Final Chapter

Mark 13:1-13

Would you want to know when the end is coming?

Photo by the author

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?" Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. "As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mark 13:1-13

Jesus' foretelling of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem was prompted by the awe of one unnamed disciple.

That disciple was admiring the work of human hands, and Jesus quickly corrected him. This is not what you should be admiring, but instead the works of God.

Jesus is close to his final days with them, so he wants them to understand that the road ahead is not as flowery as they may believe.

Life can be difficult. Life can be rough. What they signed up for in following him is more than they may realize.

We, too, tend to find ourselves in awe of the world and man's accomplishments, losing sight of God. We tend to forget that this life is a journey, a ride on a train to a destination more amazing than we can imagine.

Yes, God made this world beautiful, filled with wonder. We should seek out all we can and enjoy it while we can, because we are simply passing through this life to another.

But is that how the disciples heard what he had to say? Or did they hear about suffering and pain in this life?

I heard a story last night about sisters who were very close. They had dreams of traveling and seeing the world, but they put them off. Then one got cancer and died. A year later on the same day, the sister dies of a heart attack.

Now, we can blame God for taking life away at a time when we are still planning to experience the beauty of His world, or we can shift our focus on our own priorities.

Our final chapter will come when we least expect it. Like the stories we write and read, the climax in our lives will lead us to a closing which could come a lot sooner than we planned.

So, what are we to do about that?

I think about what will be said at my funeral about the things I planned to do in my life, and I ask myself, why not do them now?

We never know when our final chapter begins. Nor do we know how it ends. But we do know God gave us a gift of life to experience His wonderful world, and we should do that fully.

More to come...

---