Brown's Daily Word 3-30-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Tuesday of the Holy Week. According to the Gospel according to Mark, Mark 11 records the discourse that took place on Tuesday of the Holy Week. Jesus returned to the Temple area (from Mark 11:27 on), where all of the religious leaders, we are told, came after Jesus with questions, and he taught them. Mark 11:18 said the leaders were afraid of Jesus because the people who listened to his teaching were, “…spellbound by his teaching.” The Book of Mark reveals to us that Jesus continued teaching in the Temple area (all the way through to 13:1).
Beginning in Mark 13:1 we are told that Jesus came out of the Temple accompanied by his disciples, with whom he was engaged in conversation.
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving the Temple that day, one of them said, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!,” observing the majestic beauty of the Temple structure. Likewise, in our nation today, some of the most impressive buildings were designed to communicate the reality of greatness, fortitude, and might to a watching world. Our nation’s capital is full of buildings and monuments which say to the world, “The United States is a formidable power; our system of government is eternal.” These buildings, monuments to our way of life, seem immovable. Likewise, the International Trade Center Towers were the symbols of our economic systems.
In response to his comment, Jesus said to his disciple, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” He was speaking truthfully to his disciple, indicating that all things are transient, and nothing will last.
Jesus desires for us to be fully alive while we are here in our days upon the earth. We should enjoy and appreciate the things of this life, but not be so focused on the here and now that we ignore the reality that life here will end someday. That’s the primary point in Mark 13. Jesus confronted the disciples with the reality of the end of life on earth. He called them to think about eternity and prepare for it.
This is the challenge of learning to live everyday life from the perspective of eternity. We come to realize that nothing we do can change the fact that we cannot stay forever. There is no anti-aging treatment, no financial plan, no workout program which can change the fact that life here will end someday.
The disciples’ curiosity was immediately awakened by Jesus’ response to the earlier comment about the apparent permanence of the Temple structure. As they were gathered on the side of the Mount of Olives, talking with each other, they asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will this (end) be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mark 13:4).
Jesus’ response to that question is interesting. He said, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray” (Mark 13:5-6). Jesus went on to give the disciples some clues that would indicate that the end might be in sight. He said, “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” (Mark 13:7-8).
It is interesting that today much of what we see going on in the world - terror strikes, phenomenally destructive natural disasters, the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan,the mounting nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea - all seem to fit with the picture that Jesus painted in Mark 13:7-8. While we could be living in the last days, we cannot know this with certainty. Previous generations with equally compelling evidence from world events believed so and were not. So we must continue to wait with expectancy for Christ’s return doing all that we can to share the redeeming and life transforming message of his love with others. We cannot sit on our hands and let the world around us waste away in want of a Savior and do nothing in response to the needs we see. That is our mission.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 a, NIV).
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxnGahek1vc