“Troubles a-brewing”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, August 26, 2023

Mark 13:1-13 (Forward, p. 28) CEV p. 1045

If you are of a certain vintage age-wise, you might have heard someone say, when things weren’t looking too good, that ‘trouble was brewing’. Now, to my utmost surprise, I discover that that turn of phrase is used both for a series of pubs and for a video game.

Even so, I think that it describes well what Jesus is warning His followers about, which, by the way, means all of us. He is saying that before the end comes, there will be certain recognizable signs. Today’s passage touches on just a few of them:

-false prophets, people claiming to be Him or using His name, who

will fool many;

-wars and threats of wars; nations and kingdoms at war with each

other;

-earthquakes and famines (and these are only the beginning of the

troubles);

-believers being arrested and forced to testify in the synagogues and

before secular rulers;

-families being split apart, with their members turning against each

other and betraying each other; believers being hated simply as a

result of their knowing Christ;

The verses immediately following list a number of other things:

-the Abomination of Desolation, a polluting sacrifice right there in the

Temple in Jerusalem;

-an unspecified disaster befalling Jerusalem and environs;

-more false prophets and false messiahs who impress people with

the miracles and signs they perform;

-and, various signs and omens in the heavens.

Now, the question is bound to arise, namely, just how are we, as believers, expects to handle all this? What are we to take from this? Well, here the answers, the suggestions, are numerous:

-some have suggested all of these omens are not to be taken literally,

that they are only symbolic and in keeping with and echoing the

apocalyptic imagery of those times;

-others have suggested that the omens, especially those featuring the

city of Jerusalem and its surrounding area, have already come to

pass with the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem and

Jewish-Roman war;

-and then some, many over the centuries, have kept track of these

omens, even to the point of counting their frequency and severity,

and tried to second guess when all of this might take place. But, of

this, Jesus said, “no one knows the hour or the day, not even the

Son; only the Father” (see Mark 13:32 and its parallels and Acts 1:7).

Actually, in some senses, all of this is ‘fluff’, that is, matters of lesser importance. Jesus only stipulates a few things that we, as believers, are to do:

-the good news, the Gospel, is to be preached to all nations, to all the

peoples of the earth (verse 10);

-we are to speak the truth, to testify when arrested, only as the Holy

and not to fret about it or try to prepare beforehand. The Holy Spirit

will give us the words to say when the time comes (verse 11);

-we are to be on guard, even watchful and cautious, about false

prophets and messiahs, and not be taken in by them (verses 21-23);

-we are to remain at our tasks, at whatever responsibilities God has

Individually assigned to us (verse 34);

-we are to remain faithful to Him no matter what (verse 13b)

-and, finally, we are to be alert, to be ready, no matter when He

comes (verse 35-37.

In some ways, this is surprising—and disarmingly—simple and straightforward. These things are certainly actions that are within our reach, especially with the help, guidance and abiding power of the Holy Spirit. That much is quite reassuring to me, at least. But, even more reassuring is that God knows what is to happen, that He is at work in and through all of it, and that He bears in mind us and our state through all of it. And so, we are not alone, and not at all, without help or resources. Yes, trouble may well be a brewing, but with God’s help, we can handle it. Thanks be to God.

Forward notes: “This is but the beginnings of the birth pangs” (verse 8c).

“Jesus describes the transformation of the world as ‘birth pangs’. I have never experienced birth pangs. My wife has. Many women have. I donated a kidney to my sister many years ago, and people told me that was the closest I would come to giving birth. But, still, no birth pangs.

“I did ask my wife, after a suitable interval following the birth of our first son, what it was like. In those days, 53 years ago, fathers were not allowing in the birthing room. She said the pain was intense, growing until it seemed nothing worse could follow. Then, she said, when our son was in her arms, the pain was gone. It’s hard for me to imagine the pending peril, struggle, pain, and fear facing Jesus and the disciples. It seems to me that women who have given birth have a unique insight into Jesus’ description. Yet, we know that despite the pain, birth pangs are the beginning of new birth.”

Moving Forward: “When the birth pangs come upon us, can we believe that hope is about to be born?”