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“[Jesus said] ‘But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.”
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. One of the ongoing themes we find in the Scriptures is the theme of the coming “Day of the Lord.” It’s an expression used for the end-times, one that refers to that great Day when the Lord comes to destroy evil, vindicate His people, and establish His Kingdom and rule “on earth as it is in heaven” as the Lord’s Prayer says. You will find it throughout the Old Testament, in the writings of the Prophets, and in the New Testament, starting with John the Baptist in the Gospels and continuing through the Book of Revelation. Today’s Gospel lesson from St. Mark reminds us that Jesus is the most prominent of all those who point to this great Day of the Lord. The 13th Chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel is noteworthy because it contains Jesus’ sayings about the future. In Mark 13 you will find five different strands of Jesus’ predictions about the future: 1) Prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem, 2) Warning of persecution to come, 3) Warnings of the dangers of the Last Days, 4) Warnings of the Second Coming, and 5) Warnings of the necessity of being on the watch. The immediate context of today’s Gospel lesson is Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem. Jesus has been telling the disciples about the coming destruction of the Temple and the persecution that that will take place. And Jesus warns them that they will be arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned. He encourages them not to worry about what to say or do when the day comes, but to rely on the Holy Spirit to show them what to do and say. It will be a difficult time, as even family members will betray family members to the authorities, and Christ’s followers will be despised by all. Then in verse 14, Jesus says, “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” What is Jesus talking about? Jesus is borrowing the language from Daniel 12:11 which says, “The abomination that makes desolate is set up.” (Which is from today’s Old Testament lesson.) Jesus is talking about a great sacrilege, when the Temple itself is profaned in the most egregious way. Jesus’ use of Daniel’s phrase “abomination of desolation” serves as a stark reminder to His listeners of their recent history. The expression reminds them of what happened during the reign of the Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes, described in 1 Maccabees 1:54-56, which says, “Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah and offered incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law that they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire.” History tells us that King Antiochus offered swine’s flesh on the great altar and erected a statue of Zeus in the Temple and ordered the Jews to worship it. But remember that is Jesus is talking about the future, about things which are to come. And we know from history that the Roman Emperor Caligula wanted to build a statue of himself and have it erected in the Temple around 40 AD. But this never happened, as Caligula was assassinated before his orders could be carried. We do know from history that during the Jewish revolt in 70 AD the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and the city, carrying off most of the Temple furnishings, which have been lost to history. We also know that thousands fled the city and thousands more were slaughtered by the Romans. Furthermore, the Christian historian Eusebius wrote that the Christian community in Jerusalem escaped before the war as a response to a prophecy given from the Lord, and that the destruction of both the city and Temple was seen as God’s judgement upon those who had rejected Christ. Jesus’ words can be understood both as a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but also foretelling future events which have not yet occurred. Therefore, we must heed Jesus’ words and be on our guard. It is obvious to all of us who have been paying attention to the events of the past 50 years that there has been a dramatic rise in hostility to Christianity around the world. There are more Christians being martyred today than in any time in the Church’s history. Additionally, we also see that many of the established historical churches have become spiritually corrupt at the highest levels—the Archbishop of Canterbury has just resigned for failing to deal with a sex abuse scandal that had been going on for years. And Pope Francis has said many things that contradict Catholic teaching and has promoted people in the Church who are also hostile to that teaching. While the recent election results in our country give us hope that religious freedom will be protected in the short term, we must not be too distracted by current events and keep our spiritual discernment sharp. The worse things get, the more we as followers of Jesus Christ need to stay close to Him and be diligent in our discipleship. In verse 22, Jesus says, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” Jesus is warning us that there will be someone who will arise who will be an Antichrist. He will be the Abomination of Desolation. He will perform signs and wonders, and there will be those who will believe that he is Jesus who has returned. But signs and wonders alone aren’t proof of his Messiahship. Rather, the faithful proclamation of the Word of God will be the deciding factor. Therefore, Popes and Archbishops and prominent pastors who are famous and popular but are not preaching the Word of God are not to be trusted. We must remain true to the Word of God. We must trust that no matter how difficult things become, Christ is in control of history. We will be entering the season of Advent in just a couple of weeks. As we reflect on Jesus’ warnings about the future, we are not to be distracted by current events, nor allow ourselves to caught up in the commercializing of Christmas. Let us keep our eyes fixed in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and put our complete faith and trust in Him. +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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“And [Jesus] called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more that all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’”
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Did you notice that one of the main characters in our Old Testament and Gospel readings this morning was a widow? Back in Bible times, widows were among the most vulnerable groups in society, along with orphans. Why? Because widows, like orphans, did not, in many cases, have anyone to care for them. In that society, a woman was not allowed to own property. A woman was first under the care of her father, and when she got married, she was then supported by her husband. When her husband died, it was the responsibility of her sons to care for her. But there were some widows who had no one to care for them when their husbands died, and there was no social safety net back in those days. So, to be a widow was to be someone in a very difficult place, enduring not only the loss of a husband, but also the protection and provision of family. Our Scripture lessons today demonstrate that God pays special attention to the weak and vulnerable, especially widows, and that He goes out of His way to extend His love and grace to them. In our Old Testament lesson from 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah encounters Zerephath, a widow from Sidon, who is poor and has nothing. Elijah goes there by the Lord’s command and asks her for a drink of water and some food to eat. At first, Zerephath is incredulous, as she has only a little food left, barely enough for one last meal for herself and her son. But Elijah encourages her to extend this hospitality to her, assuring her that the Lord will provide for her and for her son. And the Lord does for Zerephath was Elijah says He will do, miraculously enabling the flour and the oil last until the famine ends. He is an example of the Lord generously providing for a poor widow who gives the last of her food to feed the man of God. Then fast forward to today’s Gospel lesson, and we read about the widow at the offering box in the Temple. St. Mark tells us that she puts two small copper coins into the offering box. It was a tiny amount, only a fraction of a cent. Yet Mark tells us that Jesus singles out her gift for special praise, even though it was by far the smallest. Jesus praises her gift because she gave all that she had. Others gave out of their abundance. Both stories illustrate the spiritual nature of giving. That is, true giving comes from a heart that is filled with faith. It’s a response to what God has already done and confidence in what He will do. Zerephath didn’t know what God would do, but she trusted God enough to give Elijah the last of what she had. And God came through for her in a big way. On the other hand, we don’t know the story of the widow in the Temple who gave the two small copper coins. But we do know that she also trusted God enough to give away the last of what she had as a sign of her love and gratitude to God. There was a recklessness in the generosity of these two widows. Common sense dictated that if you don’t know where your next meal is coming from you don’t give away what little resources you have left. Common sense dictated that if you’re a poor widow, you’re in no position to be giving out charity. But these widows did just that. The heart of this kind of reckless generosity is the response of a grateful heart to God’s grace and mercy. Do you remember the story of how Lazarus’s sister Mary poured a very expensive bottle of ointment on Jesus’ feet and then wiped His feet with her hair? Judas Iscariot was offended, as he thought it was a waste. The ointment could have been sold for a lot of money. But Jesus praises Mary, because she did it with a heart of such love and gratitude for what God had done for her that she wanted to demonstrate her love and gratitude in a reckless way. In the same way, Zaccheus, the tax collector, was so honored to host Jesus in his home that he repented of his past corruption and gave back four-fold to all those whom he had defrauded. Reckless generosity! St. Luke’s version of the story of Mary’s gift of expensive perfume does not mention her by name but informs us that she had a notorious reputation as a sinner. Her gift to Jesus was in response to the love and forgiveness that Jesus had shown to her. Jesus explains “her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” All of us here today are the recipients of God’s grace, love and mercy. What is our response to that great gift? Is our response one of overflowing love, gratitude, and joy? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is so beloved by all of us because it is such a powerful and wonderful story about a man who is confronted with his own wretchedness and transformed by God’s love and grace. Ebenezer Scrooge turns from the epitome of an ungrateful and harsh miser to a loving and recklessly generous man. That reckless generosity is not only a response to the love and grace that he received, but also a source of great joy and satisfaction too. +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. |
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