...be a witness...

“14 But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be, (let the reader understand) then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 15 the one on the housetop must not go down or enter to take anything from the house; 16 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 17 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21 And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be alert; I have already told you everything. 24   But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” Mark 13:14-27.

Here Mark is sharing words of Jesus about the impending disaster that will befall Jerusalem. But Mark wants us to understand what lies behind these words, so he adds the warning in v.14: “Let the reader understand.” What is Jesus talking about here? What is the sign? Why this sudden change in mood? In 70 AD the Temple will be taken over and destroyed!  In the year 69 AD one Roman emperor after another succeeded another – four in all, Nero, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian – each time with violence, murder and civil war. And as Vespasian made his way to Rome to receive the crown, his adopted son Titus entered Jerusalem, burnt and destroyed the Temple, destroyed the city of Jerusalem and crucified thousands of Jews. This is the final devastating spoken about in the biblical text of Daniel 7.13: “They will see ‘the son of man coming on clouds with great power and glory’” . In Daniel 7, this is not about the final return of “the son of man”, but about His “coming” to God after suffering.

From Mark’s point of view, this is a reference to the complete vindication of Jesus: His resurrection, His ascension, and the outworking of His prophecies against the Temple as sealing the whole process.

And Mark also wishes to say that something else must happen during those times. The establishment of the mission of Jesus Christ will now reach out to the Gentile world with the news that the Creator God, Israel’s God, has made the way of salvation for all people on earth – and this has been done through Jesus and not through the Temple.

So you and I, who today are Jesus’ messengers must go out to the whole world, where all who believe in the gospel, the good news, follow Christ! Everyone that God brings into our lives deserves our witness to the good news, to the gospel!

So today consider the fact that all of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven speaks to the universality of the Gospel, the good news. Simply put: Christianity is totally inclusive! Even intellectually, it makes no sense that the Creator and Savior of the world would come just for a few! So remember this, dear friends, as you pray each day and worship God on the sabbath, when god brings someone into your life today, be a witness, listen, open your heart and mouth and be the Gospel to that individual!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.

From the Bible:

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” 1 Peter 3:15.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16.

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” Mark 16: 15-16.

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” Colossians 4:6.