The Beginning of the Birth Pangs - Lectionary Reflection (RCL) for Pentecost 25B (Mark 13)

Mark13:1-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

13 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

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Although there are a few dissenters, the scholarly consensus suggests that Mark was the first gospel to be written. If, as most believe, it was written around 70 CE, at a point soon after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, then what we have here reflects that cataclysmic event in Israel's history. The clue is this, Jesus speaks of the impending destruction of the Temple, and therefore it is the starting point for his apocalyptic discourse on the day of judgment. This fulfills Jesus' answer to the question of when the times of trouble will take place. This is a good reminder that the Gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels have a strong apocalyptic dimension to them. Thus, Jesus is portrayed as an apocalyptic preacher. 

The apocalyptic elements in the Gospels and in the New Testament as a whole make people nervous, especially in light of the way some Christians make use of apocalyptic theology. Once upon a time, when I was much younger, I embraced the idea that we were living in the last days. Jesus was about to return. The signs were everywhere, or at least that's what I had come to believe after reading books by Hal Lindsey and others like him during my high school days. It wasn't only the books, it was the music, and the preaching. Barry McGuire sang about the "Eve of Destruction" and Larry Norman issued the warning "I Wish We'd All Been Ready."  Back in my high school days, my friends and I took pleasure in trying to figure out where we stood in the divine time scheme. Were we truly living in the last days? Would we be raptured before the suffering got too bad? Would we get to come back as part of Jesus’ vanguard force to reclaim the earth from Satan? If the teachers of things prophetic were correct, the signs were surely present. As for the Temple, well we assumed that the Jewish people, having returned to create a new nation-state called Israel, would soon get around to rebuilding the Temple so that the rest of the prophetic word could be fulfilled. This apocalyptic fervor seems to ebb and flow, but every once in a while gets re-stoked by the publication of best-selling books that tell us they have the correct interpretation of the biblical message and how it applies for today. One of the passages that those who embrace this form of apocalyptic Christianity point to is Mark 13. The reading for this Sunday is often referred to as the “Little Apocalypse” because of its similarity to the message found in the book of Revelation.

The creators of the Revised Common Lectionary focus our attention on only one section of this larger apocalyptic word from Jesus. However, what is revealed here in verses 1-8 is developed in greater detail in the verses that follow. If we start with the premise (and not all do so) that Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher who announced the impending inbreaking of the realm of God, a day that would include judgment on the earth, then the question is, what message does this hold for us today? Is the kingdom of God near at hand? Will it come with cataclysmic signs? Remember that Mark has focused our attention on the destruction of the Temple (after it is desecrated by the setting up of the “desolating sacrilege” in the Temple, which according to Mark the reader would know about) as a sign the end is near. 

Apocalyptic writings tend to emerge during times of distress. They reflect both the despair over the current situation and the hope that something new will emerge in the near future. It is clear that Mark’s community has been experiencing deep travail. Reference is made in verses 9-13 to persecution by both the religious authorities and governing bodies, but the readers are told not to worry. Instead, they should take advantage of their opportunity to share their faith with their opponents. 

As Mark writes, the world as the early Christians had known it was crumbling. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Early leaders like Paul and Peter would likely have already faced their deaths (likely in Rome during the reign of Nero). The church was in the midst of its break with Judaism. It would also appear that false teachers were seeking to draw away the believers from Mark’s church. Who these teachers were and what they were offering, we’re not told. As all of this was occurring, Roman legions are on the march. The future looks bleak. All seems lost. People are wondering if there is any hope for them.  

Into this mix of emotions, we hear Jesus say to the disciples: Ah, but this is but the “beginning of the birth pangs.” These wars and rumors of wars, along with the persecution you’re facing—they are but signs that something big is about to happen. But the time is not yet. No, these are just labor pains that precede birth. The time is coming when the Son of Man will return in the clouds (Mk. 13:24-27). There are debates as to the usage of the phrase "Son of Man." Some suggest that it should be translated more generically as Human Being as it is found in the NRSV. However, the concept, which is rooted in the Book of Daniel and is an explicitly apocalyptic title.  

As a male I’ve not experienced birth from a woman’s point of view—and neither did Jesus (or Mark). I may have been there when my wife gave birth to our son, which allowed me to share the joy of the birth experience, but I did not experience any of the pain that went with it. So, while I’ve not experienced labor pains, I know that these birth pangs are not the same as the birth itself. They are merely the prelude. Nevertheless, when the labor pains begin, you know you need to be prepared. It’s time to go to the hospital (or wherever you plan to give birth). When the water breaks and labor begins, the mother-to-be gets a sense of urgency about the future. When we begin to experience the birth pangs, we should be ready, even if the birth itself is not yet occurring. When the birth occurs there is joy to be experienced.

 

As we read this passage, we hear a sense of urgency and a word of caution. Sometimes labor goes quickly, but other times it doesn’t. You have to be ready for every eventuality. Could it be that we are hearing Jesus say to us?  Be prepared because you don't know how long this birth process is going to take. So, be awake to the realities around you. Living as we do some two millennia after these words were written, it is easy to become complacent. The apocalyptic message of the gospels easily gets put on the back burner (at least for many Christians who have not embraced teachings that we are currently in the last days. But is there something in this apocalyptic message that speaks to our own time? Should we be more aware of what is going on around us?

 

Perhaps what we have here is what Otis Moss III calls “Blue Note Preaching.” Blue Note Preaching is a form of preaching that reflects a “Blues sensibility.” It is the ability to give witness to the work of God “in darkness and even in the abyss” [Blue Note Preaching in a Post Soul World, p. 9]. Perhaps the word  Jesus has for us today is one of encouragement. It calls on us to stand firm in the midst of times of trouble and continue offering a word of hope while the larger world experiences a moment of despair. This happens with some regularity. The current COVID pandemic leaves us with a feeling of despair. People are wondering if this is it. Are we on the "eve of destruction?" So, we might not know the timing of the birth, but perhaps we're experiencing the beginnings of the birth pangs. 

 

Each community faces different issues and concerns. I can appreciate the word offered to us by Otis Moss III, who brings into the conversation the experiences of people of color who have been marginalized by the majority culture. Their voice emerged out of death and tribulation. He writes:

The Blue Note and Blues sensibility was born in this place of death that became the place of life. Just as Jesus hung up on the cross and transformed an execution into a celebration, the Blue Note sensibility conjured life from death’s domain. [Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World, pp. 14-15].

For many of us, the Blue Note or Apocalyptic message could be a word of hope to a church that is experiencing its post-Christendom moment. The Temple (Christendom) has been destroyed. That link to past glory is gone. A new world is emerging. Judaism survived the demise of the Temple, but it took on new forms. Might not the same be true for us as the church? If this is true, then what will emerge from the current realities? I bring back into the conversation COVID. Many are asking, what will the church look like once COVID is largely past us? This is just one question facing the church today. The world may not be coming to an end any time soon (but who knows for sure), but the birth pangs will likely remain with us. As we experience them we can experience an awakened sense of God’s presence in our midst. It’s not that God hasn’t been there all along, we’re just not always awake to it!