“Watch! What Is God Doing?” Mark 13:24-37

“Watch! What Is God Doing?” Mark 13:24-37

Advent 1 November 27, 2005

War, in Iraq! Tsunami, in the Indian Ocean! Earthquake, in Pakistan! Mud slide, in Guatemala! Hurricanes, along the Gulf coast of the United States! Flooding and devastation, in New Orleans!
It all sounds like Mark, chapter 13! Here’s how that chapter begins:
As [Jesus] 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.

Then in chapter 13 Jesus warns his followers that they will be handed over to hostile political rulers, and that families will be split up by conflict over Jesus, and that there will be great suffering as the days run short. And then, the verses we read this morning brings the chapter to its conclusion.

It’s a strange piece of literature! Chapter 13 is just plopped down where it is in the gospel of Mark. It interrupts the flow of the story in Mark. If it wasn’t there, chapter 14 would follow very smoothly right after chapter 12! But here we are, reading from this strange passage on this first Sunday of Advent – because the fundamental theme of Advent is included in the final verse of the reading: “And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

How do we read apocalyptic literature in the Bible, such as chapter 13 in the gospel of Mark?
Last weekend, at the Virginia Synod “Lost and Found” youth event, another pastor pointed out to me: “Some churches don’t pray for peace! That’s because they see God using warfare to bring in the last days.” One way to read Mark, chapter 13, is to anticipate that these events will happen, perhaps soon!

Here’s another way. It is to understand what was happening during the years 60-70, when the gospel of Mark was being edited and composed by its anonymous author, and how chapter 13 reflects those events. For instance, verse two had happened by the time Mark was composed: As [Jesus] 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." Well, that had happened, during the Jewish war of AD 66-70, when the Roman army had demolished the temple along with most of the city of Jerusalem.

So another way to understand this chapter from Mark is to see it as a product of its time. Events were happening that caused those first generations of Jesus people to wonder if the time of God’s judgment had come. For those early Jesus movement people, these words would have been Good News! Jesus had not accomplished what had been expected of the Messiah, of the new King David. And now Jesus was absent from them. These words in chapter 13 of Mark carry Good News: the assurance that God will bring fulfillment of God’s promises.

Here is something important to notice. The chief message of this chapter is not to be led astray, not to panic, and not to become obsessed over figuring out when the end-events will happen. That’s because no one knows when that end time will be!

Listen again:
[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.

And, we read:
[I]f anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or 'Look! There he is!'--do not believe it. [22] False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. [23] But be alert; I have already told you everything.
It is important to know what was going on, the context out of which Mark, chapter 13 arose. But if this chapter is simply a historical relic of its time, then it would be easy to disregard. Indeed, many in the so-called “mainline denominations” have in fact dismissed this and other apocalyptic literature in the Bible. The result? There is no urgency left in the faith; no anticipation of God’s future; no hopefulness. We miss an important message of these verses: “Keep alert.” “Keep awake." That is the theme of the season of Advent.
And so, there is a third way to read this chapter out of Mark, and this is what I commend to you. We can say that it is a Lutheran reading, since it comes from Luther himself!1
The theme of Mark, chapter 13, is God’s judgment. But we have no fear of the “last judgment” because that judgment has happened for those who are baptized into the body of Christ. The final judgment happened when Christ rose from the dead. We have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, and so, through our baptisms, we have been justified, and forgiven.
Now, day by day, we are being made holy by God the Holy Spirit. Of course we are still sinful! You remember that Luther writes in the Small Catechism that the old person in us must be drowned through daily repentance. We must return to our baptisms, daily! Our sinfulness is judged, daily!

There is urgency in that! It is important to heed the urgency of Mark, chapter 13, because the end could come, any day. I think of the man who was driving down Jamestown Road last month, who suffered a heart attack and died, whose car then rolled over our bushes in front of the church building and came to rest in the hedge between our property and Mrs. Briggs’ next door. Some of us could tell of our experiences: of losing a baby to SIDS, or a loved one in a car crash; the end could come any day.

We must return to our baptisms, in repentance, daily. Our sinfulness is judged daily! But God the judge is also God the redeemer. In this baptized life we are being made holy by God the Holy Spirit. This is called sanctification. God, who is holy, is drawing us towards holiness.
Therefore: watch! What is God doing?

Our watching emphasizes our responsibility, as followers of the risen Christ, called to act in love and justice. God’s future determines our present.

Watch! What is God doing?
What is God doing in you, for instance, as you interact with the homeless in the PORT homeless shelter program? What is God doing in the life of the member of our congregation who took his coat off and gave it to one of the shelter guests who had no coat? What is God doing in your life when you feel a restlessness that you just can’t shake off? How is God calling you to holiness? What is God doing in your life when you are in a period of depression? To what work, to what behavior might God be calling you?

We are at the same time sinner and saint2 in this human life. We undergo judgment now, daily, insofar as the old life of sin continues in us. But to the degree that we participate in the new life of Christ, daily, we live already on the other side of judgment!

Watch! What is God doing?
How is God the Holy Spirit drawing you towards holiness?
In the name of God, who is Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pastor Andy Ballentine
St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Williamsburg, Virginia
1 This is pointed out by Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez in “Advent and Eschatology,” Journal for Preachers, Advent, 2005. The next paragraphs include insights that she presents.
2 To use another of Luther’s phrases.