We’ve just heard the concluding
verses of the passion story. No, it’s not the passion of Christ, the account of
his suffering and death that’s often read from one of the gospels toward the
end of Lent, shortly before Easter. Now, as we begin the season of Advent and
start looking toward Christmas, we have the passion of the world, and the
passion of God’s people in the world.
Making that connection might seem at
first like a bit of a stretch. But let’s look carefully at our text and the way
it’s placed in Mark’s gospel.
The story is set at the point when
Jesus leaves the temple where he has been debating with and criticizing the
religious authorities, just a few days before his passion. When the disciples
comment on the grandeur of the temple, Jesus tells them that it’s going to be
destroyed. They ask when that will happen, and instead of giving a direct
answer, Jesus tells about a coming time of troubles for the world. There will
be wars, natural disasters, persecution and false prophets. And as the world
seems to be coming apart, people will see “‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’
with great power and glory” to gather his elect.1
What Jesus wants us to know
Our text is the end of this
discourse about the future in chapter 13 of Mark. Here Jesus tells us what he
wants us to be doing during this time. In these concluding words, he emphasizes
what is really important for us to know.
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