As Jesus he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’ Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Mark 13:1-8
This is the beginning of what’s called “the Little Apocalypse” where Jesus speaks of signs, persecutions, and the coming ”end of the age” – what we sometimes refer to as “the end of the world.” We find apocalyptic literature in several Old Testament books (parts of Daniel, for example), in other Gospels, and especially in Revelation. This genre is ultimately hopeful, because it tends to be written from the perspective of those without power and prestige, those for whom an end to current suffering is good news. At least one commentator calls it ”protest literature.” The underlying message of apocalyptic writing is “good – and God – will win in the end.”
One of the disciples marvels at the seeming indestructability of the Temple, a magnificent building at the centre of the worship system. It’s likely Mark was writing around the time of the Jewish-Roman War (66-70 CE), i.e. when the Temple either had been destroyed, was currently being destroyed, or was about to be destroyed. Nothing is indestructible (but we know this, don’t we).
Many bad things will happen – Jesus mentions wars, earthquakes, and famines, all of which are very familiar at the moment – but we shouldn’t be alarmed, nor led astray by people claiming to be God, nor think that the end of the world is upon us.
From this, and similar passages in other Gospels three things are clear: the end of the world will come (nothing is permanent), no-one knows when this will happen (so don’t get distracted) but be ready (stay close to God and look forward expectantly to God’s future). Which of those three things do we most need to hear at the moment? Which of those make us feel most hopeful?
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