When?

November 18, 2018
The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost


Gospel Lesson: 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!” 2And 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.”

3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 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.

9 “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. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 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. 12 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. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The disciples were like tourists from the countryside. They were in big city of Jerusalem and after visiting the Temple they said, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” The temple was built with white marble and adorned with gold. It took King Herod 46 years to rebuild it, ready just in time for the Birth of Jesus, who was taken there by his parents when he was just 40 days old to be presented to God as the first-born child. The temple was very important to the Jews. It was the symbol of their religion and of their country. It was a symbol that God was protecting and blessing them. It was a national symbol of pride and confidence and identity. .

Around the world there are similar things. For example, the Eiffel Tower, the Tokyo Tower, or the Statue of Liberty. Americans take pride that America is a land of liberty and as long as the Statue of Liberty remains, there will be freedom for all who live there.

Everybody builds their own tower or finds their own temple to which they base their lives. What is the most important thing in your life? What gives life meaning? What would upset you most if it were taken away? For example, family, job, cash, reputation, home, church, friends, and the like.

Mark 13:1–2 As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And 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.”

In the Year AD 70, the Roman Army completely destroyed the temple. The Gold was stripped away and the beautiful stones were carried away for other building projects. Only one section of wall remained, the so-called “Wailing Wall.” And the nation of Israel was scattered to the four winds until after World War II.

And so is the fate of all the temples and towers that people build. There are wars and floods and tsunami and fires and theft and family fights. Just one recent example, recently there have been some huge fires in California that have destroyed thousand of homes and taken many lives. These are homes that people took pride in. Their home was more than a status symbol; it was the center of their lives that gave them a foundation. With hardly a warning, in minutes their home was devoured by ravenous flames. All was gone.

Mark 13:3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 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.

The fact is that we do not know when disaster will strike. Like the disciples we too would like to know so that we can make plans. Jesus did not tell them when it would happen. He only told them that these were the signs of the end of the world before Christ returns with salvation.

26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Jesus did not tell the disciples to prepare, he told them to watch.

37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: `Watch!'

We cannot prepare, we can only trust Jesus: we can only watch what Jesus does to bring our salvation. We can buy fire insurance for our homes, but faith assurance is a free gift from God. It is God’s grace. This is what gives Christians support when things in life are bad. We do not put pride or trust in temples, but only in the cross of Jesus. The purpose of the Temple in Jerusalem was as a place of worship and sacrifice. The sacrifices were for the forgiveness of sin. The Cross of Jesus became the new Temple and being away from the Jewish temple, it became a place of sacrifice for the sin of the world. This is the foundation for our lives, a foundation that sin and the devil and the world can never destroy.

Jesus never promised peace and economic success for his followers. He predicted trials and persecutions, but with the help of the Holy Spirit to speak for them. Jesus warned against people who would use these disasters to lead believers astray. And even today there are preachers who promise things that Jesus never did; things like emotional peace and bodily health, and financial wealth. We pray for these things, of course, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We Lutherans have always preached that Jesus is with us in the midst of disasters. He is Emmanuel, “God With Us.” And this is what gives us strength in the depths of disasters and diseases and doubts and distress and disappointments. Jesus is our defense , he is at our side. Then there are those satanic voices that ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow war and natural disasters?” We answer that it is because of sin, but of course people who do not believe in sin do not accept that answer and put us on trial all the more. And at such a time the Holy Spirit reminds us of the promise of Jesus, “Behold, I am with you till the end of the world.” And therefore with us to all eternity.

When will the Last Day of the World come? Jesus may return soon, but if we die before then, then the Last Day for us will be the day of Resurrection when we will arise to be with Jesus forever. And this is the peace that we Christians have.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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