March 17, 2010

Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 7 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9 When these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. 10 For the Good News must first be preached to all nations. 11 But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 13 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." Mark 13:5-13 (NLT)

This section of Jesus’ prophecy appears to refer to the destruction of the temple. We know that most of the above did take place before AD 70. There were several years of uprisings against Rome, there were persecutions and the Gospel did spread very quickly to the known world. Synagogues were certainly in existence and indicate an actual experience of the apostles. The “beginning of birth pangs”, however, could be a double allusion to bothe the end of the Temple and the end of the world.

Read this description of Emporer Titus’ razing of Jerusalem,
“Seven years of bloody strife followed. At first the Jewish rebels gained the upper hand. Finally . . under Titus . . the Roman legions moved toward Jerusalem and the noose tightened. This time there was no relief. In April of the year 70 the siege began. The suffering of those who were trapped in Jerusalem became horrific. In September the most zealous Jewish rebels made their last stand in the temple . . Suspicious Severus reported that Titus wanted to eradicate the temple “in order that the Jewish and Christian religions might more completely be abolished: for although these religions were mutually hostile, the Christians were nevertheless and offshoot of the Jews, and if the root were taken away, the stock would easily perish” (Mark Noll of Notre Dame)

Why does Mark spend so much time on this prediction? Because the temple is now gone forever. No more building- as- meeting- place is needed. Jesus replaces the Temple as the place where believers meet God. Indeed Jesus’ presence in our being is the new temple, the new meeting ground where human meets God and doesn’t die, rather is received in love.

Worth Noting: Christianity is the first belief system on planet earth to do away with a temple, essentially saying “we are the end of religion as we know it.”