Mark 13:24-32
Gospel according to Mark 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Reflections
As we approach the end of the liturgical year, Jesus begins to prophesize what will happen after His passion and sacrifice. This Sunday’s passage foreshadows the end times: the sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars will fall from the sky - A powerful vision of celestial disarray.
Throughout the Bible, the order of the celestial bodies is symbolic of earthly stability, and their disarray is often used as a sign of unrest and changing times. Jesus conveys that the stability of the world, as we know it, will be shattered. The disarray will indicate that something monumental is about to happen. Jesus speaks about the Son of Man coming on the clouds - Christ returning in all of His glory to bring divine justice and eternal restoration. We are invited to reflect on how we can help to fulfill God’s plan.
Despite the return of Christ, the apocalyptic prophecy also suggests a time of great confusion and turmoil. Jesus warns that during these times, a great force of evil will appear to be winning against the good. Christ’s followers will be persecuted for their goodness, and the world will be filled with anguish and despair. Even today, the battle between good and evil is very real. While it may seem at times as if the forces of darkness are prevailing, Jesus assures us that the victory of evil can only be temporary. The profound disorder in the world will be a sign that God’s Justice is about to break through; We are reminded that the final victory belongs to Christ alone. When Jesus returns in His Glory, the defeat of evil will be complete and permanent. In the end times, all evil will be rooted out, and anything that is apart from God’s will shall be eradicated forever.
We are also invited to reflect on the transitory nature of our own lives. Our earthly lives have an end, just like the world as we know it will have an end. Jesus reminds us through this passage that our worldly possessions and achievements, as well as our struggles, are temporary. Just like the universe will one day be renewed, we too are called to keep an awareness of the passage of time. We are encouraged to focus on treasures that will last eternally: Our faith and love for God, and the love we show to others. We are reminded that the Second Coming of Christ and the final defeat of darkness are not just some far-away events; they challenge us to live with a sense of duty. We are called to remain faithful even among life’s greatest trials, and to prioritize the eternal over that which is only fleeting.
It was believed by the first Christians, including Jesus’ Apostles, that He would return during their lifetimes. Many believed that Jesus would return only a few years after His ascension into Heaven. We now understand that Jesus’ words were not meant to be taken as a literal prediction of a certain time; Jesus teaches instead that nobody except our Heavenly Father knows when the end times will arrive. While we wait, we are called to remain vigilant and to stay continually faithful. Time should not be wasted trying to decipher a date for the Apocalypse based on secret codes found in the Scriptures. Rather, we should live each day in anticipation for the return of Jesus and our entrance into the City of God, knowing that it could happen at any moment. Whether or not we will be alive when the end comes, we must be found faithful when Christ appears to vanquish the darkness of the world forever.
While the fig tree may point to the signs of the end nearing, at the same time, it points to the need to remain faithful. This is best shown in the poetic words of Habakkuk 3:17:
Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.