Pentecost 26, Proper 28, Year B

I. Theme – Holding fast to faith in difficult times

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

"As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down" – Mark 13:1-2

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm – Psalm 16 Page 599, 600, BCP
Epistle – Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
Gospel – Mark 13:1-8  

Today’s readings encourage us to hold fast to our faith, even in troubled times and persecution. Daniel speaks of a time of great trouble, through which the righteous will “shine like the stars.” As the Day of the lord approaches, the author of Hebrews tells us that our hard struggle with suffering will be rewarded.

In today’s gospel, Mark assures us that—even in chaos—God remains in control . This chapter of Mark begins with the destruction of the temple. Imagine how the early Christians must have felt, when Jerusalem was still in many ways their spiritual home. The Jewish heritage and tradition had probably been handed as carefully to them as a precious heirloom passed from parent to child. 

All that was threatened by their new religion, then lost when Roman armies demolished the temple. It does not require a great leap of the imagination to see them feeling abandoned and without direction. To his community and to us, Mark issues a warning: watch. Be cautious of simplistic solutions, of the desire to cling to possessions and security. Beware of even well-meaning political reformers who simply replace one form of domination with another. Christ alone is our new direction, our liberation and only security.

How are we to respond when we face the violent upheaval of our world, or when others use mockery to dominate us in personal power plays? The temptation is to respond in kind, offering violence for violence and using force to overcome force.

What does it mean to trust in God’s grace and protection, to live out the peace and justice of God’s Reign in a world of war and injustice? The call to peace is always a difficult one to answer, both personally and collectively, but it is a call we must face in worship this week. This way is demonstrated in Daniel’s prophecy of the shining resurrected ones, in the Psalmist’s celebration of God’s protection and guidance, and ultimately in Jesus’ self-giving on the cross. It is interesting that, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ warnings are associated with the disciples’ awe at the temple building, which represented wealth and power both of a spiritual and political nature. It is when we get absorbed in the trappings of power and wealth that we become violent and oppressive

We give thanks for God’s faithfulness. We give thanks for the ways God is at work in our world. Even when we are consumed by what is going on in our life, our own problems, our own worries, God is at work in the world around us, God is at work in the universe, and God’s steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever. It may be hard to see that at times through our own narrow vision, when all we see is our own hardships and struggles, but we see in these scriptures the promise of resurrection, the fulfillment of God’s justice and mercy, and the hope of the future. From Hannah to Hebrews, we see that there is something greater going on than the struggles of one person or one people, and God hears our prayers, and desires to save the whole world.

II. Summary

Old Testament –   Daniel 12:1-3

The book of Daniel is an example of a kind of writing that flourished in the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament called apocalyptic literature. The name comes from a Greek word meaning to unveil, reveal, disclose. Such writing was common during periods of national or community tribulation, which are interpreted through signs and symbols to disclose the unseen reality of God’s purpose beneath the appearance of disaster.

The book’s audience believed God is active in history, guiding events for the long-term good of the People, even if persecutions and hardship reign in the short term. One expression of this faith is to predict mighty future acts of God, fantastic catastrophes in which the oppressors of God’s people will be overthrown and judged, and the faithful will be vindicated at last. To veil their revolutionary content from the oppressors, these predictions were usually coded in symbolic language, and set in the indeterminate future. So they’re known as "revelations," or, to use a word of Greek origin for the same idea, "apocalyptic" literature. The veiled language also emphasizes that only God really knows the future, and controls it.

During a bitter persecution of the Jews in the second century B.C.E, an anonymous Jewish author penned the Book of Daniel, to bolster the faith of his compatriots. He had been taken captive by the Babylonians (c. 605 BCE) before the final fall of Jerusalem (586 BCE).The book is set in the sixth century B.C.E., during the Captivity of the Jews in Babylon (the Exile). Historically-minded Jews would remember the Exile as one of their ancestors’ darkest hours. This book’s hero Daniel is a clever, faithful young exile, who, relying always on God, does well among his captors, and wins their admiration for himself and his fellow exiles

Many contemporary scripture scholars think that the book was actually written much later, during the fierce conflict triggered by Antiochus IV (175–164 BCE), who desecrated the Jewish temple by setting up a heathen altar there. This led to the Maccabean revolt. According to this view, many of the prophetic portions of the book are actually symbolic interpretations of the events then taking place.

The book is comprised of three sections: a) Daniel and the Babylonian Kings (Chapters 1-6), b) Tales of Daniel (Chapters 7-12, and c) Appendices (Chapters 13-14). The material in the first section places the hero in the court of the Babylonian kings where he resists the temptation to adopt Babylonian living and religion. This actually serves as a warning against the Hellenization being promoted by the Seleucid kings in Israel at the time, and was probably promoted under the Maccabean revolt.

Daniel 12:1-3 speaks to the resurrection of the dead, a theological idea arising in Judaism in the last two centuries before Jesus, an understanding that the “day of the Lord” may have more lasting implications than for those left living on earth. The resurrection gives hope to those who are living now, who know that the hope for the future may be beyond their lifetime. The resurrection gives hope for those whose loved ones have gone. The resurrection means that the work of God is not just to one person or one group of people in one particular time, but has eternal, worldwide fulfillment: the God who spoke at the end of Job, the God who created the entire universe, has given all of creation a greater purpose than the one we can see, for resurrection grants us the greatest hope—that all can be saved, that God’s faithfulness truly can endure forever.

In this reading , we meet Michael, a legendary prince, who appears in later Christian literature as an angel. Here he is the protector of people. The vision is one of great calamity and “anguish” that is brought to naught by the vigilance of Michael. So profound and all encompassing is this redemption that it also includes those who have died in the tribulation. The inferences to the God of the Jews are slight and obtuse, but the notion of salvation is quite clear.

Psalm – Psalm 16 Page 599, 600, BCP

This song of trust in God seems to be set in a context where some Israelites worship other gods (v. 4). – "run after other gods." The reference is not necessarily to the Canaanites, or to the Phoenicians, but to those in Israel who were attracted to the gods of their neighbors, and the ascendant cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The faithful one does not offer the prescribed libations or incantations, but rather describes the God who embraces both the individual (you who uphold my lot) and the community (I have a goodly heritage.) The fate of the unfaithful is trouble, but the fate of the righteous one is full of “pleasures forever more.”

Psalm 16 sings of trusting in God and in God’s ways. In our lives we have a plethora of choices. If we remember to choose God’s ways, we will never go away empty. We will always be satisfied in God. This doesn’t mean times won’t be hard, but it does mean we know God is always with us, and we always have hope

Epistle – Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25

Hebrews 10:11-25 completes our journey through Hebrews. The letter to the Hebrews was written for Jewish converts to Christ, in part to help them cope with the loss of the comforts they had enjoyed from the institutions of Judaism, from which they were now excommunicated. The author’s logic is to show that Jesus, in our relationship with him, replaces those old institutions, and exceeds them.

The author of Hebrews compares the work of the Levitical priest to the superior work of Jesus. The priest from Levi’s line had to offer sacrifices on a daily basis. These sacrifices, though symbolic of forgiveness through the shedding of blood, could not accomplish true purity.

Jesus is both priest and sacrifice, fulfilling and completing the role of the temple. It is not the blood of the sacrificial victim in the old days, but rather the blood of Jesus that is effectual here . As the Hebrew priest sprinkled the blood of the victim in the Holy of Holies, so now it is the blood of Jesus that makes for a cleansing of forgiveness. Indeed, Jesus’ coming again is hinted at in the final verse as the reader sees “the Day approaching.”

For Jewish Christians this would have made sense, a way of understanding the role of Jesus in their custom and culture. But it is not the only way to understand Jesus. The writer of Hebrews wants to be clear to a particular group of Jewish Christians that the customs of old have been fulfilled; therefore, there is no need to repeat them. For Gentile Christians, these customs were never needed. But what is needed is faith, faith in Christ, faith in Christ’s forgiveness, and faith in Christ’s own faithfulness, to the point of dying on a cross.

In verses 19-25, the author draws out the implications of Jesus’ complete work. As to our relationship with God, nothing remains to obstruct our full communion. As to our spiritual lives, we hope for the approaching day of final judgment and full revelation. As to our relationships with others, we live to encourage and support one another.

As a result of God’s love for us, revealed in Jesus the Christ, we can be confident that God is on our side and out of that confidence, we can encourage, support, and care for each other. God’s love inspires a non-competitive and affirmative relationship with our fellow Christians and, beyond that, the whole earth. The admonition is clear: the church is to be a place of encouragement, support, affirmation, and creative challenge.

Gospel – Mark 13:1-8    

Chapter 13 of Mark is known as the “little apocalypse.” It is full of ominous signs and strong counsel. Mark has combined various sayings of Jesus related to events in the near and far future. Some have already come true, but because prophecy often has many applications, they may some day be fulfilled again in a deeper way.

Mark 13:1-8 tells of Jesus proclamation of the destruction of the temple. All along the road to Jerusalem he has been speaking of his own death and resurrection, but now Jesus begins to give a glimpse into what the future holds. Mark is considered the earliest writer of the Gospels, around the time of the temple’s destruction. The temple is destroyed by Romans during the Jewish Revolt in 66-70 AD. The assault on the holy city by the Romans and the subsequent destruction of the Temple, was an event that is retrojected into Mark’s portrayal of Jesus message.

Jesus’ disciples comment on the temple’s magnificence, which embodied for the Jews their religious hopes and identity. Jesus bids his disciples to turn from the apparent permanence and grandeur of the temple in order to place their trust in God’s sovereignty.

As the Greeks noted, “all things must pass. The river flows and life is brief.” It can be easily seen that our greatest achievements and the institutions we love (church, country) are finite, mortal, and temporary. This can lead to anxiety and acquisitiveness; it can also lead to gratitude and appreciation for this day that God has made. .

The early Church suffered from conflicting fears that the end time had already come or that it would not come. Given Jesus’ prediction (v. 13:2), the Roman siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple (AD 66–70) may have prompted speculation that the second coming was imminent. Yet it is most important not to be misled by premature claims that Christ has come (13:6).

False prophets were an endemic problem for the early Church. Mark’s conclusion in regard to Jesus’ second coming is: “Yes, not yet but soon—watch!” But, the passage raises the question: how shall we creatively, robustly, and energetically respond to visions of Christianity, other religions’ behaviors, and public figures whose language and actions radically contrast with our own?

Jesus also speaks on occasion of the temple as a metaphor for his own body. Jesus changes the course of history and the path of faith for both Jews and later Christians. Temple sacrifice is no more, temple worship is no more. Both Jews and later Christians will have a very different understanding of God and their relationship with God after the destruction of the temple, but it begins with the life of Jesus, who turned all things upside down.
 

III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:

Old Testament – Daniel 12:1-3

Psalm  –  Psalm 16

Epistle  – Hebrews 10:11-14, [15-18], 19-25

Gospel  – Mark 13:1-8