Saturday 25 April 2015
- Bible Book:
- Mark
“When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.” (v. 7)
Psalm: Psalm 148
Background
In these verses Jesus talks to his disciples about what thefuture will be like for them as his followers and how they will behelped to cope. It is part of a longer passage in which Jesus giveshis final teachings and encouragements, knowing that he will not bewith them for much longer. Not long after this he is arrested andcrucified.
This passage is sometimes referred to as the 'Little Apocalypse'because it talks about the end times and looks towards the time ofJesus' return. The passage describes difficult days ahead but alsogives hope with its strong 'do not worry' message.
By the time that Mark's Gospel had been written (betweenAD65-75) some of the events predicted by Jesus had already happenedor were happening.
The Jews were looking for God's promised Messiah and there werethose who made this claim for themselves. They were also lookingfor the end times, the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord waspictured in the Hebrew Bible as being accompanied by wars and earthquakes etc. Jesus was concerned that when he was no longer withthem, his disciples would interpret all these happenings as beingthe signs of his return and the end of time. He tells them thatwhen these things happen, and happen they will, it is only the'beginning of the end'. The disciples are not to worry about thesethings.
It is worth noting that the list of events in verses 7 and 8would not be exclusive to believers. All people would suffer underthese circumstances.
Verses 9 to 13 however, describe suffering that believers willundergo for their faith. Again they are told not to worry. They arepromised the help of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and allowthem to witness, even under persecution.
To Ponder
- In this passage there is no 'if' about suffering for theirfaith, it is 'when'. As believers we are told that we must "take up[our] cross" (Luke 9:23). How do you feel about this?
- Have you had difficulties with loved ones because of yourfaith?
- Where have you found hope in difficult times?
Bible notes' author: