Zechariah 3-4; Psalm 135; Mark 13
As the Season of Advent ends, the thirteenth chapter of Mark offers somber warnings about how we face the future. Often called the “little apocalypse” of his Gospel, the last verses are heard on the First Sunday of Advent in Year B. They remind us that no one knows the day or the hour of the Lord’s coming. Our calling is to “keep awake,” be alert, watch, take note of things. These verses set the stage for the anticipatory nature of Advent, and help us remember that God may burst into our lives at the most unexpected time in the most unexpected situation. For some, this may seem a little frightening, but for others, it shows how God uses people, places and ideas in ways that open us up to an entirely new way of looking at life.
Sadly, the majority of this chapter has been used by some Christians to point to God’s wrath unleashed upon that with which he disagrees. Everything from AIDS to natural disasters to the loss of elections has been blamed on God’s displeasure with humanity. However, this kind of futuristic theology takes Mark’s message out of context. Most commentaries agree that Chapter 13 is about the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. To make the text into a predictor of events centuries ahead of time dishonors its intent.
As we await God’s greatest gift to us, let us have confidence in a future not filled with fear, but filled with hope, confidence and determination to live into the ministries to which God has called us.
Doug McCaleb
Trinity Cathedral Miami
RSS Feed