Mark 13:1-8
Lesson Focus
Jesus warns us to be on guard against those who claim to bring salvation but to trust that everything will be made right.
Lesson Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, students should:
Understand that Jesus desires us to be on guard against those claiming to come in Jesus’ name.
Understand that wars and natural disasters are not signs that the end of the world is near.
Be encouraged to focus on our participation in the mission of God.
Catching Up on the Story
Over the last few chapters, Jesus and his followers have made their way toward Jerusalem. Many times, Jesus has warned them of his impending arrest, torture, and execution. Understandably so, this has caused much consternation among the disciples. Sometimes, the disciples seem to be catching on to what Jesus is doing. They know he’s bringing God’s kingdom, but they’re still confused about how that kingdom operates.
Their confusion has led to some interesting conversations and disputes. Jesus’ followers have argued about who will be the greatest in the kingdom Jesus brings. Not only that, but James and John asked Jesus to elevate their status above the rest of the disciples by placing the two on his right and left in the divine throne room.
The conversations, teaching moments, healings, and exorcisms all take place on the road to Jerusalem.
In Mark’s gospel, there is only one road leading to Israel’s capital city. It is not only a physical road that Jesus and his followers must travel but also a spiritual road representing the long journey of discipleship. Jesus has been taking his followers with him, not just to Jerusalem but into God’s coming kingdom.
Both the physical and spiritual roads that Jesus and his followers travel don’t end with the suffering that takes place in Jerusalem but continue on after the events of the Easter weekend. After Jesus departs in the ascension, the disciples will continue to journey on the road to God’s kingdom. Like they have to this point, the disciples must continue to rely on God to instruct them and lead them to where they should go.
This week’s story is intended to help Jesus’ followers continue navigating the uncertain road ahead.
The Temple
The last several scenes in Mark’s gospel have occurred in the Temple area. However, the time has come for Jesus to leave the Temple area for the last time. Jesus will not return to the Temple before he is crucified. As Jesus and his disciples exited the Temple, one of his followers turned back to admire the grand structure. “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!”
Marveling at a structure like the Temple was not out of place. The Temple in Jerusalem was the largest and most spectacular building in the country, if not the region. Nothing could compare to its grandeur.
The Temple’s splendor was partly due to Herod's work enlarging and completing it. Most visitors to the Temple on any given day were spellbound by its size and beauty.
Jesus responds to his disciples, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
To this point in the disciples’ journey, they have heard and witnessed some outlandish things. On more than one occasion, they’ve heard Jesus predict his own death. They’ve watched has he’s cast out demons and healed the sick.
Rationally, they should believe Jesus and his prediction.
At the same time, Jesus’ statement would have been a shock. The Temple was the sign of Israel. For so long, the Temple was where God’s presence dwelt among creation and God’s people specifically.
In their collective memory, the disciples remember when the Assyrians had destroyed the Temple. Exile and the Temple’s destruction radically altered Israel’s existence. There’s no doubt that the disciples think that the destruction of the Temple now would produce similar changes.
On the Mount of Olives
Mark’s narrative leaves out any immediate response the disciples might have had. It isn’t until the group arrives on the Mount of Olives that questions are raised. The Mount of Olives is not far outside of Jerusalem, and it is said that a beautiful view of the Temple is available from that vantage point.
Then, Peter, James, John, and Andrew draw Jesus a way and privately ask him, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished.”
Two distinct questions are being asked: when will this be, and how will we know?
Rather than directly answering his disciples’ questions, Jesus warns them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.”
Beware, while it is a correct translation, it is a bit mild. A better translation might be, “What out! So that no one leads you astray.” (Boring, 362). Jesus warns his disciples to be vigilant not for foreign invaders or evil men bent on Israel’s destruction but for false teachers/messiahs.
Jesus counsels the disciples to be on guard against those who will “come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’”
The phrase, “come in my name,” isn’t “coming with the authority or approval of” as the disciples and first apostles will do as they take the gospel around the known world.
Instead, crafty men will come in Jesus’ name, claiming to be the Christ (Boring, 362). Many will come and say, “I am he!”
The phrase “I am” is a dead giveaway, At the burning bush when Moses asks who he is to say has sent him to Pharaoh, God answers, “The I am sends you.” Vigilance is needed to ensure that the disciples don’t lose faith in the true and real “I am” Jesus.
Part two of Jesus’ warning calls the disciples to be patient. As their question has already shown, the disciples long to know when the end will come and God’s kingdom will be fully established. Jesus doesn’t give them an exact time or even general signs. Instead, he tells them not to get too uptight about events, which others would interpret as “signs of the times.”
“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed: this must take place, but the end is still to come.” Wars and rumors of war are as commonplace now as they were in Jesus’ day. So are nations rising against other nations. Earthquakes abound, and so do famines.
The apocalyptic thinkers of the day sought in the events of the day signs that might predict what was to come. Jesus instructs his followers not to get caught up in speculations about the impending end.
Rather, the end is not yet. Remember that Christians who would read this gospel, which Mark writes, were experiencing persecution and troubles of their own. Amid such trouble, they naturally long for Christ to return to set things right.
Today’s passage ends with the statement that events like wars and natural disasters are, but the beginning of the birth pangs and delivery is a long way off. The rest of the chapter will continue to outline the future, with its dangers, which lie ahead.
The last words of the chapter, before the narrative moves on to relate Jesus’ arrest and execution, are, “Keep awake.”
So What?
Jesus’ warning to his disciples is as relevant to us as it was to them. Then, as now, there will be women and men who claim to come in Jesus’ name.
It’s unlikely that anyone today will seriously claim to be the Messiah and be believed by a significant number of people.
But the church in America is not immune from the temptation to follow anyone who says, “I know the way. I’m the only one who can fix the issues we face today.”
We’re quick to pledge allegiance to those who claim they can help us avoid persecution or who will place us in a position of power relative to those around us.
At the same time, Jesus’ concern for his followers is not that they know the times and signs of the end but that they are constantly prepared to fully participate in God’s coming kingdom.
Focusing on wars and rumors of wars will serve only as a distraction and a temptation.
Persecutions and disasters will serve as a distraction because we will spend more time thinking about how to avoid them then we will thinking about how best to love our neighbor in the midst of those disasters.
Persecutions and disasters will serve as temptations because we will be tempted to confront those dangers head-on with our own authority and power instead of trusting that the God who created the universe is coming to set all things right.
The temptation to exert our power in the face of evil has been the greatest temptation of the church since the beginning. Humanity has a strong propensity to take things in our own hands rather then trusting that the ultimate victory belongs to the Lord.
Rather than being fearful about the world around us, we should trust God, believing that a new and better future awaits.
Discussion Questions
Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
Have you ever observed a man-made wonder and admired its grandeur or immensity?
Imagine you lived in Jesus’ day and were from a small town in Israel. How would you have reacted to seeing the Temple in Jerusalem?
Israel believed that the Temple was where God’s presence dwelled among them. What do you think the disciple’s initial reaction might have been to Jesus’ statement about the Temple’s destruction? How would you have reacted?
Some disciples corner Jesus and ask for a timetable and a sign for when these things might happen. Would you have asked the same question? Why?
Jesus doesn’t give us a clear answer to the disciple’s question. Instead, Jesus gives a warning. What are the two warnings that Jesus gives?
Have you ever heard someone say that they are the Messiah? What did you think about that person and why? Did you believe him or her?
Have you ever heard anyone, specifically a public figure, declare that they were the only ones who could fix the problem that faced the town/city/country? Did you believe him or her? Why or why not?
Is Jesus warning to beware of those who might come claiming to be the Messiah relevant to us today? What makes you think that way?
Have you ever heard or said to yourself that certain events were signs that the end was near and Jesus was soon to come back? Why would you think that way? What might Jesus say about saying such things?
Jesus calls us not to be alarmed when wars, disasters, or even persecutions arise. What might Jesus want us to focus on in those situations?
What is Jesus calling us to do? Who is Jesus calling us to be?
Works Cited
M. Eugene Boring, Mark: A Commentary, ed. C. Clifton Black, John T. Carroll, and M. Eugene Boring, The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012).
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