1 As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”
Message: The Olivet Discourse
Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - I'm not sure what day it is. It still seems like the same day as Chapter 12, which means it is the 3rd or 4th day of his arrival into Jerusalem. Jesus has answered the religious leaders questions and he has also now put forth his own thoughts about being the Messiah, and reflecting on the motives of religious leaders as well as those that give to the temple. Jesus continues to speak a lot about people's motives. Rather than simply thinking that obedience to the Law is a sort of list of things to do to be accepted by God, Jesus is helping people see that God is interested in people's hearts. And Jesus himself is speaking of people's inner motives for doing things.
They are leaving the temple area where Jesus was sitting and providing a lesson from the giving habits of the wealthy and the poor widow. That lesson spoke to the idea that we often judge people or assess people by the size of their gifts: in that we have a tendency to think the gift given by the wealthy person is greater than the gift given by a poor person. Jesus is telling the disciples to not look at the outward so much. And yet, coming out of the temple, this is exactly what the disciples do. As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” See, immediately the disciples look at the large structures and remark of how wonderful they look. Granted, the disciples could be simply talking but even in our normal conversation we reveal things about our hearts and our true motives. The temple must have been impressive to look at as they are impressive in their size.
Jesus' response to this question is a word of prophecy. And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.” I have already see Jesus curse the fig tree. This was to cast judgment on it for not bearing fruit though it looked like it did. It is as if Jesus is saying that their be consequences to not following through on commitments or doing what we are called to do. After that curse, he went to the temple and saw the leaders using it for their personal gain rather than staying true its purpose and allowing the Gentiles a place at the temple. And once again, it appears here that Jesus is saying that these big structures that we view with amazement due to their size and stature will one day be torn down. This statement probably seemed improbable to the disciples that it would ever come to fruition.
As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, (the Mount of Olives was nearby and I wonder did they make the trek to it, thus leave the City area and temple area; the Mount of Olives was on the trek from Jerusalem to Bethany) Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, (this is another instance in which Mark mentions in detail all of those that were present as Andrew is mentioned but not elsewhere in the other gospels and the disciples are mentioned specifically by Mark) “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” - Yet, while providing a little more detail in the names of the disciples the question here is not as complete as what is asked from Matthew's perspective. Matthew adds of what will be the sign of His Coming.
Summary - Jesus has come out of the temple area and some of the disciples remark on the size of the buildings and Jesus responds that the buildings will at one time no longer exist and their foundation will be overturned. Jesus and the disciples then leave Jerusalem and go outside the City to the mount of Olives to discuss what has occurred with the disciples asking Jesus to explain.
Promise: I need to study diligently these texts, pray over them for God's help in interpreting the Bible, to understand what God would have me learn.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for having a mission, a purpose for all things. At times, my understanding of things is limited. But, as Solomon said, you have made everything appropriate in its own time, so I can trust You with all the answers even when they are not apparent from reading the text. Give me wisdom in understanding what You are saying. Thank you for loving Me and knowing What I need.
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