Watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a witness before them. 10 But the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the holy Spirit. 12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
In response to a question about the end of the world by some of the disciples (Mk. 13:3-4) Jesus forewarns the disciples about the suffering and persecution they will experience by preaching the Gospel. It was necessary to warn them so they would not be misled by false preaching that the end of the world when the Son of Man returns in glory, was at hand. During the period between Jesus’ death and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, many false messiahs and prophets arose (Mk. 13:21-22) who predicted the end of the world through God’s intervention. Such false predictions have continued throughout the ages because of the many wars and tribulations mankind has continued to experience since ancient times but Jesus said, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mk. 13:32).”
Followers of Christ will be subjected to many persecutions. They will be handed over to the Sanhedrin, and the governors and kings are a reference to Pontius Pilate (Governor of Judea) and Herod Antipas (King of Judea). The disciples will get opposition from both Jews and the Gentiles (Romans) who occupied Judea (Mt. 10:16-23). In the early Church there was disagreement among the leaders as to whether the Gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles (Gal 2 & Acts 15) so the definitive statement “But the gospel must first be preached to all nations,” might not have been spoken by Jesus but inserted by the Evangelist Mark. The Gospel had to be preached to the Jewish diaspora, the Jews dispersed throughout the ancient world. They were still God’s chosen people because God does not break his part of a covenant, so they had to be given the opportunity to know the Gospel before the destruction of the Temple. The disciples are not to prepare beforehand what they will say when they are being persecuted. They must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them and speak through them when the need arises. There will be great division even within families, but they must endure and persevere with patience.
Almighty God, strengthen us so that we may be able to accept your teaching to withstand the hardship that comes with discipleship, and to persevere with patience until you call us to our heavenly home. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen
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References
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.
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.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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