COMMENTARY ON MARK
LESSON NUMBER 136
“ Mark 13:1 And 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 And 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 And 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? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:1-4; Matt 24:1-3; Lk 21:5-7)
JESUS COMMENTS ON THE BUILDINGS
INTRODUCTION
As the time draws near for Jesus to lay down His life, the disciples do not have the faintest idea of what is going to take place. Jesus is keenly aware of the circumstances, and they are oblivious to them – unaware of “the hour” that was approaching. One might expect that Jesus would depart from such a situation, choosing to be alone at that time. But this is not the case. Instead, these men are growing more and more precious to Him. As it is written, “having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1). That love has prompted the Lord to remain with His disciples, continuing to declare the Kingdom of God to them, acquainting them with both the manner and the determinations of that Kingdom. There is something important to note in all of this. These were the key men in all the world – twelve of them. Christ’s manner among these men will be indicative of how He conducts Himself among all that have been given to him by the Father. I do not know of any place in Scripture where Jesus is said to have become intimately involved in the domestic or social aspects of the lives of His disciples. There was the time that he healed the mother of Peter’s wife (Matt 8:14-15). However, that hardly qualifies as, what I have referred to as, intimate involvement. The point here is that the lives of the disciples revolved around what Jesus was doing. His life was not centered in what they were doing. This does not mean He was heartless, but that He was rather intent upon His disciples being consciously joined together with him and His Father, and involved in the will of God (John 17:21-24). A view of Jesus that has Him focusing on the personal lives of His people is not one gathered from Scripture. He knows them, to be sure, but the accent is placed on them knowing and following Him.
MASTER, SEE THESE STONES AND THE BUILDINGS
“ Mark 13:1 And 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!”
AS HE WENT OUT OF THE TEMPLE. Jesus had been in the Temple complex for some time. Two separate entrances have taken place (Mk 11:11,15). Further, this occasion was the last time He would be in the Temple. He would never enter it again as a Man. During those two times He did the following. •1 – Observed the things taking place in the Temple (Mk 11:11). •2 – Cleansed the Temple (Mk 11:15). •3 – Stopped people from carrying things through the Temple (Mk 11:16). •4 – Preached the Gospel in the Temple (Lk 20:1). •5 – Healed the blind and lame that came to Him in the Temple (Matt 21:14). •6 – Responded to the priests and scribes who told Him to rebuke the children for praising Him (Matt 21:15-16). •7 – Taught the people concerning the Temple being a house of prayer (Mk 11:17). •8 – Responded to the Temple authorities who asked Him by what authority He was acting (Mk 11:27:33). •9 – Delivered a parable concerning His rejection by the rulers (Mk 12:1-11). •10 – Delivered the parable about the wedding feast (Matt 22:1-14). •11 – Responded to a question about paying tribute to Caesar (Mk 11:13-17). •12 – Responded to those who tempted Him by asking concerning a woman who had seven husbands (Mk 12:18-27). •13 – Responded to a scribe who asked Him the identity of the greatest commandment (Mk 11:28-34). •14 – Instigated a discussion about why the scribes said Jesus was the son of David (Mk 12:35-37). •15 – Issued a warning about the scribes (Mk 12:38-40). •16 – Delivered a scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23:1-36). •17 – Pronounced judgment against Jerusalem (Matt 23:37-38). •18 – Taught every day in the Temple (Lk 19:47). •19 – Observed how people cast their money into the treasury (Mk 12:41). •20 – Particularly noted a poor widow who gave all she had, and commented concerning her gift (Mk 12:42-44). As far as we know, our Lord’s comments about this poor widow were among the last recorded words of His public teaching.
All of this has taken place in 2-3 days, and provide a kind of index concerning the aggressive ministry of Jesus. Nothing in Scripture suggests that He is less active in heaven than He was upon earth. The real Jesus is a working and productive Jesus – even in His people!
ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES SAID TO HIM. The disciple who asked this question is not identified. Mark says one of His disciples asked him a question while he was exiting the Temple. Matthew says that “His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the Temple” (Matt 24:1). Luke says that “some spake of the Temple”(Lk 21:5). The picture we get is that as they were leaving the Temple complex, the disciples were talking among themselves concerning the Temple. All of them decided to draw Jesus’ attention to the subject of their discussion. Mark points out that one man spoke for them all.
SEE THESE BUILDINGS. This question was apparently prompted by Jesus’ statement concerning the widow who cast all that she had into the Temple treasury. Mark says the disciples drew the attention of Jesus to the buildings in the Temple complex: “Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” Another version reads, “Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” NIV Another reads, “Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” RSV The Amplified Bible reads, “Teacher! Notice the sort and quality of these stones and buildings!”
Luke provides further insight into the nature of this observation. He says some had been speaking about the Temple, “how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts,” and that Jesus answered while that observation was being made (Lk 21:5). Concerning the expression “and gifts,” other version read “votive gifts.” NASB “gifts dedicated to God,” NIV “offerings,” RSV and “and consecrated offerings [laid up to be kept].” AMPLIFIED “Votive gifts” are gifts accompanied by a vow.
After leaving the Temple, they finally arrived on “the mount of Olives” (Matt 24:3). Either there or along the way, the Temple site had apparently been especially magnificent. With the setting sun brightening its grandeur, the glistering marbel and ornate gold must have been most impressive. Historians confirm that some of the blocks of marble were as large as seventy feet long, ten feet wide, and eight feet high – impressive in any period, and within any culture.
Much of this resplendent beauty had been made possible by large gifts. The point the disciples appear to be making is that if all of the gifts had been the size of that offered by the poor widow, such an impressive Temple would never have been built. How is it possible that she gave “more than they all,” when such meager gifts could never have allowed that Temple to be built? In addition to this, Jesus had also said to Jerusalem, as reported by Matthew, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matt 23:38). The words “your house” no doubt refer to the Temple itself, and were said as Jesus was leaving it (Matt 23:38-24:1). In other words, having rejected their Messiah, when Jesus once and for all left the Temple, it was destined for sure destruction. Now they would have it all for themselves – at least for a while.
THESE GREAT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED
“ 2 And 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.”
JESUS SAID UNTO HIM. Mark has Jesus replying to the person who asked the question. Because the question represented the inquiry of all of the disciples, Matthew says “Jesus said unto them” (Matt 24:2). The fact that Jesus answered the question confirms that this was an area where understanding was required. Our Lord is dealing with more than a casual observation. He perceives that the manner of the Kingdom has not yet been grasped. Therefore He will uproot the notion that the Kingdom of God majors on things that can be seen, are impressive, and are the works of men’s hands. The love and preference for appearance continues to dominate the thinking of many professing Christians, even though this record has been left for our admonition.
As is always the case, the words of Jesus are never vain, pointless, or optional. He Himself declared, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). In this statement, Jesus was not referring to official words or statements, for He never spoke loosely, casually, or without strict spiritual perspective. Men may depart from their godly persuasions when they speak, but Jesus did not. They may offer explanations and opinions that are not within the framework of an acute consciousness of God – but Jesus did not.
DO YOU SEE THESE BUILDINGS? At this time, Jesus saw these buildings differently that the disciples. They saw them as the result of great gifts and extensive effort– a magnificent set of structures dedicated to the Lord and to the fulfillment of His ordinances. And, indeed, from their perspective this was true. Jesus, on the other hand, saw the destiny of these buildings. He saw them as a place where widows had been robbed, and corrupt teaching had been delivered. He saw them as a place where He had been summarily rejected by the Jewish leaders, even though He had been sent to them by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whom they professed to be their fathers, and which God they worshipped. Thus He asked His disciples, “Do YOU see these buildings?” He is urging them to look at them again, and to see them from another perspective.
Mark refers to “these great buildings.” Matthew and Luke record that Jesus said “See ye not all these things?” (Matt 24:2), and “as for these things which ye behold” (Lk 21:6). The expression “these things” is translated from a single word. This is the same expression Jesus used when referring to the Gentiles quest for food, drink, and clothing, referring to those objects as “these things” (Matt 6:32-33). He also used it when referring to matters that are revealed to the sons of God: “these things” (Matt 11:25; 13:51). When referring to what God had given Him to say to the world, Jesus referred to them as “these things” (John 8:26).
In other words, “these things” must be understood within the environment to which they belong. There are things that belong to the order of the seen – the temporal order. Therefore it is written, “the things which are seen are temporal” (2 Cor 4:18). Whatever the eye can see or the hand can touch must be seen as temporary. A person has reached a sort of spiritual milestone when this can be done with consistency and thankfulness.
ONE STONE SHALL NOT BE LEFT ON ANOTHER. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say exactly the same thing: “there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matt 24:2; Lk 21:6). That is, the buildings would be violently destroyed. He is not speaking of the process of decay, or even of the end of the world, when everything that can be shaken will be shaken (Heb 12:27). The Temple would be decimated in an earthly disaster wrought by men, and as a result of Divine judgment. Of course, there is a sense in which everything that is seen is subject to destruction. However, that is not what Jesus is speaking of here. Matthew records Jesus saying the following just before He left the Temple. This words were spoken after He had soundly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:37-39). This is the time to which Jesus now refers.
Here we behold the heart of Jesus. Although He is moving toward the hour when “the iniquity of us all” will be laid upon Him, and He will be “forsaken” by His God, yet His thoughts linger on the rejection that has been experienced in Jerusalem. He sees the Temple that He had twice cleansed as being destroyed by the Gentiles, and trodden down by their feet (Lk 21:24). With that in mind, how differently the Temple buildings looked to Him! Oh, what a penalty would be imposed upon those people and their magnificent buildings because they had spurned the Just One! So, in view of this situation, He sommons His disciples to look at the buildings again, seeing them from a higher point of view.
THE BLESSEDNESS OF INQUIRING MINDS
“ 3 And 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? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?”
AS HE SAT. Jesus “sat,” perhaps wearied with the strenuous activities of these closing days. He has spent His last time in the Temple, at least as a Man. Now He is not only considering His own sacrificial death, but the judgment that shall be brought upon the people who heartlessly entered into it by betraying and murdering Him.
The “mount of Olives” was a prominent place during the closing days Jesus spent with his disciples. Once, during His ministry among the Jews, He “went unto the mount of Olives.” It was at that time that “all the people came unto Him, and He sat down, and taught them” (John 8:1-2). That was also the time when the scribes and Pharisees “brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery” (John 8:3). There is no other reference of Jesus going to this mount until the time arrived when He would prepare to die for the sins of the world.
This is the mount where he was located when He sent out two disciples to bring a colt on which He would ride into Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah (Matt 21:1). It is also where He would take His disciples on the night of His betrayal, after they had sung a hymn (Matt 26:30). During the last week of His pre-cross life, it is written that “at night, He went out, and abode in the mount called the mount of Olives” (Lk 21:37). This is the place where He agonized in prayer prior to His betrayal, when His sweat fell to the ground in great drops of blood (Lk 22:39). Now He sits there “over against the Temple,” or opposite to it, where it was in His full view.
PETER, JAMES, JOHN, AND ANDREW. As Jesus sits there, four of His disciples come to Him: Peter, James, John, and Andrew – two sets of brothers. These were the first disciples Jesus called to Himself. First, He called Peter and Andrew (Matt 4:18), and immediately after that James and John (Matt 4:21-22). Andrew, in fact, was the first one who heard John the Baptist speak of Christ, and left John to follow Him. He then went and told Peter that they had found the Messiah, and brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). Both sets of brothers were fishermen, and both left their trade to follow Jesus. Only Mark identifies who came to Jesus with this question. Whether or not the other disciples heard His answer directly is not clear.
THEY ASKED HIM, PRIVATELY. The heart of these disciples is revealed in their quest for an understanding of Jesus’ words. It seems to me that they perceived the sensitivity of the word Jesus spoke, and thus sought to be alone with Him when they asked for insight. In this event we will see the fulfillment of Jesus words, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6).
WHEN SHALL THINGS BE, AND WHAT WILL BE THE SIGN? “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” Two arresting questions! Matthew specifies three questions: “when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3).
These disciples had made an association of different words spoken by the Lord. Just prior to this, when He spoke of the desolation of the Temple and the widow’s gift, He had not said anything about His coming or the end of the world. I do not doubt that they correlated the promise, “Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt 23:39), with His coming. But the relationship was not too clear. Jesus had, however, spoken frequently of both His coming and the end of the world during His ministry. References to His coming include the following: Matt 16:27-28; Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26,27; 12:40; 17:24-30; 18:8). Jesus spoke specifically of the end of the world one time, in Matthew 5:18. Following this, He spoke of of it also (Matt 24:35; Mk 13:31). However, the prophets had made a point of the world passing away (Psa 102:25-27; Isa 24:19-20; 34:4; 51:6; 65:17).
Thus these disciples were not only familiar with Scripture, but could obviously correlate it with the words of Jesus. Also, they were able to discern that there was a similar correlation in the words that He spoke to them. This is a marvelous commentary on the impact of Jesus upon the hearts and minds of those who have ears to hear.
Note that these disciples inquire concerning “the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled.” Among other things, they entertained no doubts about the certainty of their fulfillment. They only wanted to know what would enable them to see it. Matthew says they asked concerning “the sign of Thy coming and the end of the word” (Matt 24:3). Here it is important to note that it is not wrong to ask for signs. Jesus said that “a wicked and adulterous generation” would not be given a sign (Matt 16:4; Mk 8:12). But He will not deny the request of His disciples. Luke is most precise in his statement of the question. “What sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” NKJV (Luke 21:7). Thus we have the setting for the well-known Olivet discourse. It is a text that has been misunderstood, disbelieved, and even mutilated.