As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"

2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

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It was in the 1980s that rock band R.E.M. came out with a hit song called “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.” On December 31, 1999 people all over the world wondered what would happen when the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Was this the end of the world as we know it? In 1997 the religious cult, Heaven’s Gate, committed mass suicide in order for their souls to board the spaceship traveling behind the Comet Hale-Bopp. The religious group of 38 people was convinced that the destruction of the earth was imminent; their only hope for survival was to leave it. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a popular book series “Left Behind” was created revolving around signs of the end of the age. This Christmas a movie starring Will Smith titled “I Am Legend” fantasized about being the last human on earth. People throughout history have sought to find definitive answers when it comes to the end times.

Mark chapter 13 is an awkwardly placed scripture amongst the stories of Jesus’ healings and disciple following. This chapter is apocalyptic in nature as it is devoted to the end times. It does not merely focus on current events, rather its coded clues focus on the forces driving what is really happening by means of and apart from historical events.

In this week’s scripture lesson, Jesus is sitting opposite the temple in Jerusalem. He knows that the end of HIS time on earth is near. His disciples sitting with him marvel at the grandeur of the temple. Jesus tells them not to put their trust in magnificence on earth; he tells them that even things as great as the temple will one day be destroyed. “Not one stone here will be left on another” (13:2). Of course a comment like this merits the questions of “when” and “how” this will take place. Jesus does not answer their questions; rather he warns them of those that seek to answer these very questions. “Watch out the no one deceives you” (13:5). Jesus knows that in desperate times desperate people will follow those that say they have the answers while exuding power and charisma.

Jesus’ warning to the disciples is a warning for us today as well. Like the disciples, we want to know what the future holds so that we can get ready for it. Jesus warns against this. He teaches us that we do not need to spend our time and energy on knowing when and how, but rather we need to focus on living Godly lives. We do not need to put our trust in things of this world, as magnificent as it might be; rather, we need to put our faith on the divine. In the mean time, God has given us something to focus on, preaching the gospel to all nations (13:10). Are you ready?