NOTES for Mar 13:1-8

As far as we can judge, the Lord Jesus Christ’s prediction of coming disasters refers first of all to the destruction of Jerusalem that was to occur in AD 70. This tragedy still lay in the future when the evangelists, including Mark, wrote down their accounts. Yet what the Lord says next is striking. His words can be applied to practically any time, to any era of human history. We can therefore see in these words a brief summary of the way the history of the world always unfolds, in every age.

The Lord speaks of natural disasters and conflicts between kingdoms, of wars and famine. The Lord speaks of the things that frighten us in every age and make us die of terror and the expectation of calamity. But that is not what matters! “Watch yourselves,” the Lord says to the disciples in Mark’s account. “All this will take place, but the end is not yet,” Matthew conveys His words. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near,” Luke records. The preaching of the Gospel is what matters most. It is this that determines the time for the end of history: the time when every person will receive the opportunity to turn to God. Through all the upheavals of tragic history, the Lord calls His disciples to think first of all about God and His Kingdom.

This is important because for centuries people have looked in the events of their own time for signs of the approaching end of the world. But such signs can easily be found at any time. And at every time, Christ’s disciples need faith and faithfulness in order to fulfill His commandment of love. According to the evangelists, this alone gives meaning and purpose to the painful history of humankind.