A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
Mark 13:3-13 Keep On Keeping On: The Disciple's Marathon
Mark, chapter 13,. Verses 3 to 13 is kind of what we'll be looking at today. And you know it's a shifting of gears here in the book of Mark. And you know it's a shifting of gears here in the book of Mark. It's the final week of Jesus' physical ministry, just days from the cross. But time has slowed down and he's faced off with the religious leaders there in chapter 12. If there was any doubt that they needed to get rid of him, they had all they needed there in that discussion. Matthew ramps it up even more in Matthew 23, in the specifics of this face-off. But they're ready. They're ready to get rid of Jesus. Now he heads out of the temple court after that face-off and he exits the gates face off. And he exits the gates Verse one as he went out the temple, one of his disciples said to him teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here.
Speaker 1:So as they go out, having just thrashed on the religious authorities of the day, one of his disciples I think maybe sheepishly says teacher, though is it all bad? I mean, look at these stones of this temple, look at these buildings. It's got to be worth something. Verse two Jesus responds do you see these great buildings. Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down. So Jesus here prophesies what would happen less than 40 years later this temple that they were looking at, this huge wonder of the ancient world, would be completely destroyed.
Speaker 1:Now, as they continue to go out in verse 3, they go out the gate, the eastern gate there of the city of Jerusalem, and they start to go down into the Kidron Valley. If you can picture it, it's really great to be able to go up. Me and Brian were just talking about how awesome it would be to go to Israel and see it again. But if you can picture it, you go out that gate from the temple, you go down some stairs and you go down into a valley so the Kidron Valley, picture that. And you go up this incline, this slope. It's the Mount of Olives.
Speaker 1:A lot happens on the Mount of Olives. It's the Mount of Olives. A lot happens on the Mount of Olives. Jesus will pray with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that's there, on the slope of the Mount of Olives. It's hill-sized, I'd say. And Jesus had recently come down off that Mount of Olives down the road into the city as people yelled Hosanna, that happened. But here now he goes out of the temple and he's sitting opposite on the hillside. If you can picture it the temple, the valley, the hillside, the Mount of Olives. He's sitting on the hillside there with his disciples.
Speaker 1:And in verse three, as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, peter, james, john and Andrew ask Jesus a question, two questions, privately Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when these things will be fulfilled? So very personal questions here. Two questions when will these things be and what will be the signs when all these things will be fulfilled? If you look in Matthew, chapter 24, a little more detail there a phrase is added and the end of the age, what will be the signs of the end of the age? Mark doesn't include that, but I think he assumes we understand that's what Jesus is talking about and they're lumping it all together. When will this temple be destroyed and what will be the end of the age? When is the end coming, when God's kingdom is established on earth? Now questions are given and a little disclaimer here. If you're feeling a little sleepy, a little disclaimer. We're going to jump into some brain benders today. So if you don't feel like it, maybe go back and listen to it later, but do your best. Brain benders and also a disclaimer.
Speaker 1:What I teach today will go a little bit against my instinct as I look at the last days. The Olivet Discourse is what this is called, vet discourse is what this is called. My instinct is going to be to consider what we looked at last week the eminent return of Jesus, this idea that one day, very, very soon it seems, jesus will come for his church. He'll take us to be with him. Things will fall apart on planet earth and we will be with the Lord forever. God will set up his kingdom on earth. That's the idea of eminent return, that anytime and we read that here be ready, watch, you don't know the day or the hour. That's an important thing to remember. That's an important principle. The eminent return I think it's actually the imminence with the I Imminent return of Jesus is important and we live every day looking around, going. It could happen today and I'd be OK with that.
Speaker 1:But there's another principle that we see here, for lack of a better word, it's continuance. Right, big words. I know Continuance. It's this idea that we need to endure. Notice verse 13. We read it all last week, but verse 13 ends with this phrase he who endures to the end shall be saved. Endurance the word in the Greek is hupomone, right, just in case you wanted to amaze your friends with that. It means to just keep on keeping on, to endure, to be patient the word is sometimes put in there, and so there's this idea that, along with realizing that Jesus could come back and set all things right today, there's this other point he might not. We may have to endure for a time. We may have to endure through life to continue to keep on, keeping on. So both of these things are necessary in the Christian life Realizing that Jesus could come at any day, necessary, looking forward to it, but also enduring if he doesn't. These are both important. So some foundations to look at.
Speaker 1:Here is an idea here that we're looking at what's known as the near and far in end times. Look at verse 13 again. He says he who endures to the end shall be saved. That word to the end, that phrase to the end, it's the word telos, and that'll be the last Greek word I think I share with you today. But telos, it's where we get telescope from right. So to the end, as far as you can see, you take out your telescope and you put it and you focus it on something way out there and Jesus says you're gonna have to endure to the end. There's gonna be in this passage an end that we're gonna look at more next week. But there's also the near, and that's really what we look at today in verses like 3 to 13. It's the near for the disciples and we look at this near and far. This is biblical principle.
Speaker 1:There's a near and far in god's mind and it comes down to who god is right. Okay, again a lot of different thoughts today, but but, but it's who god is. He's eternal. We've talked about that, bless you. He's eternal. Time is a little different for God. Check this out 2 Peter 3.8.
Speaker 1:Beloved, do not forget this one thing that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day when we talk about God and time. He's eternal and time is kind of insignificant for him. We've talked about it before. He sees the beginning of time there in the garden and he sees the end of time where he establishes a kingdom and they're all right in front of him. They're all solid. He literally has all the time in the world. From a movie that I love to watch Go check it out, anyways. He literally has all the time in the world. From a movie that I love to watch Go check it out, anyways. He literally has all the time in the world.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter, with God, he sees it all. And so for us, we're not like that. We wait for things. Some have been waiting for school to get out and you look at the clock and it's like tick, tock, tock, tick, tock, and the clock just goes so slow. And we wait for it here in time, right. When you go on a road trip, it's the are we there yet? Right. Time just doesn't go by fast enough. When you're waiting for a baby to come, zach and Chelsea would say Is it time? Is it time? Is it now? We wait for things. But God doesn't have to wait. He's eternal. He's got all of time under his control, under his control, and he sees it all.
Speaker 1:So here, as we look at this prophecy in Mark 13, we see there's near and far, and a big gap in between Verses 3 through 13 would be the near to the disciples. And Jesus is going to answer these two questions that his disciples give when will these things be and what will be the sign of the fulfillment of all things? Right, that's basically the idea. When will these things be? Well, now, we talked about it. The destruction of the temple would happen in AD 70 and no stone would be left upon another. But we look at this passage here. We'll read it.
Speaker 1:We realize the early church went through a lot of trials, a lot of tribulations, a lot of tribulations. Every single one of the disciples. They went through these kinds of things that we read about here. And for them Jesus says you're gonna have to learn endurance, you're gonna have to learn to endure through great tribulation. Notice what Jesus says in verse five. Jesus answered them, began to say take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying I am he or I am and will deceive many.
Speaker 1: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. There will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of sorrows or birth pains. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues and you will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must be preached, the first preached, to all nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given to you in that hour, speak, for it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now, brother will betray brother to death. Father, his child, children will rise against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.
Speaker 1:So Jesus warns his disciples there in verse 5, take heed, beware, right, that's beware, beware of people who deceive. And Jesus gives some different ideas of that. People will deceive and say that they're the one or this is the place to go, the way to do things. He says take heed, no one deceives you. So at this point in my life I give the same warning to my mom, right? That's the job as we get older, I think, is we take care of our parents as much as we can. And I tell her things like this when I leave the car and you know she's doing her puzzles in there with the air conditioner on. You know, I say Mom, don't talk to strangers, okay, just don't. If anyone knocks on the window, just don't look at them. You know, don't talk to strangers. If the phone rings and they say this is the IRS, please call this number, don't answer it, don't answer it at all. If they say they're the FBI, it doesn't matter, don't answer the phone, you don't need to, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1:Because there are many who deceive. Right, and we all know that's true. But Jesus warns his disciples here and he says be aware, many will come in my name, saying I am. Now, it says I am he, but it's, I am. It's that idea of the name of God, of the name of God. Thus saith the Lord. And he says here, they'll deceive many. Now, jesus warns. Now listen to this. Jesus warns because there were people who were deceived, and there are many, jesus says, who would be deceived. Right, he's telling his disciples there's a lot of you that might be deceived, so you need to be careful. Right, and we know many have come in God's name. Right, a God's name with a word. Right, muhammad came speaking his idea of what Allah had to say and many, many, many were deceived by him. Joseph Smith came with a word and some special glasses to read that word, you know, and he deceived many.
Speaker 1:We look at it and go that's ridiculous. Who would fall for that? Many, many people have believed Mormonism and the deception of that, jim Jones. We look at that and go that's crazy. Why would you go for someone saying those things about being the Messiah and stuff? Many were deceived and we see the aftermath of that, david Koresh. But many come into our world to deceive, to say here's what you hope in, trust me, right, and Jesus wants his disciples part of living and enduring through this life will be.
Speaker 1:Watch out for people who deceive. Now the best thing you can do is know what God's already said. We talked about it last week. How do you know a false prophet? Well, if it doesn't come to pass, what they say is one thing, but if it disagrees with what God, who doesn't change, has said, run away, run away. No matter who it is or what they're saying, don't be deceived, and we have to be careful.
Speaker 1:Now notice also there's some deception that would come down even in the world around them and this is interesting this kind of gets our last days sensors going off. Right as we read, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and families and troubles the end of the world. And Jesus says really, the point of this is to say things like that are going to happen. Notice that he says the end is not yet. It's in there, verse seven, the end of verse seven. The end is not yet. Verse 7, the end of verse 7, the end is not yet. You'll hear of all this stuff, but that's not the end. Now check it out. The truth is that wars, rumors of wars, pestilence as mentioned in Matthew famines and earthquakes these things have always happened. It's been part of life.
Speaker 1:I was hearing a while ago a podcast and they were talking about the year 536. 536, is that even a year? I don't know. Can you have that kind of year? 536, interesting time.
Speaker 1:Most suppose that a volcano went off somewhere over in Iceland or something like that went off somewhere over in Iceland or something like that, and it put out this ash and it covered the whole world. We read about it all over the place, this ash that was in the air that made the air look yellowish and the sun was darkened and all of these things you can imagine. You walk outside and it's that way. But it's not just that way. For a little while, it was that way for years. So much ash in the air and it caused the plants not to grow like they should. They didn't thrive, so produce went down. People didn't go outside because they were freaked out. The air was horrible and so people got weak.
Speaker 1:And then, within about 10 years, a plague came around, the Black Death right, and 100 million people estimated 15 to 50% of the world's population died over a decade. Wow, that's encouraging? No, it's not. But imagine if you lived during that time. The sun is dark and the moon looks crazy, we don't have enough to eat, there's famine, and then the Black Death comes around and just everywhere there's death. Wouldn't you think this is it? This is the end. I wouldn't blame them right? In the early 1900s, you know, we had the Spanish flu and again, as many as 100 million people died. This is not encouraging, but it was said that people would get on a trolley and before they met their stop they would be dead. Just death everywhere. Then World War I came around, war like we've never seen before and millions of people died in World War I unprecedented followed by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl right.
Speaker 1:So imagine it was easy to look at life and go this is it. This is the end of the world, and yet here we are. This is the end of the world, and yet here we are. So what I'm trying to say by that and again I'm playing the balanced side of this today what I'm saying is this is part of life in a fallen world, from time to time. Major trials and tribulations it's the way it's been. Trials and tribulations it's the way it's been. And in the face of trials and tribulation, we need to endure, we need to carry on and keep on going.
Speaker 1:Notice he says all of this will happen and it is the beginning of sorrows. Now, this is interesting as far as it concerns the last days, because the beginning of sorrows could be the beginning of birth pains. Some are thinking about this right now. Right, contractions before birth. They get more and more and they get stronger and stronger. There's some false alarms in there, but Jesus kind of hints at the idea that as time goes on, these things will get more and more and stronger and stronger. Maybe, however, we realize that nobody knows, as Jesus is going to say. Nobody knows the day or the hour. You've got to keep on keeping on, you keep on going. And Jesus warns his disciples there. Notice, though, as we look at this, what it feels like I'm saying is well, these things will happen. Life continues on. It's always been this way. It could be this way for a long time. That is the application for today, but I want to throw in one more verse.
Speaker 1:Now listen to this 2 Peter 3, 1 through 4. 2 Peter 3, 1 through4. 2 Peter 3, 1-4. You can always turn, he says Beloved, and I'll write to you this second letter in which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder.
Speaker 1:2 Peter 3, verse 2, now that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing first verse 3, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. So we get the double whammy here. We're encouraged to endure to the end. You may have to go through trials and tribulation, but endure to the end. We'll talk about that.
Speaker 1:But that might lead us to this idea that, well, this has been the way it's been for all the years, the last 2,000 years. Wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes, and bah humbug, right, the Lord delays. It's not going to happen in our lifetime that God's going to set up his kingdom. Peter here says you've got to remember this In the last days. People will say that Life will just continue on. He's not coming back. It doesn't matter. Peter gives us a warning even as we're considering this idea. So be aware.
Speaker 1:Now notice back in Mark 13,. He warns of a few more things, warns them of deception. More things, warns them of deception. And in verse 9 and 10, he warns that they'll be delivered up to trial. They will be delivered up to councils, beaten in synagogues, brought before rulers and kings for my sake and testimony to them. And they were.
Speaker 1:You read the book of Acts and these disciples were brought before councils and kings. They were accused and condemned. All of them. Really. All of them faced martyrdom in one sense or another and this was their life. This is what they had to endure. Notice verse 12 and 13.
Speaker 1:Brother will betray brother to death. And it goes on father, his child, children rise against parents and cause them to be put to death. You'll be betrayed by your closest relations. And we trust people? Of course we do. We ought to have people that you can trust. But Jesus says here many times people fail us. Even people that we love and that really do love us, will fail us. They're faulty, we're all human.
Speaker 1:And Jesus warns them you got to trust God. You're not going to be able to trust people 100%, but you can trust God 100%. Able to trust people 100%, but you can trust God 100%. So notice all these things deception, delivered to trial, there's difficulties and tribulation that they'll face. Even their best friends and family will turn on them and the ultimate lesson is it was a time to learn to depend on God alone. That's one of the key things of life that God teaches us all through life is you got to trust me. People are wonderful to have around and trust, but ultimately you got to trust God alone.
Speaker 1:And notice verse 11 kind of points to that. When they deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you'll speak, but whatever is given to you that hour, speak, for it's not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now check it out. They will be brought before kings. And Jesus says don't worry about putting together your defense, the Holy Spirit, god, the Spirit, will give you the words to say and I think we see that principle here that through all the difficulties of life difficulties are not fun and really it's not God's pleasure to send difficulties in our life but the difficulties now listen.
Speaker 1:The difficulties force us to trust God, to depend on God. All of them do. When you have sickness in your life, you can look for a good doctor, but you've got to trust God. When you have social issues and family issues, you can look for counsel, you can try to work through it, but ultimately you've got to trust God. No matter what comes into our life, we have to trust God. And it hurts to trust God. It's not always easy, but it's the only option we have ultimately to depend on him. And that's what God wants to work into us through these times, to give us the ability to endure.
Speaker 1:Now the end will come in verse 14. We're going to switch to the close, the distance part of that telescope and it's going to zoom out to the time of the end, things that haven't happened yet. The end will come, but it might. It might be today, that might be it. That would be exciting. That'd be good if we're all just in heaven before lunch. That'd be good if we're all just in heaven before lunch. I'm okay with that. It may and it could, but it might not, and so in that case we have to endure to the end, endure to the end.
Speaker 1:Now, paul said much about these kinds of things and they're good pictures for us. Acts 20, verse 24, and we'll go quickly here Acts 20, verse 24, he's talking to the Ephesian elders and he says this to them Good picture, picture this. He says guys, I want to finish my race with joy. So the finish line of whatever your race your life looks like, paul says here's what I want to finish my race with joy. So the finish line of whatever your race, your life looks like, paul says here's what I want to do, depending on God, I want to finish my race with joy. In Philippians 3.14, he says it like this I press toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of Christ Jesus. He wanted to finish and get the prize.
Speaker 1:Let's turn one last place, one of my favorite verses of all passages of all Hebrews, chapter 12. It's a good one to memorize Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 1. Now, we don't know who wrote the book of Hebrews, but from what he says here, I think Paul would be not a bad choice for that. It seems to kind of line up with things that he's told in other places. But notice this, therefore, since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, that's chapter 11. You can go back and look at that. Let us lay aside every weight, the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Speaker 1:So here the author talks about this race again and he says it's not just about running it, it's about finishing it, but I want to also run with endurance. We're back at that word. Endurance, it's the same word. Hupomone, it's the same word to keep on, keeping on, to be patient and just burn through it. You know, it's that same idea. And he gives lots of great input. The author gives lots of great input on how you can run with endurance. You should study the whole part here, this whole part. Lay aside the weight things that weigh you down in life, lay aside the sin that snares you up. But I think verse two is. If I had to pick one key, I would say verse two, the key to running with endurance.
Speaker 1:This race set before us to finish, well, we gotta look unto Jesus. Look unto Jesus. There's so much you can say about this. It means to look and to stare at until it's burned in your mind's eye. Look at Jesus until he's burned there. But looking unto Jesus, just three little things to look at about Jesus. Look at his loving death John 3, 16,. For God so loved the world, god loved us so much that, while we were still sinners, christ died for us. We look unto Jesus when we go through it. Now think about this. We look unto Jesus when we're going through things we don't understand. We want to understand one thing I know God loves me. Jesus loves me. This I know he does when I don't understand life I'm going through it. Look unto Jesus his loving death. Look unto Jesus.
Speaker 1:Number two, his resurrection. That Jesus didn't stay dead. He rose again to give us a new life, eternal life. We talked about that when we hit Easter a couple weeks ago. That Jesus made a promise in John 14 to his disciples don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you that, where I am there, you may be also and you look at that life that God's promised. This world gets rough. It definitely does. Things fall apart in our world and in the world at large. They fall apart, but this is not the end of it. This is absolutely not the end. We have eternal life, real life that Jesus has promised, and we got to look toward that resurrection. Look also last number three. Look also last number three. Look at his promise to come again.
Speaker 1:When Jesus ascended to heaven in the beginning of the book of Acts, picture it after 40 days I think it was, I don't want to say 50, but 40 to 50 days Jesus went up on the same Mount of Olives with his disciples, same place, and as he was talking to them, he just started ascending, like slowly rising into heaven. Imagine that You're his disciples. You're listening to a you know a study from the risen Jesus and he just starts slowly going up to heaven. And they watch him as he's up in the clouds and they lose sight of him. They don't even realize that there's angels standing around them. They're looking up, angels are in their midst and angels say to them men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up to heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will also come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. The promise he's coming again. He'll come in the same way that he left.
Speaker 1:Now there's a lot of details in the last days and we'll probably hit more of that next week, but ultimately Zechariah lets us know that he's going to land at one point back on the Mount of Olives. Crazy, there's going to be some kind of earthquake. There's actually a fault line on the Mount of Olives and it's going to split. The Mount of Olives is going to split through this massive earthquake when Jesus lands on it and from there he's going to go back and begin to rule and reign and conquer his enemies and all of these things. We'll look at it maybe next week, but the promise is sure I'm coming again. If I go to prepare a place, I'll come again, and that's the kind of thing that gives us endurance.
Speaker 1:This is not all there is in life. This big old ugly world with wars and rumors of wars and pestilence and famine and earthquakes, is not all there is. It's real, it's the reality of life that one day we'll be with Jesus forever and he'll set all things right. That's not just something we say because we need something good to say to get us through life. That's true, it's the reality, it's what we put our whole faith in and we trust God. So these things looking at these things, looking to Jesus in these ways give us endurance through the difficult times.
Speaker 1:God, more than just a study of some facts that we can rest on, we know we absolutely need your spirit, we need you, we look to you and it's so hard to trust you with everything. But God, we want to trust you when the world doesn't make sense. God, we want to trust you when times are good. God, help us to trust you. I pray that we would just see a little bit more of your love, a little bit more of your future and faithfulness to us. God, help us to understand these things not just in our head, but also in our heart. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.