November 20, 2024
Wednesday Blessings,
I for one am sad that our year of Mark has ended. Every time I read through this gospel I discover something that I never noticed before. When I first read the gospel assigned for this past Sunday I felt a lot dread and tension. The 13th chapter in Mark is one of the most challenging to understand. The scholarship that I studied last week opened my heart to understand that Jesus was talking about the destruction of the temple, not the destruction of the world.
Upon hearing the news of the prophesied doom, one of the disciples asks, 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” The disciples are just like us. They want to know the details - no surprises please. Their response is the epitome of human nature. Survival depends on thinking the worst of every situation. Sadly, the disciples lose sight of the Christ who stands before and with them; Jesus is our sure and present hope in all our worst situations. And again we are reminded, the disciples are us.
But this isn't the end of the story. It is important to remember that Mark is extremely intentional in the way it was written. There is meaning in the text before us, but we are also invited to hold on and remember these words for a later time.
In the fourteenth chapter, during the trial of Jesus, he is accused of speaking about the destruction of the temple, 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. 56 For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” The answer to Sunday's challenging text was right before our eyes. We just needed the stones to fall away to see the hope offered to us in the cross.
Are the stones falling around us? Are the establishments that we have held onto for over two and a half centuries cracked and at risk of falling? Time will tell. As David Hawkins ended his most recent reflection "Possibility Model", "We’re not interested in glancing over anymore. These are the days for looking on through." Let us look through the lens of the gospel to hear Jesus calling us to love God and to love our neighbors.
Good-bye for now Mark. See you again in 2027 - God willing.
Peace,
Pastor JJ
In case you're curious about the story I shared about the Man in the Mountain, click here to get the perspective on how you can see the Old Man even though he has fallen away.
