Mark 13: 1-2 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
I like the disciples. They are so real. It gives me hope that if God can use people like the disciples, He can use people like me.
This moment comes on the heels of Jesus crying over the fact that Jerusalem has rejected the prophets and scorned the rest that God has offered them again and again. Jesus is sad as He leaves the temple.
One of His disciples tries to cheer Him up. "Hey look at this. Isn't it nice?" I like the heart of this disciple. He's trying to help. He's trying to be a good friend.
Ah, but Jesus has a different perspective. He points out that even though they are great buildings now, they won't last.
It's easy for us to get caught up in what won't last. To chase a lot of things that will one day be destroyed. It's easy to do this because these things are real and we can see them. We can't imagine a time when they won't be there. But Jesus comes alongside us and reminds us of the truth. These things won't last.
Does this mean that we shouldn't enjoy sunsets or beautiful architecture? No. We enjoy them and thank the God who created such beauty and made humans that could create amazing things. We enjoy them as good gifts.
Ultimately everything in the world as we know it will fade away. Everything that we cherish that's earthly will perish.
What Jesus describes in the rest of Mark chapter 13 is the signs that will happen before He comes again. Great distress and heartbreak. Violence and betrayal. But then Christ will come and will recreate the earth. He will make everything new.
This makes me happy. To think that one day my Savior will come and recreate a perfect earth that I will get to live on with Him makes me smile. The sights that blew me away on this earth pale in comparison to the beauty of this new earth. I get excited thinking about it.
So the next time you are blown away by something magnificent, take a moment and remember this: Everything in this world will fade away. It is beautiful right now and meant to draw us closer to God. One day God will make a new heavens and a new earth that will be beyond our wildest dreams. Look at what's in front of you as what it is a tiny echo of the symphony to come.
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