Mark 13:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

NASB: And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

CSB: "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

NLT: A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.

KJV: Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

NKJV: Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Jesus already faced a similar rejection when Mary and His brothers, afraid He had gone mad (Mark 3:21), tried to take Him back to Nazareth (Mark 3:31). Today, there are many parts of the country where conversion to Christianity is a betrayal to family honor. People have been killed by their own families for following Jesus.

Jesus challenged the culture in many ways, but one of the most significant is in the area of honor. In an honor-shame culture, such as the Middle East, honor is based more on how people treat you; it's related to your position in society far more than your integrity or how you act. How a person is perceived is virtually all that matters. Honor is largely a family affair, and one errant relative can shame the entire group. Jesus rejects this way of thinking. He regularly devalues the importance of power and position in the world (Mark 9:33–37; 10:23, 35–45), and even teaches that we may have to choose not to identify with our families (Matthew 10:35–36; Mark 3:33–35). Our true family is the family of God (Romans 9:8; 1 John 3:1–2).

This does not give us carte blanche to be unloving or sinful. There's a difference between being bold about our faith and being obnoxious (1 Peter 3:15–16). Peter specifically speaks against murdering, stealing, doing evil, and meddling (1 Peter 4:15). Punishment for sinning is not the same as persecution for our faith (1 Peter 2:20). We are meant to emulate Christ, so the evil in the world rejects us for being like Him, not because we're also bad people (John 15:18–20).

Mark 13:3–13 occurs less than a week after a crowd celebrated their belief that Jesus is the Son of David, come to restore Israel from her Roman oppressors (Mark 11:10). The disciples think Jesus spent the last three years preparing them to rule in His royal court (Mark 10:35–45). Moments ago, Jesus prophesied it is the temple and Jerusalem that will be destroyed, not the Romans (Mark 13:1–2). The disciples were understandably confused, even as He continues His dire predictions. Jesus' warnings are also recorded in Matthew 24:4–14 and Luke 21:8–19.

Days before the crucifixion, the disciples praise the glory of the temple. When Jesus tells them the temple will be destroyed, they ask for signs of that coming destruction and of His return (Matthew 24:3). Jesus answers their second question with information crucial for believers in the end times, and any time. Tribulation Christians will face horrifying hardships and violence, as may believers of any era, but they must remember that the hardships will not last. Jesus will return so quickly, any attempt to live by the world's rules will be futile.

The prior chapter contained several parables and Jesus' answer to assorted questions. In this section, Jesus turns His teaching towards the disciples. He explains concepts related to the end times: the still-future period when God will complete His plan for judgment on sin. Those details include a prophecy about the impending destruction of the temple. The final chapters of Mark then describe events up to and after the crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of His enemies.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.