Be Alert
Scriptures for today include: Psalm 13, Zechariah 12:1-31:1, and Mark 13:9-23. The Gospel of Mark bears witness to the predictions of suffering that Jesus made for his followers. Parallel passages in Matthew 24:9-14 and Luke 21:12-19 make this witness of Jesus’ predictions for the future all the more important. In other words, this prediction of Jesus was remembered by not just one, but by all three of the Synoptic Gospel writers.
Jesus is very clear that his followers will experience hardship and mistreatment by those who reject him as being God’s Son. The interesting thing was that even though the followers of Jesus would be rejected as he was, the message of salvation had to be proclaimed anyway. The good news of Jesus couldn’t be stopped just because others felt threatened by it. Suffering was part of discipleship in a hostile world, but the ability to endure such hostility by his followers was about God’s continued hope for all humanity. God waits out the world’s rejection of him and his Son Jesus, by blessing his people with the endurance they need to proclaim the faith. If they need words at a trial, God provides them through the Holy Spirit. Just when it seems the world has the upper hand, God strengthens the faith of his followers so that the fire of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not quenched. This is our faith. While we aren’t part of the struggle of the early church when it faced widespread rejection and persecution, we are still called now to proclaim the salvation that Christ offers by faith. But the one who endures the end will be saved (verse 13). We are called to pay attention to the times when we can truly sense God’s presence and the hope it offers us and those around us.
The dangers of living in a world that is hostile to Jesus Christ remain, but the message of hope revealed through Christ must be proclaimed. God’s people are called to be alert of the dangers of losing faith or being misguided into following false gods. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything. May we all trust in the power of God’s love and God’s hope for our transformation. Amen.
God’s peace,
Pastor Jim Paulson
