Mark 13:1-8
November 19, 2006
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
When we build grand structures, we flock to see them. When the Asian Art Museum was first opened, many of us went to see how the old Central Library was converted to one of the largest collection of Asian art in the world. Last month the Sojourners had a docent led tour of the new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park—I am still impressed over the copper-clad building. Some of you have been to the new Westfield shopping destination where the old Emporium dome has been renovated to its original grandeur. I still need to see this!
Not only are there educational, cultural, and commercial grand buildings, there are religious ones too. On two of the higher peaks in San Francisco, we have St. Mary’s Cathedral on holy hill and Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. And right here in Chinatown, many people come to visit Old St. Mary’s for its beauty and history.
Temple in Jerusalem
In Jesus’ days, the temple in Jerusalem was one of the most impressive sights in the world. Torn down twice since King Solomon first built it, the second rebuilding was undertaken by Herod before Jesus’ birth. It was not finished until after his crucifixion. When Jesus and his disciples were marveling over the beauty of the temple, they were seeing its magnificence even during its reconstruction.
It was a staggeringly large and opulent edifice, one unlikely to come down again. The temple had a perimeter circumference of two-thirds of a mile. Its marble walls stood 150 feet high and were constructed of blocks weighing many tons. The outside of the building was decorated with 40-foot-high columns of white marble. There were ten gates by which to enter the temple’s outer courts, each covered in silver or gold plate. Two of the doors stood 45 feet in height, and one gate in particular, known as the Beautiful Gate was cast of Corinthian bronze. The eastern front of the temple and part of the side walls were plated in gold. The gleaming white marble and stunning metal work made the temple flash in the Middle Eastern sun and dominate the cityscape. The temple was like the de Young covered with copper! The temple was both religiously and architecturally the center of Jewish life in Jerusalem. No wonder Jesus and his disciples flocked to see it.
Ground of Faith
When the disciples remarked to Jesus, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” they were so impressed that the temple will last forever. It’s like us having someone do some small construction around our house. We push at the two-by-fours to see if they would move. We expect it to last forever. Or when buying a car, we kick at the tires thinking that if they stay in place, it’s a good car. The disciples’ eyes were mesmerized by the splendor of the temple that they got caught up with a confidence in the physical symbols of faith. They thought this temple will last forever! But Jesus knew that its splendor was not to last.
It is no small wonder that the Jewish authorities felt threatened to hear of Jesus’ predictions of the temple’s destruction. It was this claim that became the basis of their case against him (Mark 14:58).
To the Jewish leaders and the disciples, the temple appeared to be indestructible. Its demolition was physically and symbolically unthinkable. If there was any end to a building campaign, this was it. But as always, Jesus looks with deeper insight and sees the unsound foundation upon which the temple was built. The ground was solid, but the grounds of faith were not. That the Romans would be able to throw down the walls until there would “not be one stone left upon another” was an indication that judgment would come upon Israel.
God’s Kingdom
In Mark 13:3, we see that Jesus and four of the disciples are now sitting alone on the Mount of Olives. Sitting across the Kidron Valley opposite of the temple, this view of the city and the temple’s gleaming white marble and shining metal work was spectacular. It was a fitting place to return to the question of the temple. The disciples asked when all of this will happen—the destruction of what seems to be an indestructible temple. Jesus’ complete answer begins with what we read and continues until the end of the chapter. God’s kingdom is not built on buildings but it is still to come. The end is still to come.
Jesus’ focus moves forward in time and out into all of the nations. He indicates the spread of the gospel in the world, but also warns of the world’s great antagonism to his message. Persecutions and trials will follow. Families will divide and turn against one another. Tribulations will ensue; false messiahs will try to lead believers astray; the sun, moon, and stars will fail; and finally the Christ will come in the clouds with the angels to gather the faithful.
The history of Christianity is filled with stories of those who believed that the apocalypse predicted by Jesus and the author of the Book of Revelation would come very soon. We have seen many false prophets. Many expected the end to arrive at the end of the first millennium, but 1000 arrived, and the world continued on.
During the devastating Black Plague, and also during the terrible religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, death, disease, and famine were so widespread that many were convinced that these events were the signs of the end of the world mentioned by Jesus. Still the world continued on its bloody way.
In the 19th century the American William Miller became convinced from his study of the Bible that the end time could be predicted. Attracting many followers, he founded in 1842 the journal, The Midnight Cry, announcing within its pages that “somewhere between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844, according to the Jewish mode of time computation, Christ will come.” his dates came and went.
Undaunted, another follower declared that the day would come on October 22, 1844, which Miller accepted and promoted. When this day came and passed, it became known as “The Great Disappointment.” Miller gave up his leadership and retired from the movement.
The “Millerites”, as they became known as, broke into divisions, one of which came to believe that Christians should reclaim Sunday as the primary holy day, thus taking the name in 1860 of the Seventh Day Adventists. It is from this church that the group that became known as the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh separated in the 20th century. Their doctrines and advocacy of violence led to the tragedy in 1993 when many cult members including as many as 20 children and 4 ATF agents died. Jesus warned, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. (Mk. 13:5-6)
And in our own recent memories when the second millennium began, we were all worried about what might happen. The year 2000 came and the world continues on. Jesus said, “The end is still to come.”
Throughout these trials and tribulations, Jesus said the elect will be protected. The Holy Spirit will speak for those who undergo trials (13:11), those who endure are to be saved (13:13), and believers are forewarned so as to be ready when such things occur.
For the readers of Mark’s day, perhaps the most sobering message comes in verse 30: “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” For them, the recent destruction of Jerusalem and the temple must have been a clear indication of the “beginning of the birth pangs” (13:8). The early Christians were comforted that in the midst of their troubles and dangers, of human-made and natural disasters—wars, earthquakes and famines, that they will be protected as change takes place.
For later readers like us, the words of verse 32 seem especially pertinent: “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Going Forth
Not knowing when is the hour for all of this to happen since God the Father is the only one to know, how are we to go forward? How do we go forth to spread the gospel to all the nations?
We need to learn that the sheer size and beauty of something do not indicate that it was sound or blessed by God. Last Sunday, we read that the disciples learned from the poor widow who tosses two pennies into the temple’s coffers and Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.” (12:43)
As any church building committee knows, small donations are not sufficient to pay for a large, beautiful place of worship. But, as Jesus pointed out, they may be evidence of deep faith. We may think that the ground on which our building is situated is solid but are the grounds of our faith solid too?
We know that Jesus said the temple in Jerusalem would be thrown down. But it’s funny to think that Jesus never seems to have walked by a tavern and said the same thing. In fact, he notoriously made a point of having fellowship and meals with the people you might find hanging out at taverns or bars. Christian writers Keith Miller and Bruce Larson have a theory about that:
“The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship
Christ wants to give to his church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of
grace, escape rather than reality, but it is a permissive, accepting, and inclusive
fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because
most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the
desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a
counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”
With all my heart, I believe that Christ wants his church to be unshockable, democratic, welcoming—a fellowship where people can come in and say, “I’m sunk!” “I’m beat!” “I’ve had it!” No impressive splendor building is necessary to share Christ’s love.
In our day, all things seem to be enlarging, super-sizing, bigger seems to be better. But, the more we eat, the less healthy we are; the more opulently we build, the less we have for supporting our mission; the more we admire our magnificent accomplishments, the less we are able to look deeply at what still needs to be done.
This passage stands not only as a warning about the end of times; it is also a warning about our own times and the materialistic cultural values that easily dominate our thinking. While on the surface what may be impressive and grand, we discover that it is humility and service that will outlast and outshine marble and gold.
God is not asking us to build material wealth or splendor. God has more modest expectations of us. Give what we can; accomplish what we are able; believe simply; trust in God when we have material needs, or the need to defend our faith. One day, when the angels come with the Son of God to gather the elect, they will not show up with hand trucks, lift forks, and moving vans to carry away the world’s great monuments, edifices, and treasures. They will come for the faithful whose treasures have preceded them, for their treasures have always been in heaven. The end is still to come—have faith and follow Jesus.
Let us pray.
God of all majesty and glory, you have made us in the image of your own creativity. Yet, we so often yield to the temptation to use our creative gifts to construct monuments to our own achievements. We know, O God that buildings, no matter how magnificent, will fall. Only your Word remains strong and imperishable through the ages. Send us your Spirit to strengthen our faith. Let all that we build, from sermons to churches to societies, be built upon the foundation of faith in Christ. This alone will last. We pray in the name of him who is forever, the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.