Jesus said, “Be alert and watch” (Mk 13:33)

As Jesus and his disciples went out of the temple, one of them was admiring the temple building and Jesus said to him, "Not one stone will be left upon another, but all will be torn down" (Mk 13:2). Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the temple prompted questions from Peter, James, John, and Andrew who asked him in private, “Tell us when this will be. What sign will be given us before all this happens?" (13:4).

There would be wars, earthquakes and famines. Jesus responds, “Brother will betray brother, even to death” (13:12). His church will greatly suffer, "[They] will be … taken to Jewish courts … beaten in synagogues … stand before governors and kings for [his] sake to bear witness before them” (13:9); “False messiahs and false prophets will arise … to deceive even God’s chosen people” (13:22).

Then Jesus speaks of cosmic disturbances – “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light” (13:24) – in the manner of the prophets as in Isaiah 13:10, “The sun is dark when it rises, and the light of the moon does not shine”. These are not literal predictions; Jesus turns the language of the prophecy towards Jerusalem to condemn its pagan ways, forecast its doom and to emphasize the magnitude of God’s dreadful judgment (Ref. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament P 91).

Jesus goes on to say, “[P]eople will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (13:26). Jesus is identifying himself with the son of man, the OT royal figure, “One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven … Dominion, honor and kingship were given him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served him … his kingdom shall never be destroyed” (Dan 7:13-14). The oracle foretells Jesus’ heavenly ascension and his second coming in glory. Jesus, who has conquered evil, is now enthroned in heaven, exercising his kingship over the world through His church (Ref. ICSB NT P 141).

In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus’ talk of cosmic catastrophes and future judgement of God leads some to believe that Jesus is predicting his second coming and the end of the physical world. This interpretation seems to take Jesus’ words at face value. A better interpretation of Jesus’ words in the context of ancient Judaism is that He is predicting the demise of the Jerusalem temple. There is a similar OT event when God allowed the destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C. as punishment of Israel’s sins (Ref. 2 Kings 25:8-10). The Jerusalem temple was the architectural symbol of the Old Covenant. With the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by Roman legions, claiming the lives of one million Jews, the Old Covenant world was brought to a violent and dramatic end. (Ref. ICSB NT P 50, 90).

With the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Old Covenant world and God’s vengeance on those who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus’ prediction that “This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place … my words will not pass away” stands vindicated in the lifetime of his contemporaries (30-31, Ref. ICSB NT P 50).

When will this be? “[N]o one knows … but only the Father”, Jesus said (13:32). His advice to Peter, James, John, and Andrew, “Don’t let anyone mislead you” (13:5) and “Be alert and watch” (13:33), is equally relevant to us who are now awaiting his second coming. The present time is not only the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time of distress and evilness that ushers in the struggles of the last days. While this is a time of waiting and watching, the second coming could happen at any moment (Ref. CCC 672, 673).

As we are waiting and watching the distress and evilness of the day, often with restlessness, let us find hope and joy, courage and consolation from Daniel’s prophecy in the first reading. May we be among the wise who “shall shine like the brightness of the sky” and who that “lead many to righteousness, [shall shine] like the stars forever” (Dan 12:3).