Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves

 

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up 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 will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

- Matthew 10:16-23 

 

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve apostles on their first missionary journey:  These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study Bible comments on this passage that here Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded and that they might take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them to be harmless as doves so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong.  Moreover, in this way they should be blameless in their witness of the gospel. 

 

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up 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 will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  My study Bible indicates that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.  

 

 As Jesus sends out the apostles on their first missionary journey, He has first told them to carry themselves in a very humble manner.  The only rebuke to those who will not receive them is that they are to shake off the dust from their feet as they leave.  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Judgment is left to Christ in the "day of judgment," which will be at the end of the age.  Here in today's reading, as Jesus continues with His instructions, we read His words about persecution that will come to them.  Jesus presents this persecution as inevitable, and perhaps this is something that we, even those of us who live in nominally Christian countries where there is freedom of religion, must also take seriously.  There is first of all, Christ's teaching about proper responses to persecution and hatred.  We might not be persecuted for being of Christian faith, but there are teachings to which we adhere within our faith, regardless of denomination.  The world remains the world, a place dominated still by violence, by greed and ambition, by manipulation, by lies, even hatreds.  These things remain a part of the enemies of the kingdom of God.  Secondly, we can't forget Christ's words about the importance of testimony.  We mustn't simply think of testimony in terms of persuasive words or arguments, rational exposition of our faith in some kind of public debate.  Jesus adds regarding testimony:  "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."  If in our testimony we speak words by the Holy Spirit, then there is a power in testimony that is at work in the world on hidden spiritual levels, "behind the scenes," so to speak, and one simply can't estimate the impact of that power that can be contained in words through the Spirit, just as the power of Christ's words continues to influence the world throughout the centuries since His human life on earth as Jesus.  The powerful impact, for example, of the words in the Gospels goes beyond simply the printed words on the page; there are times when our soul is simply ready to hear or read those words, and that impact can't be explained away in terms of efficiency or utility.  Jesus warns of betrayals, and we know that betrayals and hostility, even hatred, for following our faith can happen in a number of ways having nothing to do with official persecution of a state.  Jesus tells us, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."  If we read the Revelation and Christ's prophesies of end times, we find also that this applies beyond the early Christian era, and to the whole of this time in which we await Christ's return and judgment.  When evil is present in the world, a Christian will struggle to follow faith and to resist following evil.  This remains a reality with us, regardless of historical change, and so we continue to take Christ's words seriously -- in the ways we present ourselves, how we carry ourselves in the world, how we respond.  Let us learn to be the disciples who follow in the footsteps of the apostles, regardless of who we are or where we live.  Let us continue to endeavor to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  Let us make wise and prayerful testimonies.  Let us not copy the ways of the world but remain true to His teaching. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the crowds the parable of the Sower, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to the, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their  eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  

 

  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Today's passage is self-explanatory.  In some sense it is one of those rare occasions in which Jesus Himself teaches us the meaning of His own words.  This is very important, because it is consistent in the reporting this first parable all the Synoptic Gospels (see also Mark and Luke). 

One thing seems to be certain regarding the importance of this parable, and also the reporting of Jesus' explanation for it:  He is encouraging us to be persistent in our faith.  This parable, and Jesus' explanation, seems to be telling us that we may very well be in for a bumpy ride on our road of faith.  There will be things that can easily get in the way of the Christ's word and its work in us.  Looking at this parable in the past, and especially Christ's explanation, it has seemed that each one of these stages Christ describes of the word being sown could be a part of one's own individual journey of faith at any time.  Sometimes our own lack of understanding brings frustration, and so we might be tempted to dismiss altogether the faith, as we're called to persist in something we might find hard to understand.  There may be other times when a particularly difficult time shows up in our lives, or possibly we find hostility in others to us because of our faith.  That's a great temptation to follow the crowd, and not that word that got planted in our heart.  And then there is the seed that falls among the thorns.  How many of us have been, at times, so consumed with the cares of our lives that we don't find time for our spiritual practice or for prayer?  All kinds of issues can crop up that take our time, our concern, our anxieties and stresses -- and wind up crowding out and choking the word within us.  Those times when we worry about paying bills, caring for children or spouse or another loved one, or maybe even just keeping up with the Joneses and all the demands the world might seem to make upon us.  It gets hard, at times, to remember the one thing that is needed (Luke 10:38-42).  But it seems to me that when I do take the trouble to make that time -- which I don't think I have -- a space seems to open up for prayer and make room for itself.  Prayer and calling upon God, reading the Scriptures, attending or reading a service, or otherwise taking time to pursue my faith seems to actually fulfill Christ's promise in that it makes the rest of the things that stress seem to go easier.  Taking time for the word strengthens me to cope with stresses, putting things in order, and giving me a fresh wind -- often supplying a new angle, a different and needed perspective on a problem.  So let us think today about all of these aspects that Christ says may crowd out the word within us, tempt us to leave it by the wayside or forego its call to us, and find the way to produce the spiritual fruits He asks for.  For it is this word, growing in us, that produces the fruits that are needful, that make our lives renewed with a quality which we can't find otherwise:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

 

 

 

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 beforehand, 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 

 

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls  Him 'Lord'; how is He then His Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

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."   Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed in the Siege of Jerusalem.  Not one stone was left upon another, as there were rumors that there was gold between the stones.  Only one retaining wall remained, long known as the Wailing Wall, or today as the Western Wall.

 

 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 beforehand, 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."  Here Jesus begins His discourse on the end times (to be continued in Monday's lectionary reading).   My study Bible comments that Christ's account of the end times in Mark (Mark 13:1-23) occurs in what is known as chiastic (mean "cross") form.  That is, it is in a kind of reverse parallel order, where topics mentioned in the first half of this passage are then repeated and amplified in reverse order in the second half.  Today's reading begins with a warning to take heed about false christs, and we will see this repeated at the end of the passage.  The second warning here in today's passage is about wars (and Jesus will teach about tribulation in the second half of the passage we'll read on Monday).  The third warning here is regarding being delivered up to councils, whereas the third-to-last regards being delivered up (betrayed), but by family members, also in today's reading.  At the very center of this chiastic form is verse 10 of today's reading:  the prophecy that the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  My study Bible calls this the heart of the apostolic ministry and mission of the Church (see Matthew 28:19-20). 

My study Bible comments that the Scriptures describe the end times in a variety of ways, so that there is no precise chronology laid out neatly.  But what is important is that we notice that our Lord's emphasis is rather on what we do during these times.  We can say "these times" as the Church has understood the end times to be continuing from the beginning of the apostolic period, until the time that Christ returns.  Therefore, the elements that we see noted by Jesus in this prophecy here are things that are with us, and have been with us from the beginning of what we know as the Christian era, and will continue to be with us until the time Christ returns in what we know as the Second Coming.   In my study Bible's words, then, Jesus' emphasis is not on us knowing when and how things will happen so much as it is a warning to us, plus an emphasis on how we conduct ourselves.  He asks us for watchfulness and the practice of virtue through these difficulties, and He prepares us for these times.  If we see persecutions in the world for our faith, He has warned us about them.  If we see and hear wars and rumors of wars, He has told us this.  Then and now, this is true -- certainly for the people He was addressing who would witness the horrific Siege of Jerusalem, but also for us today and clearly in recent history.  Yet, both of these things are true.  But Christ's first words (as well as His final warning which we'll read on Monday) are that we should take heed that no one deceives us.  This is a clear emphasis on our own need to be alert and aware to deceptions.  We are not meant to be like children in the sense that we are unaware of the dangers He's teaching us about, and the things to come.  We should, in fact, expect deception or those who will attempt to deceive us.  He teaches us about wars between nations, a characteristic of this time in which we have lived and continue to live.  He teaches us about earthquakes and famines and troubles as but the beginning of sorrows.  His prophecies do not make these things happen, and yet neither has He told us that we can necessarily fix or prevent them from happening, for until the time of His return there will be this struggle in the world not only affecting natural forces but also continuing in a spiritual sense.  He does not tell us which side to take, or which sort of political or other acts to take, but He does teach that these are but the beginning of sorrows.  The real tribulation for His followers comes from persecutions, and betrayals that may come even from those closest to us, with the most extreme forms of punishment meted out through even the closest and more cherished of relationships.   He even goes so far as to say that we will be hated by all for His name's sake.  The most important thing through all of these things, however, is our endurance, that we endure to the end.  That is our endurance in obedience and loyalty to His commands, to living our lives in the ways that He has taught us through the Gospels.  Most of us have not experienced the most extreme forms of the tribulation and wars He names, but nonetheless in living memory there are those for whom vicious genocide and horrific war remain clear memories in recent times, with threats of the same hanging over their heads.  Let us do what we can to uplift our brothers and sisters in the faith, to sustain those whom we cannot physically help through prayer, to strengthen our own faith so that we can help others both to take heed and to endure.  Let us be faithful to Him and strengthen faith through the ways He teaches us to live.  Let us take heed that we are not deceived into complacency or fantasies that we will not need to struggle in our own ways for Him and for the faith He gives us.

 

 

 

 

These are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat on it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns great up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that

'Seeing they may see and not perceive, 

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.'"

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 

- Mark 4:1-20 

 

Yesterday we read that, after calling and appointing the Twelve, Jesus and the disciples went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat on it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns great up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  As Jesus' ministry has evolved to such proportions that now a great multitude was gathered to Him, He begins to teach in parables.  As in Matthew's Gospel, the parable of the Sower could be considered a "seminal" parable, a central means by which Jesus speaks about Himself and His ministry, a image of Himself.  My study Bible describes parables as stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  The word for parable in both Hebrew and Aramaic can also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."  Parables are widely used in the Gospels; they are images which are drawn from daily life in the world so as to represent and communicate the deep things of God.  As my study Bible puts it, parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  

 

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"   Jesus references Isaiah 6:9-10.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom as teaching that Isaiah's prophecy does not mean God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  This is a figure of speech which is common to Scripture that reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  God has permitted their self-chosen lack of perception or understanding.

 

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  Jesus reveals Himself through this parable as the promised Messiah, the sower foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.   My study Bible also notes that this parable indicates that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment faith is professed (a view which was never held by the historic Church), the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to receive the word with gladness, but endure only for a time.

 

What is faith?  What is rootedness?  One thing we can observe through Jesus' use and explanation of this parable is that, above all else, what He prizes as described in the parable is endurance.  That is, that we endure in our faith, we persist through all things in the practice of and in clinging to our faith.  This is a powerful truth, and one that we have to come to recognize as essential to the Gospels and to the ministry of Jesus.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches that His followers "will be hated by all for My name's sake" but "he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22).   Mark 13:13 teaches precisely the same thing.  In Matthew's chapter 24, when He speaks of the end times, He repeats this phrase, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (verse 13).  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus explains the metaphor of the seed that falls on stony ground by saying that these "believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away" (Luke 8:13).   In the Epistle of James, James uses Luke's language of temptation and endurance:  "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).  So, we are repeatedly given admonitions about endurance in our faith, and this parable above all teaches us about endurance and the kinds of things we might be called upon to endure in faithfulness.  In today's reading from Mark, Jesus describes various reasons why our endurance in faith might falter:  when Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts; or when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake; or when  the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word.   We're struck by this language that reminds us of the struggles of endurance in marriage, through difficulties, illness, setbacks or changes in financial matters, family struggles, and so on.  It's no accident that Christ calls Himself the Bridegroom, for endurance in our faith is similar to the things one must endure in a lasting marriage:  tribulation (even persecution), temptations, worldly care, the deceitfulness of wealth, desires for other things, and the influence of evil which seeks to destroy loving relations.  But this Bridegroom endures forever, and so we may be rooted in Him through everything else that comes to us in the course of our lives.  Through Him, as in a good marriage, we may draw strength, and faithfulness when we falter, and love that is always there -- for He is worthy of our faith and of our efforts, even tribulation and difficulties, and what He asks of us is our endurance with Him.   For even if all else falls away, His word remains, and He remains with us.

 

 

 

 

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves

Detail, apse mosaic, 12th cent., Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, Italy

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the 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 will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

- Matthew 10:16-23

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve.  He commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whosoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study bible says that Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded, and also so that they can take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them that they must be as harmless as doves, so that they shouldn't retaliate against those who do them wrong, and remain blameless in their witness of the gospel.

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the 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 will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another."  This is a warning about the "wolves," and the conditions they will meet in the world, the hostility of those who cannot accept word of this Kingdom among them.  It is the first time in the Gospel (aside from the promise of John the Baptist, 3:11) that we have heard about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's work in the world and among us.  The Spirit of your Father will speak in you, and what to speak will be given by the Spirit,  Christ promises, when they are delivered up and challenged.  Let us note the persecutions.  The alliance and affiliation with the Kingdom cuts so deep that not only are family relationships split up, they are murderous, betrayal of the most extreme kind:  brother will deliver up brother to death, a father his child; children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And they, His disciples, will be hated by all for My name's sake.   This is the depth of response of rage among those who reject the Kingdom.   And here is the watchword for those who would follow Christ:  he who endures to the end will be saved.

"When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  Let us note Christ's commanded response to rejection:  when they persecute you in this city, flee to another.   He does not command retaliation and endless fighting, but rather a search for more fertile ground, a better harvest among others among the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" who will want what they offer.   My study bible says that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to commentary of St. John Chrysostom, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.

Jesus sends out His apostles, knowing that they are like sheep in the midst of wolves.  What kind of ministry is this?  What kind of risks are they taking?  Moreover, long before the persecutions of the Roman Empire would start -- with which we associate the early Church of the following centuries -- He teaches them that they will be delivered up by their own closest relations in this world.  We also have to understand the notions of justice that prevailed at this time in the world.  While the Romans certainly had courts, laws, and proceedings, and while the Mosaic Law held sway among the Jews, for the most part -- generally speaking -- one had to rely on relations and clan for help in times of trouble.  Frequently justice depended upon it when one was wronged or wrongfully charged.  (Even today, with all the safeguards that centuries of concern built into modern justice systems, we know that worldly justice is not perfect.)  Therefore, the kind of betrayal and deathly hostility that Jesus outlines here is truly frightening, almost unthinkable.  And yet, the power of the Kingdom cuts so deeply into the core of who we are that this is the level at which split and division will happen.  Those who respond with anger and hostility will do so in ways that will shock and reveal what hasn't been seen before.  Although Jesus teaches them to offer their peace to all, a little further along in this chapter Jesus will teach that He didn't come to bring peace on earth; rather He's come not to bring peace, but a sword (10:34), and He will emphasize the family divisions that will ensue.  And yet, we're not to think of any of this in material military terms.  If we're "soldiers for the Lord," and if we are engaged in a particular kind of battle in this world (even one that is unseen), there are particular rules of engagement involved here.  They're to simply move on to another town when they are rejected anyplace.  They're not to fear if they're betrayed to councils and judges, institutions and courts, even governors and kings, where they can face terrible penalties.  Rather, they are to trust that the Spirit of their Father will give them something to say, a testimony, a truth to utter -- as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  Now that is indeed interesting, because Christ is sending out the Twelve on their first mission only to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  And yet, their mission -- their testimony, even under persecution -- will have its impact among the Gentiles and the "great ones" of the world.  As sheep in the midst of wolves, we rely on the protection of God, the power of God, the holiness of God to guide our way.  These Twelve are asked to go out into a world in which Jesus testifies that "you will be hated by all for My name's sake."  But what's the real key here to discipleship?  Jesus teaches, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."   As disciples, we are soldiers engaged in a particular kind of battle, one that is to a great extent totally unseen, regardless of persecutions and hostility, injustice and cruelties, unreasonable hatred, rage, and envy.  In this battle, we struggle not for material gain or with conventional weapons, but in a test of endurance in His truth and in His word, wearing the badge only of His name.  We seek reliance upon His truth and His word, and the work of the Spirit within us and among us.  Today, we might not face the same persecutions of the past (although in some parts of the world, our sisters and brothers surely do.)  In our own lives, even the most comfortable of material lives, we may find our own challenges if we are truly His sheep.  We might be shocked to discover that we are among wolves when issues of choice and conscience rise up for us in our lives of discipleship.  As His disciples, we, like the Twelve, are faced with the choice to grow increasingly dependent upon God, rather than the institutions of the world.  This is the sword He brings to us, and the power of His name, His truth, His word.

He who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come

 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  And Jesus answered and said to them:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

- Matthew 24:1-14

 We are currently in the midst of reading Jesus' final sermon, delivered in the temple in Jerusalem during what we call Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' life in which He is in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.  In yesterday's reading, He continued, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans.   Only one retaining wall of the splendid temple remained, known today as the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall.   The temple at Jerusalem at the time of Christ was the crowning achievement of Herod the Great, also known as Herod the Builder.  It was considered one of the wonders of the world in its time for its extraordinary beauty and scope of architecture, expansive design, and artistic detail.   This prophecy would have been unimaginable and shocking to those who heard it at the time.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  My study bible tells us that the Scriptures describe the end times in a variety of ways, so that no precise chronology can be determined (see Daniel 7-12; Mark 13; Luke 21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; and the Book of Revelation).  Christ's emphasis for His followers is on watchfulness and the practice of virtue rather than on constructing timetables of events that have not yet happened.  Matthew describes the end times as encompassing (1) the initial sorrows (in verses 4-14, included in today's reading), (2) the great tribulation (vv. 15-28), and (3) the coming of the Son of Man (vv. 29-31).  The period of the great tribulation includes the entire Christian era and is not limited to the final years before Christ's return. 

 And Jesus answered and said to them:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."   Jesus' warnings against deception are given the greatest emphasis.  Of particular importance, my study bible tells us, is the warning against following a false Christ, which Jesus stresses again in verses 11, 23-27.

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows."  The wars that Jesus mentions here refer first and foremost to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.  But they also include subsequent wars.  They are not a sign of the imminent end, but rather the opposite -- that the end is not yet (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). 

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."   My study bible notes that all these calamities and opposition cannot stop the spread of the gospel.  Indeed, persecutions against the Church often increase the number of souls who are being converted.  St. John Chrysostom marvels that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews unarmed with anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have already been given a very interesting picture of what it is to have strength, to have authority and greatness, and to be first among those who are Christ's followers.  So far in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has taught on a number of occasions that it is humility that is the key to true accomplishment and the power of faith -- that is those who are servants to others who are great among the disciples, and that the one who would be first among them must be the slave to all.  In today's reading, we get a kind of extension of these teachings.  What makes a good disciple, a good servant?  A good disciple is one who endures to the end.  Jesus prepares His followers for difficulties.   He tells them, "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."  We mustn't forget that this is a command from Christ.  Even the things He names, all of which are dreaded by human beings, are only the beginning of sorrows.   In Greek, this word for sorrows can also mean the pain of giving birth.  The difficulties for those who will follow Him become more acute in the verses that follow, and personal.  He says to them, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."  All these things He says will be aimed particularly at this community of His followers.  His command, in addition to the authority and greatness of service and humility, is endurance.  "He who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."  Greatness, authority, and strength come from humility, service to all, and a capacity for endurance.  These are His teachings, what He asks from His followers.    This includes the capacity for discernment, alertness to false prophets, false teachings, those who would lead astray in the midst of tribulation.  All of this is still with us; we live in the age which He describes.  Let us endeavor to be His good servants, and keep the true end in mind.


 

When you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet

 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not " (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."

- Mark 13:14-27

 On Saturday, we read that, as Jesus 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 beforehand, 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."

  "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not " (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand."  Of these verses my study bible has an extensive note, which I will reproduce here:  "The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, culminating in the burning of the temple, appears to be the major focal point in these verses.  The Roman general Titus defiled the temple by first entering into it and standing where [he] ought not (i.e. in the Most Holy Place).  Heeding prophecies, the Church in Jerusalem fled before this great tribulation (v. 19) occurred (vv. 15-18).  This was a time of great suffering and consternation (vv. 19-22), vividly recounted by the Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness."    Another note tells us:  "Christians have suffered many great tribulations throughout the centuries -- in the twentieth century alone, many millions have been martyred -- and there will likely be great trials in the future."  It notes that "Orthodox Christians reject any teaching that (1) conveniently 'delivers' them from tribulation (Jesus teaches to prepare for tribulation) or (2) speaks of a secret Second Coming of Christ.  Christian consensus is, 'He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead' (Nicene Creed).  There is nothing secret here.  The Scriptures teach that many events spoken of in the Old Testament regarding the end will not be understood until they happen (v. 29).  'Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase' (Dan. 12:4).  Dazzling words claiming to set forth God's prophetic scenario for the end times are at best speculative, and at worst, heretical."

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."  Another note here in my study bible tells us:  "In those days refers to the end of time, when Christ will return bodily.  The Second Coming is neither secretive nor figurative."

As noted on Saturday, Jesus' discourse on the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem is combined with teachings about the end times.  Of course, He is answering questions posed by His disciples.  He's also warning them of what was to come in their lifetimes, within a generation from the time He is speaking.  As my study bible pointed out, the Church at Jerusalem was able to heed His warnings of what was to come, and fled Jerusalem.  On Saturday, we discussed in commentary the many things that seem to be happening in our world, changes occurring at this time through technology and other developments in our history.  But it's not for us to know, really, when the "end time" is here.  It is up to us to challenge ourselves to live as He has taught us to live.  Perhaps especially as we look around at our world, and we see our capability for destruction, for harm, for causing suffering, and the power of manipulation as well, it is very, very important to ask ourselves how exactly we may be contributing to the things that do not make for a world in which His teachings on love can be taught and lived.  This past Thursday, we read that Jesus was asked by a scribe, "Which is the first commandment of all?"   Jesus responded with both a first and a second:  "The first of all the commandments is 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."   We still have these commandments to live by, and if we look around in our world, we will see all kinds of ways in which what we may term "abominations of desolation" seem to be occurring.  Ancient churches are being sacked and destroyed by supposedly popular movements in parts of the world where Christianity first took hold.  Jesus' teachings, that we must endure suffering and tribulation, seem to come home to us yet again as we witness events that seem to show us images of the prophecies taught by Jesus.  "Shortened days" remind us of our sense of time; how, as we have more and more "time saving" technologies, most of us find ourselves with, seemingly, less time.  Daniel's prophecy, cited in my study bible, that "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" sounds eerily like the bustle of today's world, that holds for us so many potentials and at the same time magnifies so potently our failures.  It is important that we remember these two greatest commandments that Jesus has taught, because if we really want to live our faith, then we're taught exactly how to do that.  If we wish truly to endure as He has taught, then we do so by living our faith according to His commandments.  To love God and love neighbor is far more powerful in a world where our neighbor may now be across the world, where we are in such close communication with people who live in other countries, and where one thing happening far away has immediate effects across the globe.  The world we live in today is one in which the suffering of neighbor is communicated to us from all around the planet, so we are in a position to ask ourselves the great question from Luke:  "Who is my neighbor?"   Let us consider how we follow His commandments, how we endure, and what love of God and love of neighbor mean for us today. 

He who endures to the end shall be saved

 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 beforehand, 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus responded to His questioners with a question.  He answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord,  "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury, for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

  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."    My study bible tells us of this entire chapter in Mark's Gospel:  "This passage has two points of focus:  (1)  the destruction of Jerusalem and (2)  the end of the age.  These points converge in Jesus' teaching and guide our interpretation.  The temple had been rebuilt by Herod the Great, including porticoes, courtyards and colonnades, covering about sixth of the area of Jerusalem -- an architectural marvel dominating the Holy City.  some of the stones were about 10x40x20. . .  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 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."

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?"   My study bible points out that interest in the end of the age is nothing new.  "The disciples want to know when all the things spoken about the end times will take place.  Jesus obliges them."

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."  My study bible tells us that "Jesus' first word about the end of the age is a warning about deception.  Take heed is a dominate note throughout the discourse.  Do not fail because of deceit by impostors, speculation about dates, political upheavals, natural catastrophes, or persecutions.  Today, popular preachers contradict one another with novel doctrines which are at odds with the historic interpretations of the Church.  Take heed that no one deceives you!"  Sorrows here reads literally "birth pangs" in the Greek.  My study bible tells us that they are applied to the "world-renewing events and crises at the consummation of the Kingdom."

"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 beforehand, 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."  My study bible says that "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."

"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."  A note in my study bible reads, "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."

"End times" seem very much to be on many people's minds today, but it seems, also, that they have always been a concern and preoccupation -- especially in times of crisis.  We should remember that Jesus' stress on endurance is the key to this passage.  The word used here for endurance literally means "remaining under" as in bearing a load, a kind of bearing up, and it is also closely related to the word for "patience."  Clearly, Jesus does not promise His disciples an easy life!  Nor does He promise that the Kingdom is coming immediately, easily, and without struggle.  On the contrary, they will be the recipients of the effects of that struggle.  As my study bible points out, all but John will die a martyr of the first Apostles.  Today, "end times" are very much upon people's minds.  Not only is it that two millenia have passed since Jesus' time on earth in the flesh, but more particularly the new millenium into which we are entering now seems to be filled with threats not just to our security and our immediate well being, but in fact, threats that are -- one could say -- to the planet.  We have problems with pollution (including those possible from nuclear accidents and radiation), problems indicative of possible climate change, wars that seem to be unceasing in their frequency, weapons capable of almost inconceivable destruction, and every day seems to bring news of crime and breakdown of social behaviors that undermine qualities of life.  Human slavery, rather than ending from legal criminalization, is actually on the rise throughout the world in perhaps new forms.  Throughout the Middle East, Christianity is being threatened in its birthplace.  Worldwide, refugees and mass migration are becoming greater and greater; world populations are on the move far more than we understand from displacement through warfare and economic crises.  The internet itself -- a modern phenomenon that allows me to write this blog and send it out into the world -- can also be used for great harm, not only targeting individuals, harming children, or abusing trust in one way or another -- but as our reliance on these systems grows more and more, the internet itself becomes a security concern for nations.  Our understanding of ourselves changes as we shift into a new age of instantaneous communication, worldwide markets that interact with one another within hours, and crises that magnify one another, so that what happens in one place affects others.  The sense of who we are is changing based on these developments.  My study bible also points out Jesus' emphasis on a breakdown in family loyalties, although elsewhere Jesus says this will happen for His sake -- that His truth is that which pierces all other realities and relationships.  And there we come right back from international crises and threats and problems to the real emphasis Jesus has been placing in all of His talk in the temple at Jerusalem, which is on the affairs of the heart.  When we remember that ultimately it is the decision for each of us in the heart that really plants this kingdom in the world (see the greatest commandments dialogue from Thursday's reading), then we get down to the place that puts this all in perspective.  How do we go through crises?  How do we "bear up" as Christ teaches His disciples here, as they went through their own inconceivable crises of war and destruction in Jerusalem, and eventual persecution as apostles sent out into the world with the gospel message?  Really, the teaching is the same.  We are to endure.  We can't say when the end is, and it's not our job to do so.  It's our job to do what is asked of us, to carry on in faith, in following these two great commandments to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love neighbor in extension of such relatedness.  Jesus gives us one other great promise in His teaching today, and that is also with us in all times of crisis, a reliance on the Holy Spirit and the implication of the necessity for prayer.  We have a Comforter.  The apostles are not promised a perfect life, and neither are we.  We may see all kinds of things breaking down around ourselves in one way and another, even as new innovations that can do a lot of good also are used for bad; but that's just a reflection of human weakness that has always been with us, a reflection of our own imperfections, ambitions, pride, and frailties.  What we can rely on, however, are His words which will not pass away.  We each have a job to do to live these two great commandments in the ways in which choice comes to us in our lives.  We each have a choice to contribute to this world in the ways in which He has taught, and we can come together as community to do so as well.  We may not be able to control the world and everybody in it, we might not be able to solve all these problems of human failure and control the nature of the planet, but we can do something that is ours to do, and starts in the heart.  His words come to mind from Matthew's Gospel:  "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  In all things, we are to endure with patience, and rely on the Comforter.  He's warned His disciples -- and us -- in advance, of the birth pangs of the Kingdom, which we still endure.  But He also gives us the Help to do so.