Pentecost 26 Year B
Sermon Preached by Reverend Michael Hillier on Sunday, 17 November 2024.
Mark 13.1-11
What should we take away from today’s Gospel reading? Some people have quoted this passage when discussing ‘end-of-world’ scenarios, but the conversation between Jesus and His disciples was actually about something else.
As Jesus and His disciples were leaving the Temple area in Jerusalem, one of His disciples commented on its size and magnificence. Indeed, it was an extraordinary complex. In comparison, the buildings around it would have seemed quite ordinary.
This Temple, which Herod the Great began redeveloping and rebuilding around 20 BC, was considered one of the world’s wonders. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, 50 years later, it was still under construction and unfinished.
The Temple had been built on Mount Moriah, on the city’s eastern side. Instead of levelling the summit to create a platform for the Temple, high walls had been constructed around the perimeter, and the area within was raised with earthworks to create a prominent platform that dominated the skyline. Even today, we can see the enormous stone blocks supporting this platform on the western side. The historian Josephus tells us that some of the stones measured 13 m long, 4 m high, and 6 m wide.
Today, this site is called the Western Wall, though it is sometimes incorrectly called the Wailing Wall. You might be familiar with pictures of it. The platform above the stone wall still exists and offers a sense of vastness. It was designed to make a statement and was meant to take your breath away with its size. Additionally, it conveyed the idea that this sacred place was built to last.
But the Temple’s awe-inspiring grandeur was not just due to the size of its walls and platform; the Temple itself was designed to take people’s breath away.
Josephus, a historian living then, describes it: ‘The outward face of the Temple was breath-taking, covered entirely with heavy plates of gold. At sunrise, its fiery brilliance reflected the sun’s rays, causing those who tried to look directly at it to avert their eyes, just as they would from the sun itself.’
And so, this splendour, this awe-inspiring magnificence, took the disciples’ breath away. They were then astonished when Jesus told them it would all be demolished.
It’s important to note that Jesus was not discussing the ‘end-of- time’; He was addressing the Temple’s imminent destruction in Jerusalem and the fate of His followers in that context.
The story is not about prophecies or predictions of an apocalyptic future. Instead, anyone observing the political climate of that time – with tensions often bubbling just below the surface and leading at times to insurrection – any observant person would recognise that the situation was unsustainable. Jesus was stating the obvious about how it would all end. We need to appreciate the Jewish perspective to understand why the disciples were so shocked by Jesus’ prediction. For the Jews, the Temple was not merely a building; it was the dwelling place of God on earth and the very centre of their faith.
Jesus could see the obvious: if Jewish terrorism continued to grow, the Roman occupying army would strike at the heart of Judaism and destroy its key symbol, the Temple.
This is precisely what happened in 70 AD. The Romans had had enough and attacked the Jews who were trying to expel them. These Jews had barricaded themselves in the Temple precinct, leading the Romans to burn and destroy the Temple.
The destruction sent shockwaves through the Jewish community in Palestine and beyond, affecting the Jewish diaspora throughout the Roman world. For us, it would be akin to the destruction of Saint Peter’s Cathedral, or the mother Church of the Anglican Communion, Canterbury Cathedral, while for Americans, it would be reminiscent of the shock following the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001.
Such events cause significant upheaval in our communities when the heart of that community is attacked, torn apart, or destroyed.
It’s no wonder that on that first Palm Sunday procession, as Jesus descended into the city surrounded by a cheering crowd, He looked out over it, wept, and said, ‘If you, even you, had only recognised on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another because you did not recognise the time of your visitation from God.’ (Luke 19.41-44).
Now, I want to take a different approach and consider why our evangelist, Mark, included this story. After all, he could have chosen from many others during Jesus’ ministry. To answer this, we must ask when and to whom Mark wrote this Gospel.
The Gospel was most likely written around the mid-60s, with tradition suggesting it was composed in Rome, guided by the apostle Peter. That period was not a favourable time to be seen as a Christian, as there was much persecution at the hands of the Emperor, Nero.
On July 19, 64 A.D., a massive fire broke out in Rome. Widespread gossip blamed Emperor Nero for the disaster. To divert attention from himself, he shifted the blame onto the Jews, whose homes had escaped the flames as they lived in a different part of the city. Having recently returned from exile, the Jews, in their fear, targeted a subgroup they despised even more – the Christians. Ultimately, the Christians in Rome faced severe persecution and were wiped out. It is within this context that Mark wrote his Gospel.
Mark sought to convey the story of Jesus, but a significant subplot centred around the question of how we navigate suffering. At that time, Christians in Rome were enduring tremendous hardship; they felt as if they were adrift in a stormy sea. Mark recounts the terrified disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee during a storm, at which point Jesus calmed the waves. Mark aimed to reassure the suffering Christians in dangerous Rome that Jesus was with them; they were not alone.
This message remains as relevant today as it was for those early Christians. Our Gospel reading reminds us that Jesus foretold the difficulties they would face, both politically and personally. An old order was collapsing while a new one began taking shape. The Temple would be destroyed, but Jesus established Himself as the new Temple.
So, how might our Gospel reading speak to us today? For we also find ourselves in challenging and unpredictable times, with no clear way forward offered by anyone.
I think it always comes back to the individual level of trusting that Jesus walks with us no matter what situations we face in life. There is so much that we have no control over. And most importantly, keep that daily conversation that you have with Jesus going. There is no other way.
And parallel with that, we are part of a community of faith and need to support each other.