The End of the World

The end times are not on my mind because I am anxious about the Mayan calendar running out sometime next month.  I am tuned into this theme because our lectionary text for Sunday focuses on Mark's "Little Apocalypse" (Mark 13:1-8).  In case you are still worried, this text or a version of this text appears every year at this time so don't automatically assume this is a story of things to come.  Our Men's Bible Study asked an important question regarding this lesson.  "If this lesson isn't meant to be used to predict the end of the world, then what does Jesus hope we learn?"

For starters, we have to understand that Mark was written during the Jewish-Roman war (around 65-70 AD, before or after the destruction of the Temple).  Therefore, the first audience of this text might have assumed the world was coming to an end due to war and political unrest.  But what else is new?  Political unrest and war are almost as certain as death and taxes!  Given the state of affairs, this question about end times was on everyone's mind. 

However, Jesus issues a warning to the disciples not to focus to much on these signs.  He further claims that people who are too focused on predicting the end times are most likely false prophets.  Jesus goes on to say that when these signs do appear, we should not be alarmed.  Jesus closes his speak by saying, "This is but the beginning of the brithpangs."

I don't know what birthpangs feel like and will never know (my wife will very shortly-please keep her and Baby Alvey in prayer!).  However, I imagine that it must feel like the end of the world.  There must be the thought of, how can this possibly end well!  In much the same way, political unrest, natural disaster, persecution must feel like the end of the world for all who experience such things and on an individual level such things do mean the end of life in this world.

By using the imagery of birthpangs, Jesus is giving us a clue of things to come.  In most cases, birthpangs lead to new life and joy.  The imagery of birthpangs is an image of hope for the life to come.

If you think about it too hard, you have to wonder, what did Jesus' death and resurrection really change?  We still see political unrest.  We still see natural disasters.  We still see persecution.  So what did Jesus really come to do?  What hope is there of things to come?

Jesus came to reveal the future hope for things to come in the present.  Jesus' resurrection from the grave shows us that with God all things are possible even victory over death.  Jesus did something in this world that was previously thought to have been impossible.  He rose from the dead.

Therefore, the imagery of birthpangs and then ultimately the reality of Christ's victory over death reveal God's final hope for his creation.  God is telling us that when all else seems to be destroyed (temples, cities, people, etc.) there is still reason to hope now and forever because Jesus has achieved the final victory already.

The gift of Jesus gives us reason to continue onward, reason to never give up because the best is still yet to come.  Jesus is teaching us to always be alert and ready for the not yet that is our final hope.  However, we must stay present to the moment and witness to the future hope of things to come today, no matter how dark the scene may seem.

Onward.