Mark 13:1-8 Commentary

In more ways the one, the disciples’ attention is pointed towards the wrong things. It’s not that they are thinking of bad things. It’s more like they haven’t learned to filter things through the Kingdom mindset Jesus has been modelling to them yet.

The temple has always been a significant place/thing. From David who wanted to build it, to the reason Herod the Great decided to rebuild it, the temple has been a statement piece. And this isn’t even taking into account modern day tensions surrounding the temple mount.

To be clear, the statement the temple has mostly served to make isn’t about being a beacon of hope or abundance to those in need. Perhaps originally meant to be grand and pronounce the one true God, the grandness became much more connected to the ruling party overseeing its construction—instantly connected in our minds are the humans behind the giant stones and the ornate furnishings and the wealth and skill on display.

Some commentators suggest that the disciples bring up the impressive large stones that were part of Herod’s rebuilding project because they believe that the temple will be turned over to them as part of Jesus’s Messiahship. In other words, they are excited that the world’s about to turn and that they’ll be in charge of a place so important. Others see their awe of the construction as simply that—a human response to innovation and mastery.

But what Jesus would prefer they pay attention to is the reform of what happens within those walls. From the cleansing of the outer courts’ sellers to the commentary about the offerings to the Treasury we heard last week, Jesus desires to see the temple be a place of prayer and worship as well as a space that supports those in need—not a heavy tax or offering burden on the poor.

Besides, what Jesus is about doesn’t require the temple or its grand stones. Like every human institution or plan to make something great, it will not last. And, most of the time, our own infighting, corruption, deceit, war and struggles are what cause their demise. Jesus says just that as he sits on the Mount of Olives and looks over the Kidron Valley towards the mount where the temple sits.

His disciples want to know when the temple is going to be destroyed, but Jesus wants them to pay attention to something more important. Rather than when, they need to pay attention to themselves and to others. In a world where the temple no longer exists as the place to find God’s authority, God’s disciples need to be on guard for those who would claim it for themselves.

Just like those who purposefully build statement pieces to tell other people to fear them or revere them or obey them, there will always be people who try to lead God’s children astray by using the name of Jesus Christ. But instead of his ways, if we know what we’re looking for, we’ll find willful deception and purposeful language used to play upon God’s purposes and people’s souls.

This is the “down-side” of being in the already and not yet of the end times. The “already” sure promise that the Triune God has established the new heaven and new earth and defeated the powers of deceit and evil is made in a world full of “not yet.” The Kingdom of God’s flourishing has already broken in and is being established, transforming the world, but it is not yet fully realized. Our world is like a woman in labour where birth pangs are part of the journey that culminates in new life.

And in such a setting, what we build matters. The rest of the New Testament fleshes this out for us. Upon Jesus Christ the new cornerstone, each of us becomes a living, breathing temple of God the Holy Spirit, living sacrifices to our God. Our lives are meant to be the impressive building project and God is the one we want to “impress.”

Rather than leading others astray, we want to be reasons why people come to know God and God’s love more fully. We can busy ourselves with wars and rumors of wars, or we can feed the hungry when the famines come and rebuild homes when the earth quakes. We can fight for justice as part of our pursuit of righteousness and we can build beautiful lives of holiness. Jesus is the stone that the builders of the temple rejected. May it not be the same for us.

Textual Point

Herod the Great started the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, a project that lasted for around forty years. Much of it was destroyed in AD 70 by the Roman army, but large stones have been uncovered during excavations, giving us a sense of the size that the disciples saw that day. One such stone is 50 feet long and 8 feet tall!

Illustration Ideas

Have you been to the Vatican? I stopped by St. Peter’s Basilica in May of 2017. I took lots of pictures but this one I distinctly remember taking because I was listening to the tour guide explain that the lettering you see at the base of the dome is nine feet tall. NINE FEET TALL. The sheer size of the place is daunting and overwhelming—just as many cathedrals throughout Europe were designed to feel—a bit like the great stones that caught the disciples’ attention as they left the temple that day. And it can all come tumbling down.