No, it’s not a sleight of hand, it’s not magic, just a way of making us think of something else when they explain it. I could be telling you about one thing, but our minds have raced off onto another topic. There’s a BBC programme which starts with ‘this is the context‘; perhaps it needs to be a header for every Bible reading. “What is the context for what we are hearing/reading now?”
This is the last passage from Mark’s Gospel for some time – the yearly change of Gospels starts again come 1st Dec. Scholars would suggested (very strongly) that Mark’s Gospel (albeit even by the 2nd C, none of the Gospels were accredited to any specific person) was the first Gospel to be written. This was just after 70 AD, just after the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed, the believers fleeing in different directions, and tempers fraying with continued calls of revenge against these foreign powers ruling over them. Now, let us put ourselves in that setting, thinking how we might feel. Then this Gospel is read out at the local synagogues and meeting places for the God-believers. This latter group are those who have faith, not ostensibly Jews, that Jesus was/is the Messiah. Would that make them second generation believers?
Mark 13:1-8 speaks of a reflective conversation between Jesus, Peter, James, John and Andrew, where they want to know if these are the end times? Hold it, we are speaking of a conversation around 35-38 years prior, but relevant to this reading now. Twist your mind, so that the author is writing to those around them then, 70 AD, about something that happened in the early 30s AD. Are we there?
When they speak of the great buildings (Mark 13:2), that all with be thrown down, could we be referring to the Temple stones cast aside with its eventual destruction by Titus in the early summer of 70 AD?
“When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come“. (Mark 13: 7) When we pray for wars to cease, we are asking for our response to change. How might my dealings with others show love in every way? Wars are part of the way society evades responsibility and seeks its own perceived solution. It is not saying, let’s go to war.
Those listening to the Gospel being read would have been so aware of the recent significant fighting: in 50 AD – with the great famine in Palestine; in 61 AD, with the earthquakes which destroyed Laodicea (Guidoboni, Catalogue of Ancient Earthquakes in the Mediterranean); and in 66-70 AD, with Rome’s armies faltering but being bolstered by Titus’s intervention. All resonating in Mark 13:8. The locals would not have seen this as the end of the world, bur nearing the time that Jesus would return. Recall that Paul speaks of this excitedly in 1 Thessalonians (circa 49 AD). It was in their pysche. They needed to be encouraged to continue in their faith given all that was going on at that time.
What are we to do?
This apocryphal writing, where we try to discern the ‘end times’ may be exciting stuff for films, but we are called to watch. Not watch for the end times themselves, but at what is going on, and then respond.
Watch for the signs when we can engage, change the perspective to bring communities together.
I am thinking of the American communities, split politically, even families divided over choosing one of the sides: red or blue. They may each listen carefully, attentively, to their own echo chamber, and not be able to hear the opposite view. In Scotland, there is the historic Catholic/Protestant divide, albeit it is far more entrenched along historical familial lines perhaps these days. Who can make that first step to bring these communities together?
Watch out, not for only our generation, but the generations who are to come. What actions might we take to help our society make those necessary changes? Moving to the country has posed many questions about how to heat the home with renewable sources of energy, when oil is prevalent, and often the sole heating source. How do I explain my actions to my children?
Watch out for ourselves, so we are aware of when we are taken in, adopt the words of ‘against the other’. It’s not that ‘they deserve what’s coming to them’, but how might we be present to bring about change?
Can we see that?
The issue is, how do we Christians manage to work together towards a common goal when we have differences in understanding the Bible? The basic divide is following the Bible literally without considering the context, versus having a liberal approach where we do not consider the Bible to be greater than God.
Today, we have so many denominations of Protestant Christians. Strangely, as we moved to becoming more liberal in our approach to understanding of the Bible, the numbers declined.
Sometimes back when I casually mentioned to my boss in my workplace, who happens to be a Pentecostal preacher, about our numbers in church, he was surprised and said they have a large number in all of their churches in Scotland.
So it seems that in this world, the majority are of the first category that follow the Bible literally. We might need to have a great tolerance level if we have to go back and join the other protestants. This is similar to adjusting in a society where you do not agree with the majority (an experience of my kind :-)).
One comment I heard today was that, in the person’s opinion, some churches in the centre of towns may have a large number of attendees but they travel in from some distance. Whereas other churches may have a limited attedance but people live in that vicinity. It is a multifaceted issue as we are also seeing larger numbers ‘attending’ cathedrals – as noted in the blog – albeit not possibly finding a community they can dwell within. They may find spirituality but not a kin_dom.
It might be asking what do people actually desire? This is the central focus of the blog article – what does the congregation of a church might might possibly close actually desire?
I was wondering if spirituality and kin_dom are related ?
Can we really tolerate one another without God?
Mutual respect, tolerance, and individual liberty are fundamental British values that shape social interactions and community life. Here we see give and take. To find kin_dom are these values enough?
Or is it that we find kin_dom, when people have tolerance for one another such that there is more of unconditional love – without having selfish motives when they help each other?
Perhaps when spirituality is put to action is when we find kin_dom.
Is kin_dom being with your clan, community, even tribe or is it so much more than that? Jesus spoke of the kin_dom of God here on Earth. How might we describe that kin_dom? And I feel you may have a point. Our spirituality is and focused upon God, albeit some who attend a Cathedral, for example, may find that they feel spiritual but not discern God (as the church understands God). But is that kin_dom? Is the latter including spirituality whereas spiritually may not include kin_dom?