Bible Text: Mark 13:1-8, Daniel 12:1-3 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
On the night of Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938 one radio program on CBS managed to stop traffic. Legend has it that at the same time NBC was airing an episode of The Chase and Sanborn Hour featuring Edgar Bergen but when it went into a musical interlude people switched channels to CBS where they heard a series of terrifying news bulletins. But because they had been listening to NBC they missed the introduction that stated these were fictional bulletins. Do you know which program I’m talking about? The adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds as performed by Orson Welles is a science fiction story about an alien invasion and it reputedly caused major panic, although the measure of panic is relative. As the Tonight Show with Jack Paar was also about to air Paar attempted to calm down those who had phoned the studio. He even went on air and said, “The world is not coming to an end. Trust me, When have I ever lied to you?” Given what was going on in Europe as they were on the cusp of war and given that people were afraid of the unknown it is not entirely surprising that people reacted this way. In fact, talking about the end of the world, makes us all a little uncomfortable. We are still afraid of the unknown and perhaps modern technology instead of creating a calm, creates a greater panic with all the conspiracy theorists, end times predictions and false prophecies. Did you know that since the year 2000 there have been 21 predictions that the world would end on a specific date, the most recent one being just six weeks ago on Oct. 7. Now, I am not about to debate their validity or mock these very real concerns that people have, but rather I want to point out that whenever we begin to look at end time prophecies most of us what to debunk them rather than believe them. Most of us have a sceptical bias from the very beginning.
So what are we supposed to do when Jesus comes to the disciples and gives them an end time prophecy? I really would rather preach on the Scriptures from last week, or maybe I could just deviate from the lectionary as I am sometimes wont to do. Or I could be ok with the fact that this is an uncomfortable topic and one we modern Presbyterians don’t really talk about- and well, this is the year in which us Presbyterians are going to be asked to talk about things that we don’t usually talk about and things that sometimes make us uncomfortable so- why not, let’s do this! The funny thing is, the more I read about this passage in Mark the more comfortable I was with it. The less concerning it became.
Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple in Jerusalem and they are admiring the masonry, the greatness of the building, looking at the beauty as they exit this sacred space. The disciples are in awe, “look at how big everything us!” they exclaim. Jesus sees a teaching opportunity because he points out that no matter how big and great this building is, it, like all others, will be thrown down, will be razed to the ground. Now we know that in 70 AD or Common Era, the temple was destroyed and it is possible the gospel of Mark was collected and written after that date. So it is possible that the author is trying to reconcile this destruction. That in fact the fall of this temple is a key sign that the present age of evil, just before the new age, has begun. What we have encountered in our Minor Prophets Bible study is that often these destructive stories point not to pain but rather power. That no matter how great, no matter how big, no matter how strong we or our creations are, God is greater, bigger, stronger.
Then as Jesus sits in the peaceful shade on the Mount of Olives he begins to warn Peter, James, John and Andrew, of false prophecy and describes that nations will rise against each other, kingdoms will attack one another, there will be earthquakes and famines and pain. He explains that as the apocalypse nears, suffering in the world intensifies as the rulers of this present age entrench themselves to resist this new transformation. As the fear of change approaches believers will be tempted to turn away from faithful living. There is, however, a key point that Jesus makes. It is these four disciples who pull him aside and ask for specifics, “Tell us, when will this take place?” Jesus never gives them a time or date but rather warns that they should be weary of anyone who does. Daniel also alludes to this as he indicates that God has chosen the time when this event will occur but that God has not revealed a precise time- to anyone.
Jesus also says that all this will happen but that this is just the beginning of birth pains. This is actually not about an end but a beginning. It is hard to imagine what was going on in the life of the disciples or early church but it was certainly completely different from anything they had known. These words in Mark as uncomfortable as they are, are actually words of encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus in the midst of intense suffering and that they are called upon to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. In other words they are to encourage outsiders to become part of this new community. For the disciples this is the end, the end of the faith they grew up with, the end of the community into which they were born, the end of how they practiced their relationship with God- so that they may begin something new. They are transitioning from the old ways of living to more faithful ones and this is difficult and painful and chaotic.
In a lot of ways we are like the early church and these disciples. The church at one time had a stronghold on society but we are headed into the unknown, we know that if our numbers are to grow we’re going to have to recognize the end of some of our traditions. It’s scary, difficult, painful and certainly chaotic. This transformation will involve the passing of old ways so that new ones can emerge. But birth, while painful, is also a miracle and is full of possibilities. We are encouraged that while our ways may change the message remains the same and it is to that message that we are to remain faithful in the midst of chaos. Christian author Ronald J. Allen says, “we can appreciate the underlying assurance of apocalyptic theology that God is not content with the injustices and sorrows of the present world and always works for every person, group, and circumstance to manifest as much as possible God’s unconditional love.” The Gospel lesson from Mark this morning is no reason to panic, the words won’t stop traffic, but they are words that we need to heed to- Beware but also be faithful. Amen