Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple courtyard for the last time before the crucifixion. While in Jerusalem, Jesus had reinstated His public teaching ministry. Starting with Jesus' comments on the generous widow (Mark 12:41–44), the rest of Jesus' teaching as recorded by Mark will be dedicated solely to His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus prophesies what will happen to the Jews, both in the near future and the end times.

The Jews who returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon rebuilt the temple around 550 BC. About fifteen years before Jesus was born, Herod the Great started a massive renovation of not only the temple but the plateau it sits on. The major work is finished, but the details won't be completed until AD 67. That is some three decades after Jesus speaks these words. A year before the temple is finished, tension between Jews and Romans will reach a critical mass. That conflict will move beyond minor skirmishes which have plagued the Roman leaders since they came into power. The Jews will fully revolt, driving the Romans out of Jerusalem. Nero will respond. He will send General Vespasian, who will sweep through Judea and herd the rebels into Jerusalem. Vespasian will return to Rome to become emperor, leaving General Titus to finish his work.

In AD 70, Titus and his army will allow Jews to enter Jerusalem for the Passover, only to turn and guard the gates and prevent travelers from leaving. Despite efforts by the Jewish historian Josephus to broker a truce, the Romans will maintain their siege. In August, they'll storm the city and massacre the weakened residents.

In the course of their looting, the Romans take the implements used in the temple. The temple itself burns, melting the gold that covers the east wall into the cracks of the stones in the pavement. In order to get at the precious metal, the Romans will tear the temple and the paving apart, stone by stone. When Jesus says that not a single stone will be left stacked, this is not an exaggeration. The destruction of the temple will be so complete that modern researchers, to this day, aren't exactly sure where it sat. the general location is known, but unlike other ruins, there is nothing left to precisely define the building.

Even worse, the loss of life in AD 70 will be staggering. During the battles, as many as 500 Jews will be crucified each day. Over 100,000 will die during the siege. Nearly 100,000 will be taken prisoner, thousands of whom would be conscripted as gladiators.

This destruction of the temple is like the collapse of the dusty shell of a long-dead beetle. What was to be a place to worship God has been replaced by commercialism (Mark 11:15–19), politics, and grand-standing (Luke 18:10–14; Mark 12:38–41). The temple is no longer where God dwells. As Jesus definitively broke with the religious leaders in Mark 12, He now breaks with the temple, itself (Ezekiel 10:18–19).

Because of prior history, and a military sense of the coming Messiah, the disciples expect Jesus to destroy the Romans and usher in a golden age for Israel. Jesus warns that it is Jerusalem that will be destroyed by the Romans.

Mark 13:1–2 is a short conversation tying together Jesus' teaching and interactions on the temple Mount in Mark 11:15—12:44 with the next section of Mark. That future episode is noticeably darker. Jesus has spent the last week sleeping on the Mount of Olives during the night and teaching in the temple courtyard during the day (Luke 21:37). The representatives of the temple have rejected Jesus, so God will reject them and the symbol of God-worship they have corrupted. Within forty years, the temple, Jerusalem, and the cohesiveness of the Jewish people will be gone—ruined by the Romans in AD 70. Jesus' prophecy about the temple is also found in Matthew 24:1–3 and Luke 21:5–7.

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.

Accessed 5/2/2024 4:18:53 PM

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