Mark 13:14-31
Find a way to separate yourself from whatever’s going on around you so you can fully enter into today’s passage. if you haven’t read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel, read it here.
Before you read today’s passage, look over yesterday’s meditation on Mark 13:3-13. Then read Mark 13:14-31.
Prophecy is the speaking forth of God’s words, and because God is not limited by time and space, it is helpful to remember that prophecies can either refer to the present time, the future, or the far future. The message Jesus gives to his followers in Mark 13 is most assuredly prophetic and seems to shift between events in the future and events in the far-future. As we look back at these words, it is also easy to see how they apply in our present time.
As Mark recalls and writes the words of Jesus in this passage, just under 40 years have passed and the struggle for power between the Jews and the Romans is very real. Ultimately, Jerusalem will fall to Rome in spite of resistance by patriotic Jews. Wars and rumors of war and the deception that runs rampant in a climate of war are the norm, and many Jews, even those who claim to follow Jesus, are drawn toward the violent preservation of their nation over the teachings of Jesus regarding love and nonviolence.
Think for a moment about the “climate” in our current day and then read Mark 13:14-31 again.
If we aren’t consistently absorbing the words of Jesus and internalizing and acting on them, our loyalty can easily drift toward secondary allegiances. And if we haven’t determined in advance to live as a peacemaker and reject the temptation to achieve our cause through violence (in word or deed), we are apt to be deceived by “the myth of redemptive violence” and drawn into conflict.
In order to save humanity Jesus refused to answer violence with violence when he was unjustly accused and executed. In light of his example, is violence ever justified?
If push came to shove, would you be able to choose the way of Jesus if it meant that your actions or words would be misunderstood by those whose allegiance was elsewhere?
How are you doing with using the lens of Jesus to filter messages from people and institutions you hold dear?
When your beliefs are challenged, are you more likely to react with anger or with curiosity?
Take a moment to consider these questions with Jesus. Then get quiet and listen to see if Jesus might nudge you toward an action you need to take. If he does, be sure to write it down and make a plan for following through.
Are you finding these meditations to be helpful? If so, please forward them to a couple of friends. Interested in going deeper? Check out The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide and blog.
