Mark 13:1-2 As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
As we move to the end of our time in Mark this lectionary cycle, we leave Jesus with his promise of chaos, which will happen when the Romans come and destroy Jerusalem about 40 years later. Jesus promises that there will be financial meltdown, wars, famine and suffering. People will come to take advantage of the chaos saying that they can fix it, just trust in them! Jesus proclaims that they are false messiahs and deceivers who want to cause more chaos as they get richer.
Chaos happens in times of extreme change and stress in our lives. We lose a job, a loved one, we graduate from school and now have to find employment, we move to another state, lose our healthcare--not to mention hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and fires! In these times, deceivers and false messiahs send us emails and letters in the mail to take advantage of our vulnerable state. We believe anyone who throws out a life preserver as the waves of chaos wash over us.
I am reminded that in the beginning, the cosmos was in chaos, and the Holy Spirit blew over the face of the deep waves of chaos. And then God said, "Let there be light!". Who speaks into chaos and brings about order in life-giving ways? God does! Who holds us tight when chaos happens in life? God does! The Lord is our Rock and our Salvation! There is no other person or government institution nor anything else in all creation that will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hold on tight to Jesus my friends! He is the One whom you can trust with all your heart, soul, mind and strength! Amen!
