But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
...............
I am the last person who wants to talk about the end times. Even though the Bible clearly addresses details about the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment, I find myself cringing when I hear well-meaning preachers fixate on the seemingly arbitrary details of Daniel or Revelation, often resorting to conjecture and speculation to make some clever but irrelevant points. They end up sounding like fortune tellers or something worse. So, what place does this chapter have in the story of Jesus and subsequently in our story as followers of Jesus?
There are a couple basic concepts that I've learned about Jewish prophetic writing which may be helpful here. Anyone who has been to a Christmas church service has probably heard some passages of Old Testament scripture quoted - usually a prophetic writing that gives some incredibly coincidental detail about who the messiah would be (a descendant of David), where he'd be born (Bethlehem), and how'd he be born (of a virgin). What is often overlooked is that each of these prophecies also had a contemporary meaning for the original hearers as well. My understanding of prophecy revolves around this idea that prophetic writing is both Forthtelling and Foretelling.
Forthtelling.
This word points to the present or contemporary meaning of any prophetic saying. In Mark 13, the immediate context is Jesus' proclamation as king and as authority over the Jewish temple system. The disciples are asking about Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the temple. Jesus tells them it will happen within their generation - a very specific promise that must be taken seriously. Historically, we know that this prophecy came true in AD 70, when the Roman army completely destroyed Jerusalem and its center of worship. This is Forthtelling, and subsequent warnings about the persecution awaiting his followers fit this category as well.
Foretelling.
The hard part with interpreting prophetic writing is knowing where the Forthtelling ends and the Foretelling begins - or where one verse could actually be taken both ways. Mark 13 clearly has some relevance to the "eschaton" (the End) as well as its obvious meaning for the contemporary hearers. When Jesus describes the sun being darkened and stars falling from heaven, he may be referring to upcoming 1st century political events, but the gravity of the language seems to warrant an even bigger vision of the final day of judgment. The fact that Matthew's version of this passage uses the phrase "end of the age" seems to support this view as well (Matt 24). The verse quoted above, reminding us that no one knows the day or hour, is also a clear reference to those final events that will bring evil to an end and usher in the eternal reign of the messiah over a New Heaven and a New Earth.
Judgment.
Underlying both the Forthtelling and the Foretelling is the common theme of God's impending judgment on the corruption of mankind - whether immediate judgment or delayed final judgment. Jesus ends this chapter with a call for his disciples (and a call for readers today) to "stay awake." What does this mean?
This is where prophecy has application to daily life. When you consider the reality of God's hatred of injustice and his passionate desire for his image-bearers to reflect his infinite love and glory, you start to feel the urgency and gravity of everyday choices. Jesus wants us to think of ourselves as servants who are awaiting the return of their master - servants who are good stewards of the talents they've been entrusted with (notice Matthew's version again which is immediately followed by the parables of the talents and the sheep & goats, which emphasize faithfulness and justice).
Future judgment should inspire present justice. Let us avoid conjecture and distraction in the minutiae of apocalyptic details; instead we should remember the present AND future relevance of every prophetic passage. Let us read these final words with hearts that pray for faithfulness to the very end, in light of the promised return of our mighty king:
It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." (Mark 13:34-37)
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