{1} As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" {2} Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." {3} When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, {4} "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?" {5} Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. {6} Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. {7} When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. {8} 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.
This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
·
We are approaching the end of the
Church year. The new year begins with the first Sunday in Advent. The way the
readings for worship are set up, the end of the year always looks to the
prophecies of the end times and what we call “the Second Coming.” Once we come
to Advent, we will hear the ancient prophecies that speak of the coming of
Christ and the redemption of the People of God. The end of the church year
always does this, that is, make us think about the future, the ultimate future,
not simply what’s in store for the rest of the year. The end of the year
reading complete the circle.
·
When we hear Jesus speaking of “birth
pangs”, we might be left to wonder what is to come. We might wonder just what
is being born, to use the Gospel’s illustration.
·
Birth always brings about change. And
as with birth, changes can be painful. Yet as in giving birth, it is something
to look forward to, even though everything around will be changed
·
So how then could this talk of change
be “good news”?
·
Considering where Jesus was and whom
he was talking to when this subject came up, there is a good new element in it.
What is promised and spoken of is nothing less than the destruction of the
Temple, the centre of Jewish religious life and in fact, of the Jewish identity
and culture. The loss of that structure was an incredible blow to the people,
one that is remembered to this day. Yet the people of Israel survive to this
day as well, so they found a way to deal with the change. Oddly enough, the
loss of the Temple permitted the Jewish people to live, worship, and thrive
anywhere through the use of the synagogue as a gathering place, while still
mourning the loss of the centre of their worship.
·
For the rest of the world and for the
poor and oppressed of Israel, Jesus’ words could be good news. Not that the
Temple would be destroyed but that the change that was coming would bring about
something new for all the world. All the oppressive powers of the world would
be ultimately overturned.
·
Exactly how that would be done and
when that would be done is not spelled out in detail, despite the requests of
Peter, James, John, and Andrew, who asked "Tell us, when will this be, and
what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?"
·
I had to stop and wonder why the
disciples asked for the signs of what was to come rather than actually asking
what was to come. They don’t ask what and why, only when. They are not able to
see beyond the catastrophe of the destruction of the Temple. They are not even
able to ask what comes after it all. Jesus’ answer is rather vague, especially
since there have innumerable disasters and wars since his time.
·
Mark is talking about the destruction
of the Temple by the Romans during the brutal Jewish War. It is unclear if Mark
wrote before or just after that war, although it is held that Mark wrote before
the war. Matthew and Luke write with more detail, reflecting the stories of
witnesses of the siege of Jerusalem.
·
The
details of this momentous event are unsaid. For our sakes, this allows us to
apply all that was said to our own situations and our own days. In a sense, we
have to stay on our toes and remain watchful. It is faith and perseverance that
make the difference in Mark’s version of Jesus’ words.
·
We may
want to remember that what is to come is not simply for Jerusalem, but for all
the world. We might apply Jesus’ words to our own personal situations but what
is promised is promised to the entire church, and the entire world.
·
So here at the end of our church
year, we look to what is to come in light of what has already happened in the
history of salvation. We hear of the “birth pangs” of the world to come,
realizing that, as in so many other parts of our lives, changes – whether they
are in health, age, situation, relationships, place, or time – are unavoidable.
We might prefer the status quo and
what has grown to be comfortable and familiar, and we know in our heart of
hearts that change will happen. We can take change as disaster or annoyance, as
a challenge, or even as an adventure, although that last option might be quite
tough.
·
When Jesus speaks the good news of
the birth pangs of creation, he is speaking of something good. Not easy, not
painless, not comfortable, but good. Much like the birth of a child. And much
like the birth of a child, everything will be changed. Things will not be able
to go back to the way they were.
·
Yet with God in charge, through God’s
grace and mercy, what is to come will be what we hope for and wait for. We are
bold enough to trust in the promises of God, both for our present and our
future.
·
And what Jesus calls the “birth
pangs” promise a future.
And you almost abandoned this sermon to deal with the Paris situation? I thought it extremely appropriate as it was and very comforting.
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