Marching Orders
This is the message I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Nov. 14, 2021. The gospel text was Mark 13:1-8.
Ray and I like language, especially alliteration. I couldn’t help but see this gospel text that way, consisting of 1. Wow, vv. 1-2, When and What, vv. 3-3-4 and Warning and Worry, vv. 5-8.
Ray is from RI
and we lived there for 5 years before moving to Gettysburg for seminary. In R.
I., I encountered something new, the gawk factor. This happens when you are
driving along a highway and for no apparent reason, the traffic stops. Nothing
is happening on your side of the highway, but on the side going in the opposite
direction, a car has stopped. There is an accident.
Everyone stops to see what has happened and if it involves a friend or family member. Like a big, small town, everybody knows everybody and if you don’t know the person involved, someone you know will know them! On the radio, this stopping to see what is going on is called the “gawk factor.”
This is the kind of reaction the disciples have as they look or gawk at the temple—wow! The stones it was made of were enormous. It was covered in so much gold that it is said that on a sunny day, you had to be careful to cover your eyes and not look at the gold, otherwise you would be blinded. The temple complex, consisting of more than one building, was multi-purpose as a place of worship, a bank, and the center of Jewish life and identity. It was impossible to think that God’s house could be destroyed, which is interesting because it had been destroyed and rebuilt at other times in Jewish history.
What added to the wow or gawk factor is that these were country boys in the big city. Galilee was an area for working-class people—fishermen and farmers; whereas Jerusalem—well…that was the place where the scribes and Pharisees lived and worked. That was where the high priest was. This was the place for city-dwelling, sophisticated, intellectuals! That is where we find our wide-eyed, jaw-dropping disciples.
Jesus then announces to the bowled-over disciples, “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (v. 2). I can imagine a kind of collective “Huh?” emanating from the disciples. Jesus was looking beyond appearance to reality. This is a full condemnation of the socio-religious structure which exploits the poor for its own gain. These words were also the primary evidence used against Jesus at his trial and crucifixion.
Let’s take Jesus a bit more literally at his words. These stones cannot be laid on the eternal rock, Christ. Stones no longer mean anything in light of Jesus, who is the true and eternal temple.
Typical of Mark’s writing, an announcement is made to the larger group of disciples, then it’s explained later to a smaller group—in this case to Peter, James, John and Andrew. They wanted to know when this would happen and what would be the sign that these things were about to occur.
You just have to love the way Jesus appears to ignore these disciples’ questions, but instead follows with a warning. I don’t think it was easy to be a follower of Jesus even when he was on earth.
About the when, they and we never get an answer except, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). Jesus can’t tell them what he himself doesn’t know. So much for the when. On the other hand, Jesus has a lot to say about the what, the sign that these things are going to happen, which brings us to warning and worry.
Jesus proceeds with a warning concerning false teachers from inside and outside of the community of faith, wars and rumors of war, earthquakes and famines. That’s scary stuff! Jesus’ intention is not to scare the disciples, but to prepare them and help them understand that certain things are important, as he prepares to leave.
We have false teachers today. Some proclaim that God wants us all to be rich. We don’t have to suffer because Jesus already suffered for us on the cross!
Someone in our area told a man that God considered him an abomination. He was a baptized child of God who struggled with a few things in his life. However, he was still God’s beloved child. That was false teaching and nearly destroyed this person. The first time I talked with him, that was his great concern, if he was still a child of God or not!
There’s an interesting thing about some teachers; they waste time in end-time speculations and have such certainty as to how the end is going to come. They have all the answers. Rather than worrying about the timing of future catastrophes, we are to be concerned with God’s future. Instead of being preoccupied with the moment of the end, believers are to be aware of the danger of being led astray before the end. To waste time in end-time speculations is to go astray from the essential life of faith to which Christ has called his disciples.
The rest of the list: wars, earthquakes and famines are things that have always been in this world. But the way Jesus talked about it is frankly frightening. The dramatic end of time, the day of final judgment is as certain as the fate of the temple. Then we get to the very last verse, “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs” (v. 8). At first glance, I couldn’t help but think, “There’s more? That was only the beginning?”
When I was in the pool at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club in Jamestown, I was thinking about these verses; still wondering where the good news was because I wasn’t seeing it. How could I preach hope from this text? When I got home, I looked at it again and these words popped out at me, “This is but the beginning of birth pangs” (v. 8). What is the purpose of labor? Is it just so the mother will experience pain and nothing else? What is the result of labor? Can I see the hands of those of you who have been in labor or know others who have been? What does labor produce? That’s right—a baby, a symbol of hope and possibilities. That is the good news. God is our hope during and after the pains. Christ is our life and our future.
The Spirit of God is bringing new things to birth. Look at the way we worship now in a pandemic. It’s nothing we would have imagined a few years ago. New things are being birthed by God’s renewing Spirit; in continuity with God and God’s plans. They just may not look like what we had thought or hoped for. Despite all that transpires, the church is called to be hopeful.
God wants us to keep believing in the final act of God. We are called to endure in the task God has given the church in verse 10, “The good news must first be proclaimed to all nations.” How can we do this? We can’t, but we carry within us a DNA of boldness in the faith, and that faith will not disappoint us. So, when we hear of change, and fire, and wars and rumors of wars, do not be afraid. We simply need to stay calm and be the church, the community of faith, knowing that God is with us.
Resources
Charles B. Cousar, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year
B
Fred B. Craddock, Preaching Through the Christian Year B
Chris J. Hayes, ministrymatters.com
Robb McCoy and Eric Fistler, pulpitfiction.com
Lee Miller II, Midweek Musings
Marion Soards, Thomas Dozeman and Kendall McCabe, Preaching the Revised Common
Lectionary: Year B, After Pentecost 2
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