Focus

“What I say to you, I say to all, stay focused.” (Mark 13:37)

My Bible verse for today comes at the end of the chapter that today’s Gospel reading

begins. We need the end of the chapter to understand what Jesus means at the beginning, “And

when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must happen, but the end is

not yet...This is the beginning of the birth pangs…you will be brought before governors and

kings because of me, as evidence to them.” That’s cheery, almost as if Jesus is saying — Don’t

worry; it’s going to get worse. Many take these verses and frantically search the news media

and Internet for signs that “the end” is near because they feel it can’t get any worse.

But here we are, nearly two millennia later. Empires have risen and fallen; elections have

been won and lost; wars have ended in total victory and fought to a stalemate. Things have

been worse before now; things will probably get worse, then better, then worse, then better

again. Sadly, too many have felt their own form of birth pangs through all the wars, resistance,

disasters, and famines that have come since Jesus first spoke this word. I will do whatever I can

to help those of you who might have to endure your own form of birth pangs. But they didn’t

stop in Jesus’s time, and I can’t make them stop now. What I can do today is to help you hear

Jesus telling us to stay focused on him and the Good News we have heard, and be ready to

testify to that Good News, to whomever we are brought before.

This 13th chapter of Mark’s Gospel is not about the end of the world. But when his

disciples heard Jesus predict the destruction of the 2nd Temple, he was predicting the end of

their world. It was not one of many churches where people got together every week to catch up.

It was the only House of the LORD God, the one place on earth where God resided and

accepted your sacrifices. It might have been torn down once, then rebuilt, then renovated over

the past 1,000 years. But for that millennium, sacrifices had been made and prayers had been

heard. The whole world of our Jewish brethren revolved around the 2nd Temple. For Jesus to

predict its total destruction was to predict the end of their world.

Their reaction is to ask for the signs that will help them know when it’s coming so that at

least they can get out of the way. So, throughout this 13th chapter, Jesus gives them sign after

sign. But every sign is prefaced with — Do not be alarmed; this must happen, but the end is not

yet. The disciples of Jesus Christ will be harassed in the religious places; they will be brought

before those in power; they will be betrayed by those closest to them; they will see their holy

places made unholy; they will see false prophets claiming his authority. But Jesus says — Do not

be alarmed; this must happen, but the end is not yet. So, whatever is the worst thing that you

can imagine happening to our church, our town, our country, our world, Jesus says — Do not

be alarmed; this must happen, but the end is not yet.

So, what are his disciples supposed to do in the meantime? “What I say to you, I say to

all,” Jesus answers, “Stay awake,” or as I have paraphrased it: Stay focused. Stay focused on

Jesus and the Good News we have heard, and be ready to testify to the Good News to

whomever we are brought before.

In one of my commentaries on Mark’s Gospel, apocalyptic writings like Revelation and

what’s called the “Little Apocalypse” in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are called the “literature of

the dispossessed.” There are many in this country who feel threatened by some form of

dispossession. There are many who have felt dispossessed for a long time. Apocalyptic

literature is a Christian response to the problem of suffering and theodicy (the theology of why

bad things happen to good people). “This approach affirms the omnipotence and justice of God

but defers their full manifestation to the future revelation of God’s kingdom. It regards the

present sufferings of the innocent as a test or discipline to be endured with patience in the hope

for ultimate vindication by God.” (Donahue and Harrington, Sacra Pagina series)

I appreciate that this may not be enough for some of you right now. But I vow to you:

Whatever I can do to help you stay focused on the Good News of God’s infinite love revealed

through God’s only Son, Jesus the Christ, I will do.