Trinity Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
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Text: Mark 13: 1-8
This morning’s gospel lesson is known as the “Little Apocalypse” -- because Jesus’ discourse is focused on the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem. This “Little Apocalypse” label has always struck me as peculiar. This label has developed over the centuries as preachers, commentators, and Christians of all types have seen in this text a special concern with the “end times,” a precursor to the Book of Revelation. In a way, this concept of a “little apocalypse” reminds me of the old days, when we used to describe someone as being a “little pregnant,” or to make a more contemporary analogy, when we say that someone has a “little Alzheimer’s.” [pause] Surely, any Apocalypse worthy of the name is not going to be “Little.”
What we can say about this morning’s text is that it bears the marks of the social upheaval and the associated civil strife that engulfed Judea during the first century, culminating in the Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Temple around A.D. 70. Some scholars believe that a crisis in A.D. 39-40, caused by the Emperor Caligula’s demand that the Jews set up a statue of him in the Temple, might well have the inspiration for Mark’s story here in Chapter 13. If so, then we have a situation similar to that found elsewhere in the scriptures: the author uses events of his own past to make a prediction about the future by a prophet or similar figure who lived before those same events took place. In the present case, Jesus is the key figure, whose discourse appears to be predicting the “future” (cf. New Interpreter’s Bible commentary vol. VIII, pp. 683-84).
Seen in this light, perhaps we can appreciate Jesus’ apocalyptic “predictions” in a new way. Prophetic declarations always were meant to promote transformation through repentance and recommitment to the true path. Like the Old Testament prophets, Jesus speaks of destruction as a form of instruction to his disciples, not as a way of fortune telling. In a way, it doesn’t matter whether Jesus actually was predicting the destruction of the Temple or was just using the example of the temple’s “large stones” to make an observation about the moral and spiritual health of the people.
When the disciple admires the Temple, Jesus uses the disciple’s words as a “teaching moment.” Instead of simply mumbling his agreement, Jesus instead replied with unexpectedly sharp words, “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down” (v. 2). If you listened carefully, you will note that the destruction is carried out in the passive voice, by forces unknown and unstated. Nowhere does Jesus state that he himself will bring about the Temple’s destruction.
Nonetheless, the rest of the Passion Story includes as a key element that Jesus was falsely accused of having done so. Consider Mark 14:57-58,
Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”
And again in Mark 15:29, at the time of the crucifixion,
Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
And to emphasize further the direct connection between the crucifixion and the Temple, Mark’s Gospel points out that, at the moment when Jesus breathed his last on the cross, the sanctuary veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38).
Reading this text nearly two thousand years later, we know all about these connections. It is easy for us to forget that, for first century Christians, this “Little Apocalypse” in Chapter 13 seemed unbelievable. How could Jesus have known about the coming destruction of the temple? And, beyond that “prediction,” what were they (and we) to make of his other observations about the evil times – in which the Jews were living under Roman domination?
You will recall that, after pronouncing the destruction of the temple, Jesus and the disciples walked up to the Mount of Olives opposite the temple. There, as usual, the disciples continue to pester him with questions about what he has been saying. They want to know “what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished” (v. 4). Jesus’ immediate reply in verse 5 is not the direct answer that Peter, James, John, and Andrew were seeking. So, what’s new? Jesus hardly ever gave a direct answer to a question!
Instead, Jesus began to say to them (vv. 5-8),
Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
In these verses, Jesus is warning not only about false prophets but also about the “signs” of the “end times” to come. These are troubling words to hear, especially when we read in the daily newspapers, listen to the radio, and see on television more than enough about wars and rumors of wars, about earthquakes in various places, and about famines.
So, it is easy to look at these verses in Mark’s Gospel and conclude that the “end times” are upon us! And this is particularly hard for us on a day like today, our Stewardship Sunday, our time for making pledges for this coming year, a year still cloaked in the obscurity of the future.
However, let’s not abandon all hope, throw up our hands, and run out into the street, crying “The sky is falling! the Sky is falling!” [ hold it, stop right there! I just figured out why it is called the “little apocalypse” – but I digress.]
Instead, let’s take a serious look at just what kind of times these are in which we are living. Perhaps, it is no coincidence that the Committee for the Revised Standard Lectionary decided to place this challenging text about “signs of the end times” right in the middle of the Stewardship season. After all, turning in a pledge card is a commitment about our own future and the future of the Church, not just a payment for services. Pledging is not like paying the rent or the mortgage. There is no direct link between what we pledge and the amount of services received; there is no quid pro quo.
In fact, the Book of Order offers some clear guidance on this topic, under section W-5.5004 “Christian Giving”
Giving has always been a mark of Christian commitment and discipleship. The ways in which a believer uses God’s gifts of material goods, personal abilities, and time should reflect a faithful response to God’s self-giving in Jesus Christ and Christ’s call to minister to and share with others in the world. Tithing is a primary expression of the Christian discipline of stewardship.
This theme continues in the following section, W-5.5005, titled “Stewardship of Life,”
Those who follow the discipline of Christian stewardship will find themselves called to lives of simplicity, generosity, honesty, hospitality, compassion, receptivity, and concern for the earth and God’s creatures.
As Presbyterians, guided in our faith by the Book of Order and the Confessions, we believe that stewardship properly conceived and properly conducted is an outward sign of our commitment to God. Indeed, those who have moved beyond pledging to tithing – now there, I’ve gone from the “P” word to the “T” word – know the joy that comes from the discipline of living within 90% of your monthly take-home income.
I am sure that, at one time or another, many of you have experimented with making a direct deposit of some percentage of your monthly income to a savings or investment account. Of course, all of us have deductions taken out of our income checks by Uncle Sam and his minions in the federal government. The Feds are strong believers in getting their share – usually far more than a tithe! – before we have a chance to get our hands on our funds.
Just suppose that God operated in the same way. Your monthly check from your employer, from your pension fund, or from Social Security would show a line item saying, “Distribution to God” equivalent to 10% of the gross payment. Some share of that amount could be designated for your church, while other shares would go to support other enterprises – caring agencies like Grace Presbyterian Village The Children’s Home in Waxahachie, etc,; church-related educational institutions like Austin College, SMU, etc.; health-related organizations like the American Cancer Society, the Komen Race for the Cure, etc. The list of enterprises doing God’s work is very long indeed, and by no means limited to the Church in general or to this congregation in particular.
What matters is that each of us should be personally committed to giving in such a way and to such an extent that we feel involved. Some use the expression “sacrificial giving” to capture this high level of commitment. If you are able to give a certain amount in your yearly stewardship without feeling any “sacrifice,” then you aren’t really involved and you aren’t really giving enough of your treasure, your talents, and your time. It’s not the amount; it’s the sacrifice!
This morning’s Gospel lesson pointed its first-century readers toward hard times. But, the life of Jesus also pointed toward the passion of the cross and the resurrection that followed for him and for all who believe in his Word. This morning, as we contemplate making our pledges and our tithes as a response to God’s sacrificial giving of his Son, we have the opportunity to show that this congregation makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of the community around us. Through our pledges, we make a commitment to the continuing importance of the services and the ministry carried out in this place.
For more than a century, the people of Trinity Presbyterian Church have made their pledges, in good times and in hard times. We who are here this morning have the opportunity to continue this tradition – sharing in the joy of Christian giving, working toward ending suffering and injustice among God’s people, and witnessing faithfully to the Good News that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected for our sins.
On this Stewardship Sunday, what we do with our pledge cards is an important measure of who we are as Christians. Each Sunday, we come into this sanctuary and we see the signs and symbols of our Christian heritage everywhere around us – in the stained glass windows, in the baptismal fount, in the communion table with the symbols of bread and cup, even here in the pulpit with the preaching of the Word.
But, without a doubt, the symbol that stands over them all is that of the empty cross [turn to the cross], the sign of God’s sacrifice for humanity. When all is said and done, when the end times have come and gone, the empty cross will have served its purpose, and this congregation too will have done its work and be but a part of the past.
I would like to close by reminding us of a hymn that was in the 1972 Worship Book. The hymn is titled “We Are One in the Spirit,” but also called “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” Listen to the words, not sung but spoken:
We are one in the Spirit,
We are one in the Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
And together we’ll spread the news that
God is in the land.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity
and save each man’s pride.
All praise to the Father, from whom all things come.
And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.
As this hymn makes clear, in the end, it will be our love that will be “the sign” that we are Christians, faithful to the empty cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. On this morning, let us show our Christian love through our sacrificial giving, through our pledges, and through our tithes.
To the disciples’ question, “ . . . what will be the sign . . .?” let us respond, one and all, through our pledges and tithes to the ministry of this congregation. The answer is “Christian love” – and this – the Cross – [point up to the chancel cross] is “The Sign.” Amen.