DAY 72

ON WATCH

Deuteronomy 19, 20 & 21 and Mark 13:21-37

Great concern for justice (cities of refuge, property markers, being a witness, being unwilling to fight in a war, female captives and rights of loved/unloved sons) and an odd little thing about trees (20:19-20). Yet it is Mark that I wish to spend most of my time on. I used to “stand watch”. “Standing Watch” or being “On Watch” was the phrase that was used to describe me being at my station and doing my job. Jesus today talks about being on-watch and staying awake. In my case to be “on-watch” meant you were trained and ready for all sorts of situations.

In Mark we continue in the reading which is largely about the Temple and its destruction. I want to suggest we pause and think about that for a moment. Tomorrow and the day after we will turn into Mark’s account of Jesus' last few days; there will be lots of action. You may even be finding these New Testament passages a little obscure and a little difficult, after all the Temple’s destruction was long ago.

There is a point to why Jesus is taking time with his disciples. They need to know: that the Temple will be destroyed, what to expect concerning some alarming happenings around that cataclysmic event, and in fact what they should be on the “look out for”. He is preparing them for being “on-watch”. And this is a big deal…quite possibly one of the biggest deals they will face after His death and resurrection because it has to do with the Temple.

I cannot over emphasize the importance of the Temple. You have been reading in the Old Testament about how God is choosing and shaping a people, His People. They are to be His Ambassadors’ to the world. The Tent of Meeting which you have faithfully read about in great detail is the predecessor of the Temple – yet the Temple is much grander. It represents God’s presence, His power, and more. Day after day sacrifice is offered in the Temple for the people.

If I asked you what is the central symbol of your faith you might say “the Cross”. I would. For me it is the empty cross. I have crucifixes (crosses with an image of the marred and suffering Body of Christ). I prefer an empty Cross because it reminds me both of the sacrifice and the victory of the resurrection. (sorry for that digression)

Now if you asked a Jewish person what the central symbol of their faith was they would say, “The Temple”. Remember how yesterday the disciples commented to their Jewish Rabbi Jesus about it! Jesus by all his comments, parables and actions (especially this last week in the Temple) is pronouncing judgment on it and prophesying about its destruction – this is huge.

What will become clearer in the days to come is that He is replacing the Temple with himself. He is the sacrifice. He is the means to God. He, by His Spirit will dwell not in a stone building, but in the temple of the human heart. He, Jesus, who is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity will fulfill all the Temple was meant to and more; did I say HUGE!

So  Jesus is saying - pay attention. The bit about the fig tree is Jesus saying to his disciples (and not a forecast of the end of the earth) “you and I know when summer is coming; we can read the signs – so pay attention.” He says this generation will not pass away until it happens and He was right – in 70 AD the Temple was destroyed.

So what might there be for us, today, in this passage. I am suggesting it is not about the end of the world, but rather the destruction of the Temple. I think two very important things come to us today. The first I have spoken about regarding all the Temple stands for Jesus will now stand for. I cannot overemphasize this – look for all the symbolism in Jesus’ coming days.

Next, we must remind ourselves that we are on call to be alert; we are on-watch. The New Testament tells us other places that the judgment that fell on the Temple is a foretaste of the judgment that will fall on the entire earth. And in this second case, the New Testament says there will be no signs (so let’s stop trying to predict). So you are on watch!