.
3) The Lesson of the Fig Tree (vv. 28–31)
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
The Fig Tree earlier was in leaf, but fruitless (Mark 11:13). Now Jesus says that certain signs with the fig tree (tender branch and in leaf) show that summer is near. In the same way, when these signs happen, you know that he is near (Mark 13:29). The Lord is at the gates! And this generation won’t pass away until these things take place (v. 30). His words are more certain than the continued existence of heaven and earth (v. 31).
Does this mean that people from the disciples’ generation would see the Second Coming? Was Jesus wrong? Did his words pass away, even though he said that they would not?
Remember that Mark did something similar back in chapter 8 and 9. He talked about the Son of Man coming (8:38). And then he said that some standing there would see the coming of the kingdom of God in power (9:1). Then some of them (Peter, James, and John) saw him transfigured in power and glory (Mark 9:2–3). Let’s be alert to what is happening here as Jesus gives a final warning to close chapter 13.
4) The Final Warning: You Don’t Know When—So Stay Awake (vv. 32–37)
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Jesus tells the disciples that they don’t know the specific time, and they cannot know. Only the Father knows (v. 32). Therefore, they must be on their guard, be vigilant, and stay awake because they don’t know when the time will come (v. 33).
It is like a master of the house going on a journey. The servants do not know when he will return. He left the servants in charge with work to do, and he commands the doorkeeper to stay awake (v. 34).
Now comes the main command of this whole chapter. Everything has been building to this command: “Therefore stay awake.” Why? They don’t know when the Master will come. They should be ready at different times or watches: 1) evening, 2) midnight, 3) when the rooster crows, or 4) morning. They could miss him at all these times—he will come suddenly—and surprisingly, he will find them asleep. So he repeats the command again emphatically: Stay awake (v. 37).
Few people read this text with the right lens. They are so used to reading the whole chapter like a stand-alone, isolated prediction of the Second Coming. And let me be clear: Mark 13 is talking about the Second Coming, but not only the Second Coming. People debate if Jesus is talking only about the destruction of the temple in AD 70 or only about the Second Coming. They miss the fact that Jesus is addressing both (we will focus on that next week). But what I am emphasizing here this week is that if the destruction of the temple and the Second Coming are the only lens for reading Mark 13, then people miss the intentional connection Mark makes between chapters 11–13 and chapters 14–16. And they miss the way that chapter 13 really brings the former section to a climax that sets the stage (and the time frame) for the next section.
Take the time frame in Mark 13 for the coming of the Lord, and you will see the times they must be awake and not be asleep: 1) evening, 2) midnight, 3) when the rooster crows, or 4) morning.
Chapter 14 opens with the repetition of the plot to kill Jesus on the part of the religious leaders (14:1–2). What about the evening watch? Chapter 14, verse 17, alerts us to it with the explicit timeframe: Evening.
And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”—Mark 14:17
I think we are supposed to read this as a type of abomination:
“For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”—Mark 14:21
Then Jesus alerts them that they will all fall away. When? When the rooster crows (13:35, 14:30). Peter denies it. He will certainly stay awake and be ready and not deny Jesus (14:31).
Then comes Mark 14:32–42. Here Mark most explicitly connects chapters 13 and 14.
Mark 13: 32–37
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake (γρηγορέω). Therefore stay awake (γρηγορέω)—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come (ἔρχομαι) suddenly and find (εὑρίσκω) you asleep (καθεύδω). And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake (γρηγορέω).”
Mark 14:34-41
And he said to them,“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch (γρηγορέω).” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said,“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came (ἔρχομαι) and found (εὑρίσκω) them sleeping (καθεύδω), and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep (καθεύδω)? Could you not watch (γρηγορέω) one hour? Watch (γρηγορέω) and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came (ἔρχομαι) and found (εὑρίσκω) them sleeping (καθεύδω), for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came (ἔρχομαι) the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping (καθεύδω) and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
When the desolating sacrilege occurs in chapter 13, everyone will flee. That is exactly what happens here: all the disciples flee (same word as in Mark 13:14–16) …
Mark 14:50–52
And they all left him and fled (φευγω). And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away (φευγω) naked.
The disciples have shown that they are asleep—they are not alert to the realities taking place around them. They have not been ready for his coming. The chief priests and scribes certainly have not understood his coming. They condemn him of blasphemy and he tells them that they will see him coming on the clouds of heaven (14:62). At the same time Jesus is on trial, Peter is on trial before the servant girl of the high priest. Peter takes an oath and calls down a curse on himself in denying that he knows Jesus. The rooster crows (14:72). Everyone seems to be asleep and taken by surprise.
Then Mark 15 comes and it is morning (Mark 15:1). Jesus is delivered over to be crucified. Everyone still seems to be asleep and not recognize the coming of the Lord. In Mark 13:24, the sun is darkened. In Mark 15:33, darkness comes over the whole land. The temple of his body is being destroyed. But after he dies, the temple veil is torn in two (15:38). The end of the temple is here. But he promised to rebuild it after three days.
Is everyone asleep? Is anyone awake? The centurion is not sleeping—he is awake and sees what is really there in front of his eyes: This was the Son of God (15:39).
Then the morning of the Resurrection comes. The temple made without hands is rebuilt in three days. The whole church is about to wake up. The angels tell them that Jesus is not here. He is risen. The new temple has come with his resurrected body. The powers of the age to come—resurrection life has entered into this fallen world. People are going to start waking up as they await his second coming.
Application
The way that Mark presents the cross and resurrection of Jesus is so significant and it addresses one of my major concerns about the way that people typically talk about the end times and eschatology. Eschatology is a word composed of two words: eschatos (last things or end times) and “ology” (logos, the study of). Eschatology is the study of the last times, the end times. What we must realize is that the end times begins with the first coming of Christ. Christ has come. He died and rose. He sent His Spirit. The last days are here. The presence of the future has broken into this present world.
Christians have been delivered or rescued from this present evil age because of the powers of the age to come are here. Listen to Galatians 1:3–5.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
We were held captive as slaves of this present evil age and Satan as its ruler.
Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.—John 12:31
Christians participate in the powers of the age to come when they are set free from the course of this world and are set on a different course. Christ is raised and Christians are raised spiritually with him.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.—Ephesians 2:1–7
The last days comprise two periods—the last times (the whole time period from the 1st coming until the Second Coming) and then the very last times (Second Coming). The people did not catch the fact that they were living in the last times. Do we know that? Now that Jesus has come and is coming again—are we awake? Or are we sleeping? Is the siren song of this world lulling us to sleep or are we vigilant as we know we are servants who each have work to do? The Master of the house came and he is coming again. Are you ready? Or are you sleeping? What is a profile of someone who is spiritually awake or alive? I can’t do better than Colossians 3:1–8,
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
These are texts that talk about what it means to be awake—alive to Christ and raised with Christ! Are you living in the very real position of being raised with Christ? Would someone be able to look at your life and see evidence of a pattern of pursuit: Seeking the things that are above where Christ is? Are you bearing evidence of a pattern of killing sin? Pursuing the things of heaven must mean also putting to death what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Is there a decisive break from the past (in these things which you, too, once walked)? Is there a putting away of anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk? Is your life full of the pursuit of the things of this earth—are you living like this world really is your home? Are you living like your life really does consist in the abundance of the things you own? Are you making disciples? Do we really believe that the gospel must be preached as a testimony in his Name and then the end will come? Do we have end times urgency?
Main Point: We must not be asleep and miss the Lord’s coming.
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Are you awake to the coming of Christ? Are you raised with him? Pray for a grace to put to death earthly things and set your mind on things above!