As he was making his way out of the temple area one of his disciples said to him, “Look, teacher, what stones and what buildings!” 2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple area, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end?” 5 Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 8 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains.
The discourse in Mark 13:1-37, the Eschatological discourse, is Jesus’ prophesy about the future destruction of the Temple (A.D. 70) and the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus was in Jerusalem with the first four disciples Peter, James, John, and Andrew and it appears as if the disciples were visiting Jerusalem for the first time. They were amazed at the splendor of the Temple buildings, and while they were admiring the Temple, Jesus prophesied that it would be destroyed. The disciples asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end (v. 4)?” It appears that they not only wanted to know when the Temple would be destroyed but also the signs to look for concerning the end of the world (Mt. 24:3). Jesus did not give them a specific time but told them about the events that would precede the destruction of the Temple and the coming of the Son of Man (Mk. 13:9-27).
Jesus warned the disciples not to be deceived by false prophets claiming to be the Messiah. There will be many upheavals, but the disciples must patiently endure these things as they will happen before the coming of the kingdom. The signs will only be the beginning of the Great Tribulation to come (Mk. 13:14-23).
Almighty God, help us not to seek knowledge of things that are of no consequence to our spiritual well-being. Grant us the understanding of what we should ask for and the grace to accept your guidance when we receive it. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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