13:1-37. The last things


This difficult discourse may be better understood if we keep two points in mind, (i) that Jesus spoke as a prophet, his language reflecting that of the Old Testament prophets, and (ii) that the vivid language of apocalyptic imagery is used, presenting spiritual truth about the future in a vivid pictorial way. It will also help us to identify five ideas in the discourse which, however, often run into one another:

(i) Prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem (13: 1-2, 14-20)

(ii) Warnings of persecution to come (13 :9-13)

(iii) Prophecies of the end of the present age and the return of the Son of Man (13:7-8,24-27)

(iv) The need to be spiritually alert (13 :21-23, 28-37) ,

(v) Prophecies of the dangers of the last days of this age (13 :5-8, 21-22).

The chapter may be divided into the following sections: 13: 1-4 The Temple and its destruction

5-13 Distress and persecution ahead

14-23 Horror in Judaea; the need to be on guard against deception 24-27 Cosmic catastrophe and the coming of the Son of Man

28-37 The necessity of spiritual alertness.

How did Mark's original readers understand this discourse? We may identify the following points which would be significant for them:

(i) That Jesus had prophesied hostility and persecution for his followers, prepared the Church for what actually happened.

(ii) The prophecies of the final manifestation and victory of the Kingdom of God, however violent and terrifying the last days of the present age were, strengthened the Christians to stand firm in• hostile and adverse circumstances.

(iii) The warnings against false prophets and leaders were important as the first century Church sought to preserve the traditions which were being handed on from one generation to another.

In the discourse two stages in the victory of the Kingdom of God cant be discerned, the second and final stage not being until the ultimate destruction of evil and the coming of God's Judgement at the end of the present age. In the letters of Paul, Peter and James, their understanding of the times in which they lived as being the first days of the Kingdom and the last of the present age is the same as that shown in this discourse of Mark's gospel. Comparison may be made with passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 4:5, 6:9, 15:24-28 and 51-55, James 5:7-9, 1 Peter 1 :6-7,13,4:7,12-17,5 :8-11.

What does this discourse mean for Christians today? It is still clear that we live in a world in which there are powerful manifestations of evil because the final victory of the Kingdom has not yet come. Christians must still be prepared to face hostility from the opponents of the Kingdom and must not be discouraged by their attacks. The Christian conviction is that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39) whose total destruction of evil is promised to mankind. The Christian belief is that time is carrying all of us to a destination. The need for spiritual alertness is just as great now as it was when Mark wrote to his first century readers. Jesus still says to the Church today, 'Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away'.

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