Among the Smouldering Ruins

Mark 13:1-8 King James Version (KJV)

1 καὶ as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

2 καὶ Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 καὶ as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? καὶ what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

5 καὶ Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7 καὶ when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, καὶ kingdom against kingdom: καὶ there shall be earthquakes in divers places, καὶ there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

This is our gospel reading for next Sunday, November 18. People read and understand it differently. In the Lectionary, it is a "run-up" to Advent's theme of the second coming, and many folks may take it devotionally as a faith-based message for their own lives. My interest in it is not as an apocalyptic prophecy, but as a dating indication, of when the Gospel according to Mark was written.

We do not know who “Mark” was, the gospel is anonymous, and early church fathers’ attribution to Mark a traveler with Paul and associate of Peter was not attached until the second century. Such tradition sometimes is “right on” though, and there’s little reason to dismiss it when there’s no other, better answer, and there is not. So, let it be “Mark.”

But if the writer is unknown, we also don’t know when Mark’s gospel was written or to whom it was written (two different issues); so we have to speculate, but intelligent speculation should have substance. One bit of substance would be “external,” to find out what other writers, including early church fathers, and even other gospel writers, knew this gospel. We also look for “internal” evidence (not “proof,” but “evidence”), something within the gospel itself; and that’s what we have here.

The Gospel according to Mark was not dictated or recorded on the spot, like a court stenographer or CNN reporter; or even, God help us, a Fox News reporter. It was compiled later, by someone who didn’t claim to be an eyewitness, who collected stories that were circulating about Jesus, and perhaps some of Peter’s recollections, and some scholars believe some things that Mark needed to say as part of his agenda, and put them in logical sequence beginning with Jesus’ baptism, his ministry in and around Galilee, his journey to Jerusalem, and what happened to him there, concluding with trial, death, burial, and the Easter morning scene. By the time the gospel was written, enough time may have passed that the Romans had put down a Jewish rebellion, furiously destroying Jerusalem and knocking down the Temple. That happened in 70 AD. Our gospel passage for next Sunday may be taken as evidence of that, written in retrospect. My mental image is of “Mark” sitting on stones among the Temple ruins, writing his story to explain why Jesus was not recognized as Messiah during his lifetime: his destiny was to suffer and die to make things right between God and humanity. Even his closest disciples did not know who he was, but now we know, and we are called to proclaim him.

My vision of Mark sitting among the Temple stones, the smoke of the still-smouldering cedar ruins rising around him, lets me date this gospel at 70 or 71 AD. That’s the kind of Bible study I enjoy.

Another thing I enjoy is spotting Mark's almost obsessive use of καὶ, which means "and," as his thought connector.

TW+