What a magnificent building!
Mark 13:1 (NIV) says, "As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
In Jesus' day the temple complex was an impressive sight. It was one of the largest, most magnificent structures in the ancient world. Some say that it was capable of accommodating up to one million people.
Each stone was hand-carved, and could weigh between 10 and 400 tons. The stones were aligned with such precision that you couldn't slide a piece of paper between them. Such fine maneuvering of the stones is incomprehensible given that even today's modern machinery cannot move such heavy stones! http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/07/13/what-did-the-temple-look-like-in-jesus-time/
The various gates leading into the temple were 45 feet tall and 22 feet wide! Its walls were 20 stories tall. Because so much money was contributed to the temple, officials kept adding to a golden vine that was part of its ostentatious glory. The temple mount covered approximately 35 acres, and was 1/6 the size of the city of Jerusalem. The temple was an architectural wonder whose size and location dominated the ancient city.
Like the disciples, we are impressed with things that are "permanent".
The disciples were impressed. "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" It was true for the disciples and it is true for us. Architecture gives us a sense of identity and permanence. Consider Springfield, for instance, and think what the Capitol building, or the Lincoln Presidential Library represent to us. These buildings are fixtures in our community. They give us a sense of security and stability. They evoke in us a sense of awe and wonder.
It was just like the disciples (and us), to be impressed by things that give a physical sense of security. In our day, we might say of others, "Look at their home. Look at that car. Look how much money they make. Look at that suit, that dress." We're impressed by things that give us a sense of security. "Look at my phone. It has a global positioning sytem, maps, internet, texting, NFL scores, games, e-mail, contacts, and a calendar." Our phones give us a sense of security. I can call 911!
But what if we're looking to the wrong things for security? The disciples would have never imagined a 50 ton stone being hurled down off the temple. The people of New York never would have imagined the twin tower complex being hurled down. But what if everything we derive our sense of security from were to be destroyed? Our landmarks, our place of worship, our homes? If everything were stripped away, what would we really trust?
If everything were stripped away, what would we really trust?
In Mark 13:2 (NIV) Jesus says, "Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." This is uncomfortable to hear, but there is nothing permanent about what we see! Everything we derive our sense of security from ultimately fails!
Don't you see what is happening right now, all around us? Our government is failing us. Our esteemed politicians and political parties are failing us. The mighty dollar is failing us. Banks are failing us. Wall street, real estate, and the mortgage industry are failing us. Companies and businesses which have provided stable jobs for generations are failing. Our health system, things we've looked to for security for generations, are proving to be an illusion.
God is shaking our nation, he is shaking our families, and he is shaking us so that we will grab hold of that which is eternal and unseen, and can never pass away.
When Jesus told the disciples every thing they'd ever known would be decimated, they wanted to know when. Mark 13:4. In the back of their minds the disciples were probably hoping, "Surely not in our lifetime, Jesus!" But what if? What if this generation is not to pass before God shakes all that we see and all that we put our trust in? What would you be left clinging to if all you've every trusted was hurled down?
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." What have you fixed your eyes upon?
Jesus tells his disciples to watch out for deception.
Mark 13:1 begins with the disciples telling Jesus what to look at. The rest of this passage is Jesus telling his disciples what to look at!
Jesus says in Mark 13:5-6 (NIV), "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many." Do you believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Savior, the Christ, the King of kings and Lord of all the universe? Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
In this pluralistic day and age of tolerance and multiculturalism, there is tremendous temptation for us to take our eyes off Jesus and put our faith in other religions and faiths and false prophets. We've got to keep our eyes on Jesus. We have to stand guard over one another's souls and see to it that no one deceives us with a false hope or a false gospel. Jesus will never fail us!
What can we expect from this world?
What can we expect to come of the things of this world? Mark 13:7-8 (NIV) says that we should expect international calamity and global climate disruption. "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kindom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginnng of birth pains."
Mark 13:9 says that we should expect persecution. "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them."
Mark 13:12 (NIV) says that we should expect the betrayal of loved ones, even our closest family members. "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death." Mark 13:13 (NIV) says that we should expect to be hated because of Christ!
Yet God will never disappoint us. Psalm 18:2 (NIV) says, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
In particular, the disciples could expect complete destruction of all that was seen and precious to them. Mark 13:14-19 (NIV) says, "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong-- let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now-- and never to be equaled again."
Our faith is ultimately in Jesus.
It's interesting that just a few chapters back, Mark told us that Bartimaeus willingly left his cloak alongside the road in order to seek God's mercy. And as Jesus approached Jerusalem, Mark tells us how the crowds willingly laid their cloaks in his path. Nothing gave a person more security in Jesus' day than a cloak. This heavy outer garment protected them from the cold, insect bites, and wild animals. Laying their cloaks down signaled that their faith was ultimately in Jesus!
But here in Mark 13:15, something so terrible and fierce is about to visit Jerusalem that men, women, and children wouldn't have any choice but to immediately abandon all the security they'd ever known! They'd have no recourse but to abandon their homes, their fields, their cloaks, and their homeland. An abomination would completely dessimate all they had even known and trusted in! The distress would be unparalleled since the beginning of time, and never be equaled again! In Mark 13:30 (NIV) Jesus warns his disciples, "...this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."
Josephus, a secular historian, gives an account of the destruction of Jerusalem.
History teaches us that in A.D. 70, the Roman general Titus destroyed the temple and all of Jerusalem. His soldiers laid siege on the city, starved it, slaughtered its citizens, stripped the temple of its gold, burned its beams, and hurled its stones down. Josephus, a secular historian, gives a vivid account of the catastrophe.
"Titus established his encampment near to Jerusalem, and divided the legions to besiege the city from several sides. Meanwhile, a great host of people from all cities and regions were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover."
"When Titus saw that the city was overcrowded beyond counting, he hastily armed and reinforced himself in order to lay siege to the city and, as Christ had foretold, to encircle it with wagons so that hunger might drive them to greater distress and anxiety. When the Jews saw this, they tried with all their might to hinder and prevent this, and to keep it from happening, but it was completed and they were out of luck; for our Lord God wanted to make an end of them."
"The city of Jerusalem was well fortified and had three walls. Therefore the Roman forces approached in full force to storm the city; and after much work, the first and second walls were conquered and taken. At this same time, an innumerable multitude of people died of hunger. The best of friends would often come to blows over a small piece of bread; children would often rip food from their parents' mouths. Neither brother nor sister had mercy upon the other. A bushel of corn was more precious than gold. Driven by hunger, some ate manure; some, the cinches of their saddles; some, the leather stripped from their shields; some still had hay in their mouths when their bodies were found; some sought to escape starvation by means of their own filth. So many died of starvation that 115,000 corpses were found in the city and buried."
"When at last the walls were breached, Titus tried to preserve the Temple by giving orders to his soldiers not to destroy or burn it. But the anger of the soldiers against the Jews was so intense that, maddened by the resistance they encountered, they disobeyed the order of their general and set fire to the Temple. There were great quantities of gold and silver there which had been placed in the Temple for safekeeping. This melted and ran down between the rocks and into the cracks of the stones. When the soldiers captured the Temple area, in their greed to obtain this gold and silver they took long bars and pried apart the massive stones. Thus, quite literally, not one stone was left standing upon another."
You can take time and study Mark 13 at your own leisure.
Is your faith in what is seen, or in what is unseen?
In Mark 13:31 (NIV) Jesus offers this sobering reality, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Where is your faith, in what is seen or unseen?
Last week I a picked up a book called "Radical" that gives a few accounts of Christians suffering in India. The author has a section called, "What or whom do we really need?" One Christian, while being skinned alive, looked at his persecutors and said, "I thank you for this. Tear off my old garment, for I will soon put on Christ's garment of righteousness."
Another wrote a note to his wife, as he prepared himself for execution. "Today they will sever me from my physical head, but they cannot sever me from my spiritual head, Christ." As he walked to his death, his wife applauded while he sang of glory.
If it's all stripped away, will Christ be enough?
In Mark 13:32-37 (NIV) Jesus warns, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "
Friends, there is nothing certain in this life except one thing. One day the King of kings and Lord of lords will return and every man's soul will be reckoned before God. At that time nothing else we've found security in will matter. Only one thing will matter. Will Christ be enough?