"When will these things be?" "Now!"

November 15, 2015

Mark 13:1-13
As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?h And Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, 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. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.
"But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Do you like to go sight-seeing? I like to visit historical sites. Here in Okinawa there are a lot of old castle ruins. Shuri Castle has been rebuilt and is a beautiful museum of the old Ryukyu Kingdom. I wonder if it is best to rebuild the old ruins or leave them as they are. It is nice to rebuild them so that people can learn history and culture. Visitors tour the site and take pride in their past. But perhaps it is better to leave the castles as ruins, in order to show the result of human pride and folly.

The disciples of Jesus were visiting Jerusalem. There were many beautiful palaces and public buildings, and the temple itself was made of white marble and decorated with gold. One of his disciples said to Jesus, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." And in the year AD 70, the Roman army entered Jerusalem and completely destroyed the temple, leaving only one section of wall, which is known now as "The Wailing Wall."

The disciples believed Jesus. But they asked him, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" Jesus did not give them a date, but he gave them signs; such as: false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, persecutions, betrayals, and testimonies of faith and endurance of faith. Within a generation, all these signs had come.

In our generation, these signs have come again. Like the disciples, we see the wonderful, beautiful buildings in our modern society. We take pride in them. But will they last forever? Will the things that we take pride in today become the ruins of tomorrow? How about in our families? There are things we take pride in, but will they last forever? How about ourselves? There are things we take pride in, but will they last forever? Will they last before God? We all have certain gifts and talents given to us by God. But what will happen in the time of tribulation? When there are troubles and worries about troubles, natural disasters, and the like? How about when we are given a bad time because of our faith? Can we make the good witness? Will we trust the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak? Will we endure to the end and be saved? Or will our lives become like the ruins of the old castles?

Jesus knew that the end was near. He knew that he would soon be arrested and tried and crucified. As a human being, he knew he would suffer pain and humiliation. But he knew the plan of God. The Temple of his Body would be destroyed in death on the cross, but it would not remain as dead ruins. On the third day Jesus rose again from the dead. The old Temple in Jerusalem was no longer necessary, because Jesus had made the perfect sacrifice to forgive all sins of all time.

The cross of Jesus is not just a tourist spot. It is not just a place to review Christian history and culture. In the cross of Jesus we see the result of human pride, folly, and sin. In the cross we see the ruins of our selfish lives. In the cross we see that the end will be soon. But the cross points to resurrection. His resurrection is not a museum of the past, but the way of life now for the believers in Christ. The church is not a museum, but rather a building that is alive and active in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives us the words of the Gospel to speak to this generation. There are words of warning. There are words of hope. There are words of promise. There are words of love.

In our generation, in our lives, there are the threats of false messiahs, crazy relgions, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, betrayal and persecutions. There are our personal problems at home, at work, and at school. These problems challenge our faith. But in Baptism there is also the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives us courage and the endurance of faith and the power to make testimonies of faith. "

When will these things be?" In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” We pray that God will be the King in our hearts and in our lives. We pray that the mission of the church would spread the Good News of his Kingdom of Grace. And we pray for and look forward to the fullness of his Heavenly Kingdom of Glory. The end of the world might be tomorrow; or it may be 500 years from now, or it may come to us personally when we die. The future is in God’s hands. Therefore we can live without worry or fear, because we know the promise and salvation of God.

And so today’s Old Testament reading, the prophecy of Daniel Chapter Twelve becomes a message of comfort, hope and joy for Christians. The prophecy about the Angel Michael is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

FIRST LESSON: Daniel 12:1–3
1“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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