Mark 13:1-13

As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”

2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, 4 “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

9 “When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. 10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. 11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Comments

This is the longest single teaching in Mark’s Gospel (we’ll read the rest tomorrow) and thus warrants our full attention (Mark interjects this sentiment in v.14). This was important to the audience he was writing for, for whom the pressures surrounding Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple were either a very present danger or else a very recent occurrence (the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70AD). In our own day, people tend either to ignore passages like this or become fixated on them, concocting elaborate fictional accounts that don’t come close to conveying what this passage has to teach us. Jesus stresses two things: don’t worry and watch out. Contradictory? Sounds that way. But given our tendencies in both wrong directions – either to worry or not to watch out – it looks like Jesus left us with the two messages we need most. If you’re prone to worry about the end times, reflect on this and let it help you stop. If you never give thought to Jesus’ return, let this ignite your thinking in a needful direction.

Mark 4:1-20

4 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do,
    they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
    they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
    and be forgiven.’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Comments

I would take the time to explain to you what this parable means, but this is one of the wonderful instances where Jesus left no doubt about the meaning. Love that. For me, I feel like you know before too long if you’re the first or second kind of seed, but I think the possibility of being the third or fourth remains in play. The cares of life choking out the Gospel seems like it has to be an ongoing issue for anyone not living a monastic life (and maybe even for them). I encourage you to spend some time praying and thinking about what sort of seed you are – and doing any weeding in the garden of your soul, if the Spirit points out any things that are stealing nutrients from the fruit you are trying to grow. Also, take comfort that not everyone you share the Gospel with will accept it – at least not then. Their soil may not be ready. Rocky soil can be tilled and prepped, even roads can be taken up and that soil made arable. Don’t lose heart, you may be aerating, others may plant, water, and harvest.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Mike Raburn

God speaks to you. Listen. Act on what you hear.

Tag: Satan

Red Letter Year: 2/20

Mark 13:1-13

Red Letter Year: 1/16

Mark 4:1-20