Preaching Mark 13:1-8 Part 2

Have you ever been driving down a high mountain on a steep, winding road? If you have, you know that it is wise to watch the signs along the way—particularly signs that tell you a curve in the road is ahead. The arrow on the sign indicates the sort of turn you are approaching. Is it a simple ninety-degree turn or an "S" figured turn? The most dangerous of turns is the notorious switchback. In those cases you make nearly a complete three hundred and sixty degree turn. Should you fail to take notice of that sign, it's easy to find yourself going too fast to negotiate the turn and ending up off the road. Signs are important in life. They warn us of what lies ahead. They point us in a direction. They inform us of laws and dangers.

Jesus had just predicted that the Jerusalem Temple would be leveled. Now four of his disciples ask, "What will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?" How can we know when that time is near? Jesus then suggests the disciples watch for a series of tragic events—wars and earthquakes.

We are still looking for signs. Like the disciples, we still want to know what the signs are and what they mean. The signs Jesus mentions are those to which Christians often refer when they think the triumphant coming of Christ in glory is about to occur. However, according to Mark, Jesus spoke these words in anticipation of 70 CE, when the Romans squelched a Jewish revolt and destroyed the Temple.

The trouble is that the signs Jesus names seem to be always with us in this world: false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines. At least in the twentieth century we became accustomed to these events. They became the normal state of affairs in our world! Or, perhaps better, thanks to modern communication, we finally became aware that these events constituted the norm, not the exception.

So, we ask the disciples' question again: "What will be the sign?" We don't know when Christ will appear in glory and recreate the world. Moreover, as Jesus says, we can never know—and perhaps do not need to know. Nonetheless, we do need to be on the watch for telltale signs of what is happening in our world. Where is God at work? What are the signs that the divine will is being done? What indications are there that Christ and the Spirit are making changes in our world? Those are tough but necessary questions. If we cannot answer these questions, we cannot lend our support to the work of the Spirit among us. Sometimes the signs are quite clear, and sometimes entirely blurred.

Surely, one sign of God's work in the past decade was the transformation of South Africa. We saw the evil of apartheid shattered and witnessed the birth of an interracial democracy. We observed the liberation of thousands of black South Africans and the creation of an entirely new society. The greatest marvel of all was that it was all accomplished without bloodshed. Many were certain that apartheid would fall only in the wake of a massive and violent rebellion of the black citizens against their white oppressors. But we were wrong! It was a peaceful transition. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission then sought confessions of violence on the part of both blacks and whites. With those confessions both parties could be reconciled with their former enemy. That is surely a sign that God was at work in South Africa bringing forth a new nation.

Ah, if only the signs of God's presence were always that clear. The truth is that international events are filled with ambiguity. We cannot be certain whether God's hand is at work in many of these events. Lots of us can only puzzle over them. For example, is the advent of genetic engineering a gift from God? Or, is it a dangerous human manipulation and abuse of the natural process? Can genetics solve some of our most pressing problems in health and wholeness? Or, will the science be turned to evil use? By repressing some, will it engineer out of humanity the diversity that makes the race so wonderful?

Jesus calls the signs for which we are to watch "birth pangs." They are part of the labor that precedes the birth of a new life. In other words, God is at work where something new and good is being born—where new life is becoming possible. However, the events in South Africa that preceded the wondrous creation of a new society were laborious and painful. Nelson Mandela's years of imprisonment gave birth to his ascendance to the presidency. "The promise of birth, therefore, cannot be separated from the pain of labor," as Joe Baroody writes about this passage. Where new life is being born—where events are moving toward the creation of something fresh and good—those are the signs of God's work in the world.

And those signs are everywhere! In one city of our nation, there is a new effort to supply health care to those who cannot afford it. A team of Christian doctors and counselors have come together to develop a holistic approach to the health of the poor and destitute. This team works to provide preventive care and to help their patients develop new life styles. One of their facilities is called the "Health and Hope Center." A sign of the beginnings of new life and a new society. A sign of God's love changing us.

Where are the signs? They are not always clear, but they are there. Most important, you yourself are a sign of God's work. Your congregation is a sign of God's transforming love in the world: evidence that God is birthing new life.

Robert Kysar