Take heed that no one deceives you

Then as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?" And Jesus, answering them, began to say, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry before-hand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

"Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

- Mark 13:1-13

As we begin today's reading, the disciples and Jesus are leaving the temple. This takes place after Jesus' scathing remarks against the hypocrisy of the scribes, and his praise of the poor widow who offered all she had to the temple treasury for love of God.

Then as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down." The temple had been rebuilt by Herod the Great. It included porticoes, courtyards and colonnades, and covered about one-sixth of the area of Jerusalem. My study bible calls it, "an architectural marvel dominating the Holy City." Some of the stones were about 10 x 40 x 20 feet each. It notes, "The grandeur of the buildings made Jesus' comment about their destruction very dramatic. It would be hard for the listener at that time to imagine such great destruction. In A.D. 70 this prophecy of Christ came true when the Roman general Titus recaptured Jerusalem and leveled everything on the temple mount. It was rumored there was gold between the stones, so as not one stone was left unturned. Only a retaining wall remained, later called the Wailing Wall, after Emperor Trajan (c. A.D. 135) permitted Jews to come to this site once a year to mourn the temple's fate. Jews still mourn at the Wailing Wall today." What we have, in today's prediction by Christ, is also a commentary on the issues raised in the teaching in the temple. Those who oppress the poor, using practices that in fact overturn the purpose of the Law, will lose what they have. What they desire - the wealth and prestige described in yesterday's reading (the "long robes," "the best seats in the synagogues," "the best places at banquets," "the greetings in the market place," "the show of "long prayers") - all will be lost in the destruction of Jerusalem. Even such a great and magnificent structure, toweringly powerful in its sheer size and the size of its stones, will be gone. It is a powerful commentary on "the things that moth and rust consume" and a warning about where we place our faith, what and how we choose to serve.

Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?" The disciples wish to know when the predictions will happen. The discussion of the end of the age is linked in all the gospels to the destruction of the temple. The messianic understanding included the apocalyptic figure of prophecy. Jesus' identity includes this aspect of the predicted messiah. Here he begins his discourse on what is to come, and the end of the age. The emphasis is not on times and dates, but watchfulness.

And Jesus, answering them, began to say, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows." It's important that we understand Jesus' admonition to watchfulness. We are to be aware. We are especially to be aware of people who will exploit "End Times" concerns in order to deceive. Jesus warns about upheavals to come. It is not to be a time of great peace, but rather violence and trauma. My study bible notes: "Sorrows (lit. 'birth pangs') is an image taken from childbearing and applied to the world-renewing events and crises at the consummation of the Kingdom." It is my opinion that this discussion - as it does in other gospels - combines events linked to the destruction of Jerusalem and to the end of the age. In a sense, we remain in this time period; all of that which is written applies to us as it has applied to the times of the world with its great empires and struggles since the time of the destruction of the temple and the persecution of Jesus' followers. But overall, the first watchword that Jesus teaches in this discourse has been the interpretation of importance since the beginning of the Church: we must be watchful, we must be on our guard. Jesus teaches us about false prophets who will even come in his name. We are to be rational sheep. As stewards of His word and teachings, we are expected to be aware, not asleep. This is not an easy road, but one that takes courage, maturity, discipleship, discernment.

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry before-hand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." What powerful words these are! All of the things described here occurred in the early history of the Church. My study bible notes, "Such experiences are recorded in the Book of Acts and Paul's Epistles. Until the return of Christ in glory, his followers will suffer and people will fall into apostasy. Discipleship produces martyrs and confessors (those injured or maimed for confessing Christ before men). Jesus tells his disciples plainly what will happen to them. Tradition holds that of the Twelve, all but John died a martyr's death. The promise that the Holy Spirit will speak through us is not intended to discourage preparation for Christian teaching. It refers primarily to crises." Certainly these predictions have been repeatedly fulfilled - and they continue today to be fulfilled. I'm a firm believer also in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that in our prayer we must always understand the reality of the Spirit, the Comforter, that is with us and sees us through all things. A crisis may be personal, it does not have to be recorded in the Holy Books of the church for this experience to be real for any believer.

"Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." The stories of the early martyred saints tell us repeatedly of family ties broken when some have faith in Christ and others do not; even stories of parents betraying children to the authorities for their Christian faith. My study bible notes, "One sign of the end times is the breakdown of family loyalties. This very situation seems to constitute a worldwide crisis today." And another: "There is security of salvation for him who endures to the end, but it is not ours to say when the race is over. The modern innovative doctrine of 'eternal security' -- once saved, always saved -- is not the teaching of Jesus; rather, he teaches the endurance of the faithful through God's strength and grace." It is my impression that these two teachings go together. Certainly, in our own popular culture, for example, we see a great emphasis on material wealth and success. Nothing much is new -- we may refer back to the things that Jesus has scathingly described that the scribes love for themselves! We choose "where our heart is" and this in turn will break up other loyalties. The love of God in our hearts, hopefully, teaches us love and proper values. But we are so easily deceived into believing that other things are more important. It is on this crux that divisions occur, and continue to occur. And, I believe, on this crux that we must continue to remain vigilant, watchful, to endure to the end. We will always receive challenges to our faith, questions that pose a dilemma, choices we must make. It is a clear dialogue - which will continue in tomorrow's reading - that leads us to understand that our faith is one that calls us to think, to be aware, to make tough decisions midst upheavals and difficulties. This is not an easy road.

In this context, I think it's important to understand that Jesus does not promise us that life will be a "bed of roses" for his believers. And we are still in this age of "end times" that was experienced from the beginning of the early church. The destruction of the temple occurred in 70 A.D., but the world of the Church and its believers has experienced upheavals, rumors, violence, betrayals and all of the things Christ warned about throughout its history. The warning is clear for us: we must continue to be on our guard. We will continue to receive dilemmas and tests and challenges to our faith, we must continue to "endure to the end." My study bible notes that the crucial question is not "when" but "how." It is all about how we endure. Jesus' teaching is that we must be aware, be vigilant, and rely on the Spirit to help us as well. I think that the life of faith is not necessarily easy. We will always have choices to make, dilemmas in which we must choose from alternatives that aren't clearly easy. One thing we note from the gospels is that Jesus himself never accepted the alternatives others tried to trap him into. He turns the tables on his accusers, he follows the Father's will, he is smart, brilliant with words, and his spiritual freedom is in following the guidance received in prayer with the Father. Can we do likewise? If the world offers you challenges and dilemmas that seem to limit your choices, I say turn to prayer. Ask for the help of the Spirit in crisis. Find a way that does not limit your choices, but rather helps you see the way of the Comforter offered to you. We are called to be the rational sheep, to take heed that we are not deceived, to endure to the end. Don't let promises of an easy simple life delude you into believing that it's all supposed to be easy. We live in a world that is not always easy, nor did Christ teach us this is the way for his believers. It is my belief that every form of idolatry leads to arrogance and snobbery, exclusivity for its own sake. Contrast that with Jesus' vision of radical equality before God in the story of yesterday's reading about The Poor Widow. Humility is always the great grounding revelation of reality and spiritual health. Take comfort in prayer and fellowship and those who help us to practice love, in the communion of the saints, in the help that is offered, and the advice in the gospels. A strong faith is the faith of the mature, not the childish. We are children of the Father and we come to Him like children; but we live in a world in which our eyes must be open to that which misleads. And Christ has promised, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."