Throughout the Gospel of Mark, there is one word that is repeatedly used to describe the impact of Jesus’ ministry. That word is immediately. Forty-three times, immediately describes the urgency of God’s calling upon Jesus and the urgency of Jesus’ calling upon those who followed him
The urgent nature of God’s calling upon Jesus is seen for the first time in the 12th verse of the first chapter of Mark:
And the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness for forty days of testing.
Mark records the urgent nature of Jesus’ calling upon his disciples as seen in the 16th – 20th verses of the first chapter of Mark:
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishmen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people and immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and the left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
It is this immediate urgency of calling that is the primary focus of the first 12 chapters of the Gospel of Mark as Jesus heals the sick and casts out unclean spirits. Mark also uses the word immediately to describe the response of the religious leadership of Israel to Jesus as recorded in the 6th verse of the third chapter:
The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Throughout the first twelve chapters of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ ministry is on fast-forward as he teaches, preaches, and proclaims the nearness of God’s kingdom. Then there is the 13th chapter of Mark that slams the brakes on Jesus’ fast-moving ministry as one of Jesus’ disciples admires the temple in Jerusalem and tells Jesus, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Responding to this observation, Jesus states, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” This response by Jesus to the unknown disciple prepares the way for Jesus’ conversation with the four disciples who have been following Jesus since the beginning of his ministry: Peter, Andrew, James, and John as they ask Jesus privately, “when will this be and what shall be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished.”
In contrast to the immediacy of Jesus’ calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John at the beginning of his ministry, the nature of Jesus’ call upon them turns to endurance as Jesus tells them that “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
To fully appreciate what Jesus is telling his first disciples in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, it is necessary to be aware of a genre of writing that defined both Jewish and Christian writings beginning about 200 years prior to Jesus’ birth and about concluding about 150 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. This type of literature was known as apocalyptic. The purpose of apocalyptic literature was to encourage present faith in God through the promise of
God’s future faithfulness. Probably the best-known apocalyptic books in the Bible are the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation. Both books use future cataclysmic imagery to encourage enduring faith in the present. Written using code phrases that would be recognized by the faithful, apocalyptic literature was a call for the faithful to endure. For example, in the 13th chapter of Revelation, the use of the number 666 as the sign of the beast that will lead a rebellion against God, is really a statement against the idolatry of emperor worship in the Roman Empire
The point of the 13th chapter of Mark is not for Peter, Andrew, James, and John to know when the temple will be destroyed. Instead, the point is how Peter, Andrew, James, and John can live faithfully despite not knowing when the temple will be destroyed. In his book, Life Without Limits, Lloyd Ogilvie gives a good description of the purpose of the 13th chapter of Mark and Jesus’ encouragement to live with enduring faith:
Preparation for the last things is to concentrate on the first things. Concern over
setting the date of the end must be replaced by being faithful to the and. Any study of the last days should sensitize our present days.
p. 242
For 12 chapters, the Gospel of Mark flows through the immediacy of God’s calling. Then comes chapter 13 and Jesus’ conversation with his first disciples about how their faith, rather than being defined will now be defined by endurance.
Father Pedro Arrupe was the Secretary General of the Society of Jesus for 18 years Because of a stroke that left him paralyzed, Father Arrupe resigned his position. Uncertain about what the future held he shared this prayer of enduring faith for the present:
Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All I have and all I possess are yours, Lord. You gave them to me, and I return them to you. Dispose of them as you will. Give me your love and your grace, and I shall want for nothing more.
p. 175 Recollections and Reflections of Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
How are you living in faith that endures to the end?
Enduring to the End
by Pastor Marc Brown
November 17th, 2024
Accompanying Scriptures: Mark 13: 1-13
Fort Hill United Methodist Church
Order of Worship for November 17th, 2024
Scripture Lesson Mark 13: 1-13
The Good News “Enduring to the End”
Prayer
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