St. Mark 13:1-13
Dearly beloved,
It is the 2nd Last Sunday in the Church Year. We are being
told of the coming destruction of the Jewish Temple located in Jerusalem. Last
week we pondered the widow and her two mites and how they went to the temple
treasury. Now Jesus says that it is all going to come to nothing. Here is
the setting. Jesus laments over the widow giving the last of all she has to
a building that will crumble.
As Jesus and the disciples leave the temple, a disciple is
rejoicing at the beauty and magnificence of the Temple. The day of Jesus’
arrest and crucifixion grows near, yet the disciples still want to cling to
the things that are fading away. As Jesus and the disciples leave the
Temple, they head out of the city toward the East, wherein lies the Mount of
Olives. They head uphill to the top of the Mount, at which point Jesus sits
down opposite the Temple.
Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Jesus privately, “Tell
us when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these
things are about to be accomplished?” The response that Jesus gives is
difficult for us to decipher, since we are nearly 2000 years after the
earthly life and ministry of Jesus. What Jesus tells the disciples is
preparatory for them, as they prepare to embark with the apostolic task. Wars
and rumors of wars; Nation rising against nation; kingdom against kingdom;
earthquakes will take place in various areas; There will be famines.
All of this sounds like things we see on the nightly news. But
then Jesus continues, “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over
to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before
governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them.” Then comes the
clincher: “and the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” Jesus
also tells them that brother will deliver brother over to death, and the
father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put
to death. And you will be hated by all for my names’ sake.
Sadly, these things all take place continually. A quick
scan through church and world history will bear this truth out for all to
see. To be sure, we are in the end times. Based on Jesus’ own words, the
end times would be seen in the lives of the apostles. The destruction of
the Temple, of which Jesus speaks, takes place in 70AD. The early Christian
and Apostolic Church thought that the second coming of Jesus would take
place in their lifetime. Why, even the church in Thessalonica found itself
in a strange predicament.
They believed so strongly in the words of Jesus that they
just stopped working altogether because they thought Jesus would be coming
sometime within the week. This prompted St. Paul to write not one but two
letters to them urging them to get to work. So, what is the church supposed
to think based on the words of Jesus atop the Mount of Olives? Well, all
those signs happen in our world, in our lives and they are birth pangs.
The Christian life is like this: We go about our routine
and, if left alone, then we are fine. We praise the Lord, seek His goodness
in our daily lives and everything is fine, theoretically. The problem with
living the faith with joy is when circumstances or people enter our
lives. Something
happens to you. Either you are faced with some kind of hardship or someone
sins against you by persecuting you. Now, the Christian life is not so
easy.
You ask God, “Why the calamity?” “Why the hardship?” Or if
someone hates you, then you have to figure out how to handle it. In most
cases, we react and when we do, then we sin. Hatred and hardship brought on
by the sins of others or the fallen nature of the world makes the Christian
faith and life difficult. When you face these things in life, you see how
difficult it is to be a Christian. How do you handle the world? How do you
handle disagreements? Do you attack? Do you slander the good name of others?
Do you lose faith when you are tested by hardship?
If you are honest with yourself, then you will say “This
speaks of me.” You can just imagine the difficult road that the apostles
were to undertake. The same is true for pastors and missionaries. Not only
do we contend with the difficulties of the world and common sin, but God’s
ministers are persecuted by Satan because they are about the Gospel. Satan
uses people, and circumstances to attack God’s men. Satan will then turn to
you and attempt to attack you because you are a Christian. You belong to
Jesus and Satan does not like it.
This means a few things. First, it is critical that you
take your life to Jesus everyday and seek His will and protection for your
life. This means confessing your sins and seeking to rest under the shadow
of the Almighty Lord. Second, belonging to Jesus means that you must seek
His strength and forgiveness in the sacrament. Because you are baptized,
you must now spend the rest of your life attending to the holy things of
God. In a nutshell, and at its most basic level, you are to spend the rest
of your life on your knees at the Lord’s altar with Christ on your lips in
prayer and in the sacrament. Read Hebrews 10 later and reflect on all that
it is saying concerning the Christian life.
Third, being a Christian means that we are to go forth in
love and in Christian service to others, especially those within the
household of faith. We are to serve and live together as one family at this
altar. In thinking about these things, we all realize how we have failed. We
do not love as we ought. We do not serve as we ought. We are not as
faithful with God’s gifts, nor are we as devout as we should be. This is
why we need the gospel. We need more Jesus. As James says in chapter 4 of
his epistle, so it speaks of us: “But God gives more grace. Therefore it
says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” Indeed, God
gives more grace to you.
This is the love and mercy of Jesus for you. Jesus came to
save all creation from the fallen status of this world. Jesus came to bring
you a peace that surpasses all understanding that the world could possibly
afford. Your sins are to be brought to Jesus and be exchanged for His
righteousness. Your failures are to be exchanged for Jesus’ triumph over
the cross.
The Christian life is one marked by resting in the shadow of the Almighty. As
we continue on in this world, there is a peace and a joy that is given. It
is not of this world, but it comes from the world to come—heaven. This
peace and joy are in knowing that Jesus died for your sins. He loves you
and stands with you lifting you up, as He covers you with His love and
mercy. This is the church. This is the inheritance of Jesus, and this love
and mercy is given with the promise of eternal salvation. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
