CHERISH YOUR TIME (Mk 13:28-37)
#Last Sunday of the church year, #Advent
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, 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 their 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!’”
Like ten wise bridesmaids who prepared enough oil for their lamps and waited for the groom, during Advent, when we wait for the coming of the Lord, we should stay awake in prayer.
Today is the last Sunday of the church year. Advent begins next Sunday as we await the coming of the Lord. Reading from Mark 13, which tells us what to do when the end is near, is particularly meaningful. To properly understand Mark 13, we should read from Mark 11. We will find a connection between Jesus cleansing the temple (Mk 11) and His command to stay awake (Mk 13).
Jesus' view of the temple: Apocalypse
Mark 13 is a chapter that speaks of the end times, with earthquakes and famine occurring throughout, and the temple being destroyed completely without a single stone left standing. It also speaks of the greatest wind of distress that has ever been experienced. However, the day and time of the end will be known only by God the Father, not even the angels nor the Son.
In what situation did Jesus speak Mark 13? Jesus entered the temple and drove out those who were buying and selling there, overturning the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves (Mk 11:15-19). The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders questioned what he was doing. There was a dispute between Jesus and them (Mk 11:27-33). He had debates with the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection (Mk 12:18-27), and with the teachers of the law, who were knowledgeable in the law (Mk 12:28-34). Meanwhile, Jesus also saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins as her offering, demonstrating the correct way to worship God in the temple (Mk 12:41-44).
Jesus witnessed the daily life of Israel, which revolved around the temple. Without the temple, their whole way of life would collapse. The temple and life can be seen as faith and life. In the Old Testament, if the Jerusalem temple was destroyed, the nation would fall, or the people would be taken captive. In the New Testament era, in AD 70, the Roman general Titus ransacked the temple in Jerusalem. After that, Israel was scattered. This shows that the environment of the lives of the people of Israel has always been centered around the temple, whether in the Old or New Testaments, or even now.
When Jesus entered the Jerusalem temple, he immediately drove out those who were buying and selling there and overturned the tables of the money changers. This was because the life of Israel was centered around the temple, and without it, their way of life would crumble. The temple was the focal point where God and His people would meet in prayer, but instead of hearing the sound of prayer, all that could be heard were the sounds of money changing and selling. So Jesus drove them all out of the temple. He taught that the temple should be filled with the sound of prayers, like the prayer of the poor widow who gave all she had.
As the disciples leave the temple, they are in awe of its magnificence. However, Jesus predicts that the temple will be destroyed, with not one stone left upon another. This is the end of an era. The temple, built for God and as a symbol of His presence among His people, will crumble to the ground. Though it was built for God, He will bring it down. So, if this isn't the end, what is?
The dark side of the end: The crumbling temple
We must remember the words that the temple will be destroyed (Mk 13:1-2). For the people of Israel, the temple was central to their way of life, and its destruction would mean complete devastation. Similarly, for Christians, the temple has a central place in our lives. If we have built our own temple according to our own opinions and ways, it will crumble no matter what material we use. God is more concerned with what is happening within the temple rather than what materials it is made of. Even if we build a temple with the best materials, it will crumble if it does not fulfill its purpose. God will destroy any temple that we build, leaving nothing behind. This is the end. This is the painful side of the end - the pain, emptiness, and sense of loss that comes with everything crumbling down.
The Bright Side of the End Times: Jesus Rebuilding the Temple
We must remember that Jesus also spoke of rebuilding the temple.
"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.'" (Mk 14:58)
This temple that Jesus is rebuilding is not made by human hands. It is not a temple stained by our human touch, but rather the most pure temple. This is the bright side of the end times. On one side, we see the destruction of the temple that we have built with our own hands, but on the other side, we see Jesus himself building a temple that is not made by human hands.
When will this event of the temple being destroyed and rebuilt happen in the end times? The angels in heaven and even the Son do not know the day or the hour. However, Jesus has clearly spoken about it.
"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (Mk 13:30).
The early Christian saints believed that this statement meant that the Lord's return would happen during their lifetime. Even Paul thought so. While the destruction of the hand-built temple may be visible, the three-day construction of the temple not made by human hands is not visible to the eye. However, as Jesus said, "the gospel must first be preached to all nations" (Mk 13:10), when the gospel is preached to everyone's ears and hearts, Jesus will build a new temple within that person for three days. The message of the passage is that these things will happen before our generation passes away.
We do not know when this will happen, whether it will be in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn. But it will happen suddenly. This sudden event has two meanings. One is that it will happen when we least expect it, and the new temple will be built without our knowledge. It will be built in a way that we cannot see. The other meaning is that the new temple is not something we can build ourselves; it is something that God will build. It will be built within us, in our hearts and minds, as God writes His law on our hearts, as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33f.
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jer 31:33-34).
Therefore, we must read the words "the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations" (Mk 13:10) with greater caution. The gospel is still being preached to the ends of the earth. Though there are famines, earthquakes, and nations rising against nations, and disasters following one another, the hand of the Lord that builds a temple not made by human hands reaches even to those standing at the ends of the earth. The Lord guarantees that He will build a new temple among us. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (v. 31). Even if heaven and earth were to disappear, the truth that the Lord will personally build a temple with your own hands will never disappear.
Be watchful
So, what does it mean when Jesus says "be watchful" (Mk 13:37) as he concludes Mark chapter 13? Even if we are watchful, can we prevent any of the signs of the end that Jesus spoke of? Can we use our own power to stop famines, earthquakes, and conflicts between nations and peoples? Can we stop brothers from killing brothers and fathers from killing their children in fits of rage? Can we prevent the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place that we ourselves have built? Can we stop the evil thoughts that constantly dig into our hearts and minds? Can we prevent the evil forces that seek to persecute us and bring us before courts and councils? Our limitations are clear.
Nevertheless, the Lord tells us to "be watchful" (Mk 13:33). The Lord will demolish the temple we have built and build a new temple that we have not built, as He has said. This is like the two sides of a coin called the end times. One side shows the temple we have built being destroyed, and the other side shows the Lord building a new temple. Therefore, the Lord's command to "be watchful" is related to the temple. When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and drove out the sellers of sacrificial animals in the temple, it was because the temple was no longer a place where people could meet God through prayer. Because it had lost its original function and become a den of thieves, the Lord purified the temple to make it a temple again.
The temple that the Lord has prescribed is "a house of prayer for all nations" (Mk 11:17). In Mark 13:33, the phrase "be watchful" has a footnote attached to the word "be." The footnote says that in some versions, it is written as "pray." So, "be watchful and pray" is the meaning. The reason we need to be watchful is for prayer. When the temple loses its original function as a place of prayer, it is no longer a temple. The apostle Paul said that our bodies are the temple, but if the temple in us does not pray, if we are not watchful, what will become of us?
What do we need as we wait for the Lord to come, just one week before Advent? Is it not a prayer of repentance? The Lord is coming to build an invisible temple. Let us wait for the coming of the Lord with a repentant heart.