Markchapter 13
37 verses · Mark · AD 55 to 65 · The Gospels
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Introduction
Mark, The Gospels, Mark Overview.
Mark wrote for a church in Rome that would live to hear of Jerusalem's fall. This chapter is the longest unbroken speech of Jesus in the book, given on a hillside facing the temple. It answers a question his disciples asked in private, and he answers it with warnings more than with a timetable. Its first hearers faced arrest, false teachers and wars far away. Listen for the verbs of command, watch, take heed, flee, and for how often they come. The chapter speaks of two events, one near and one far, and the reader is left to keep them apart.
Context
- Who
- Roman readers who would live to hear that Jerusalem had fallen
- What
- The warning that the temple would be destroyed, and the signs, sufferings and watchfulness that come before the Son of Man returns.
- Where
- The Mount of Olives, facing the temple across the Kidron Valley.
- When
- The last week before the Passover, about AD 30 or 33, speaking ahead to the siege of AD 70.
- Why
- To prepare the disciples for persecution and deception, and to tell them to stay awake for the Lord's return.
Historical context
The disciple's remark about the stones was not flattery. Herod's platform used foundation blocks weighing well over a hundred tons, some of which are still in place in the western retaining wall, and Josephus describes the sanctuary's gold plating as unbearable to look at in morning sun.
Show the rest of the historical context, 4 more paragraphs
The destruction came within a generation. Rome besieged the city in AD 70, burned the sanctuary, and demolished the buildings; Josephus, who was present with the Roman command, wrote the account we have.
The desecration Jesus warns of had a template. Antiochus IV had defiled the altar in the second century BC, sparking the Maccabean revolt, and the emperor Caligula had ordered his statue set up in the sanctuary around AD 40, bringing the province close to war before he died.
The escape instructions are pure practicality. Flat roofs had outside stairs, so you could leave without going back inside; a man in a field had left his outer cloak at the edge; winter meant flooded wadis and impassable roads. Eusebius records that the believers in Jerusalem did leave before the siege closed, crossing the Jordan to Pella.
The warning about false messiahs was not hypothetical either. Josephus names several figures in these decades who gathered followers with promises of signs and were cut down by Roman troops.
Significance
Mark's readers were being told what to expect and what not to be frightened by. Wars, earthquakes, and famines are birth pains, not the end; and the specific promise given to them is that they will stand before governors and kings, and that when they do, they should not rehearse, the Holy Spirit will speak.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The command that closes the chapter is repeated four times: watch. For a church that did not know which night the soldiers would come, staying awake was not a metaphor.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Wars and Rumors: the Beginning of Birth Pangs
Mark 13:1-2
Not one stone here will be left on another answers a disciple's wonder at the magnificent stones and buildings of Herod's temple. The word was fulfilled when Roman soldiers razed the temple in AD 70, a fall Josephus records.
Mark 13:1
“What manner of stones - The stones here referred to were those used in the building of the temple, and the walls on the sides of Mount Moriah, on which the temple stood. The temple was constructed of white marble, and the blocks were of a prodigious size. Josephus says that these stones were, some of them, 50 feet long, 24 feet broad, and 16 feet in thickness.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Mark 13:1
“The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy — prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified.”
Jesus answers the disciple's wonder at the great buildings by saying every stone will be thrown down. Theophylact records that some pointed to stones still left to call Christ a liar, and he rejects the charge. Josephus tells of the temple dug up by enemies.
Mark 13:2
“Eleazar wished they had all died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, and before the temple was so profanely dug up [Wars of the Jews, 7.8.7].”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:3-4
Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately: The question asks when will these things happen, and the sign that they are about to be fulfilled. Matthew's parallel adds the end of the age, so the discourse answers a near horizon and a far one together.
Mark 13:3
“How graphically is this set before us by our Evangelist! Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately--The other Evangelists tell us merely that "the disciples" did so. But Mark not only says that it was four of them, but names them; and they were the first quarternion of the Twelve.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:3
“On the mount of Olives, over against the temple - The Mount of Olives was directly east of Jerusalem, and from it there was a fine view of the temple.”
what will be the sign: The disciples ask two things, the time and the sign. Matthew's form of the question adds his coming and the end. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown think the disciples took the temple's fall and the end as one event.
Mark 13:4
“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?--"and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" They no doubt looked upon the date of all these things as one and the same, and their notions of the things themselves were as confused as of the times of them.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:5-6
Before any sign, Jesus opens with See to it that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, a pattern already at work in first century Judea, where Josephus records several such claimants.
Mark 13:5
“And Jesus answering them,.... His four disciples, Peter, John, James, and Andrew: "began to say"; or "said", a way of speaking frequent with this evangelist: take heed lest any man deceive you; See Gill on Mat 24:4.”
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:5
“But before answering their question, He strengthens their minds that they may not be deceived, wherefore there follows: And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you? And this He says, because when the sufferings of the Jews began, some arose professing to be teachers, wherefore there follows: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Mark 13:5
“Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines, and pestilences; and there will be frightful appearances and great signs from heaven. The disciples undoubtedly perceived that Christ was paying, as it were, his last adieu to the temple.”
John Calvin · Commentaries (1554)reformed
Many will come in My name: Gill notes that the Greek has the claim without the title Christ, which is supplied from Matthew 24:5. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown think the danger here is people claiming to be Jesus himself, returned in glory. Jesus is speaking to his own disciples.
Mark 13:6
“For many shall come in my name,.... Taking upon them the name of the Messiah: saying, I am Christ; the word "Christ", is rightly supplied from Mat 24:5; otherwise in the original it is only, "I am"; which the Persic version doubles, reading it, "I am indeed, I am": he that was promised and expected, the true Messiah; he that was to come: and shall deceive many; See Gill on Mat 24:5.”
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:6
The reference here seems not to be to pretended Messiahs, deceiving those who rejected the claims of Jesus, of whom indeed there were plenty--for our Lord is addressing His own genuine disciples--but to persons pretending to be Jesus Himself, returned in glory to take possession of His kingdom. This gives peculiar force to the words, "Go ye not therefore after them."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:7-8
wars and rumors of wars: Jesus says wars and rumors of wars must happen, but the end is still to come, so no calamity is the final sign. They are the beginning of birth pains, pains that grow on the way to a delivery still ahead.
Mark 13:7
Our Lord and Redeemer announces beforehand the evils that precede the perishing world, so that the things to come may disturb us less because they have been foreknown. For missiles that are foreseen strike less forcefully; and we endure the evils of the world more tolerably if we are fortified against them by the shield of foreknowledge. For behold he says: "When you hear of wars and seditions, do not be terrified; for these things must happen first, but the end is not yet at once."
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 35patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:7
“And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled--(See on Mr 13:13, and compare Isa 8:11-14). for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet--In Luke (Lu 21:9), "the end is not by and by," or "immediately." Worse must come before all is over.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:7
“Christ was born into the world when there was a general peace, but soon after he went out of the world there were general wars; Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And what will become of them then who are to preach the gospel to every nation?”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
the beginning of birth pains: Birth pains begin a birth and grow stronger until it comes. Before Jerusalem fell, Tacitus records rivals for the Roman throne rising against one another, as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note. Gregory the Dialogist reads these first sorrows as signs of the final tribulation.
Mark 13:8
“These are the beginnings of sorrows--"of travail-pangs," to which heavy calamities are compared. The annals of TACITUS tell us how the Roman world was convulsed, before the destruction of Jerusalem, by rival claimants of the imperial purple.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:9-11
delivered over to the councils: Jesus turns persecution into witness: you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. Acts records this in the apostles' arrests and Paul's hearings before Felix, Festus and Agrippa.
Mark 13:9
“But because all these things come not from the injustice of the one striking but from the merit of the world that suffers, the deeds of wicked men are set forth first when it is said: "But before all these things they will lay their hands upon you and persecute you, and deliver you to synagogues, leading you before kings and governors for my name's sake. But these things will happen to you for a testimony." For a testimony, clearly, of whom, unless of those who either inflict death by persecuting or who see and do not imitate?”
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 35patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:9
“Take heed to yourselves - Be cautious that no man deceive you; or, take care of your lives, not to run into unnecessary danger. To councils - The higher ecclesiastical courts of the Jews, including the Sanhedrin, or great council of the nation. Rulers and kings - Referring to Roman officers. For a testimony against them - Rather to bear testimony to them, or to be witnesses “before them” of the truth.”
must first be proclaimed to all: Augustine reads first as before the end comes. Bede cites church historians who say the apostles had spread across the world long before Judea fell. Origen held that many peoples in his day had still not heard, and so looked for its fulfillment by the end.
Mark 13:10
“And the Gospel must first be published among all nations. - Many of the Evangelistaria omit this verse. Its proper place seems to be after verse the thirteenth.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:10
“It is evident that the gospel of the kingdom has not yet been preached in all the world. It is not reported to have been preached among all the Ethiopians, especially among those beyond the river, nor among the Serae, nor in the East. What are we to say of the Britons, or of the Germans along the ocean, or of the barbarians, Dacians, Samaritans and Scythians, the greatest part of whom have not yet heard the word of the gospel, but who will certainly hear it by the time of the end?”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on Matthew 39patristic
Mark 13:10
“And the gospel must first be published among all nations--"for a witness, and then shall the end come" (Mt 24:14). God never sends judgment without previous warning; and there can be no doubt that the Jews, already dispersed over most known countries, had nearly all heard the Gospel "as a witness," before the end of the Jewish state.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
do not worry beforehand: The Glossa Ordinaria says the disciples feared they would have no words before governors and kings, and Jesus answers that fear. Barnes reads it as a promise that the Holy Spirit would give them what to speak at that time. It holds for the hour of arrest.
Mark 13:11
“Neither do ye premeditate - Do not think beforehand, or “prepare” an answer. You know not what the accusations will be, and God will furnish you with a reply that shall be adapted to the occasion. Not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit - This is a full promise that they should be inspired, and consequently their defenses recorded in the Acts of the Apostles are the words of the Holy Spirit.”
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:11
“But upon hearing so many terrors, the hearts of the weak could be disturbed, and therefore consolation is added when it is immediately subjoined: "Settle it therefore in your hearts not to premeditate how you will answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict." As if He openly says to His weakening members: Do not be terrified, do not be afraid; you approach the contest, but I fight; you utter the words, but I am the one who speaks.”
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 35patristic
Mark 13:12-13
Brother will betray brother to death: The hatred reaches even the household, yet the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. The promise can mean rescue through the coming disaster or final salvation.
Mark 13:12
"But you will be betrayed by parents and brothers, and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death." Evils inflicted by strangers cause lesser pain. But those torments rage more fiercely within us which we suffer from those in whose minds we had confidence, because along with bodily harm, the evils of lost love torment us.
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 35patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:12
“The brother shall betray ... - The brother shall give up in a treacherous manner his brother to be put to death, on account of his attachment to Jesus. Through fear, or from the hope of reward and from the hatred of the gospel, he will overcome all the natural ties of brotherhood. and give up his own kindred to be burnt or crucified. Perhaps nothing could more clearly show the dreadful evil of those times, as well as the natural opposition of the heart to the religion of Christ.”
perseveres to the end: Theophylact finds comfort in being hated for Christ's name, for the cause of the suffering is what makes a martyr. Hilary of Poitiers reads the end as the promised goal of those who persevere. There the saved reach what they hoped for.
Mark 13:13
"And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake, yet not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience you shall possess your souls." The possession of the soul is placed in the virtue of patience because patience is the root and guardian of all virtues. Through patience we truly possess our souls, because while we learn to master ourselves, we begin to possess that very thing which we are.
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 35patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:13
“Luke (Lu 21:18) adds these reassuring words: "But there shall not an hair of your heads perish." Our Lord had just said (Lu 21:16) that they should be put to death; showing that this precious promise is far above immunity from mere bodily harm, and furnishing a key to the right interpretation of Ps 91:1-18 and such like.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Flee to the Mountains: Days of Tribulation
the abomination of desolation: The phrase the abomination of desolation is Daniel's, whose prophecy looked first to Antiochus Epiphanes and his altar to Zeus in 167 BC. Luke's parallel points to Roman armies around Jerusalem, which entered the temple in AD 70.
Mark 13:14
“But when ye shall see--"Jerusalem compassed by armies"--by encamped armies; in other words, when ye shall see it besieged, and the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not--that is, as explained in Matthew (Mt 24:15), "standing in the holy place." (let him that readeth understand)--readeth that prophecy.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:14
“Therefore it was an abomination, because it brought with it nothing but desolation. They had rejected Christ as an abomination, who would have been their salvation; and now God brought upon them an abomination that would be their desolation, thus spoken of by Daniel the prophet ( ch. ix. 27 ), as that by which this sacrifice and offering should be made to cease.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Mark 13:14
We are taught in these verses the lawfulness of using means to provide for our own personal safety . The language of our Lord Jesus Christ on the subject is clear and unmistakable — "Let those who be in Judea FLEE to the mountains — let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house — let him that is in the field not turn back again — pray you that your flight be not in the winter."
Mark 13:15-18
Let no one on the housetop go back inside: marks how urgent the flight is. Eusebius records an early tradition that the Christians of Jerusalem fled to Pella before the city fell in AD 70, obeying this warning.
Mark 13:15
“And let him that is on the housetop not get down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house--that is, let him take the outside flight of steps from the roof to the ground; a graphic way of denoting the extreme urgency of the case, and the danger of being tempted, by the desire to save his property, to delay till escape should become impossible.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
return for his cloak: Gill explains that a man at work in the field laid his cloak aside in one part of it. Even that short walk back could cost his life. Matthew Henry counts a life saved with nothing else a good bargain when a man must flee.
Mark 13:16
“If he can save his life, let him reckon it is a good bargain, though he can save nothing else, and be thankful to God, that, though he is cut short, he is not cut off.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
pregnant and nursing mothers!: The warning is practical. Gill explains that women with child could not flee in haste, and mothers of infants could neither leave them behind nor easily carry them. Theophylact sees a darker hint of the famine in the siege, when starving parents laid hands on their own children.
Mark 13:17
“But woe to them that are with child,.... Who because of their burdens, would be very unfit for, and very incapable of fleeing with any haste; and therefore very liable to fall into the hands of the enemy, and become their prey: and to them that give suck in those days; who could not bear to leave their children behind, and yet would not be able to carry them with them; at least not without great trouble, and which would much retard their flight, and endanger their being taken by the enemy; See Gill on Mat 24:19.”
Pray that this will not occur: Winter makes flight hard, and Gill lists short days, bad roads, cold weather, and nights in the mountains. Matthew Henry draws a lesson for prayer. When trouble must come, believers may still pray that God will order its days with mercy.
Mark 13:18
“Hippolytus otherwise interprets that which is said in the Gospel, When indeed ye shall see the pollution of desolation : for he says that it is not concerning the Jews, and the laying waste of Jerusalem, that these things are said, but concerning the end of Antichrist. The elect he speaks of are the Christians who are in this conflict. And He says, Pray that ye fly not on the Sabbath or in winter : i. e.”
Hippolytus of Rome · written before 235 · Against Gaius 5patristic
Mark 13:19-20
days of tribulation unmatched: Mark speaks of days of tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, the old idiom of utmost severity. Readers apply it to the fall of Jerusalem, or take it past AD 70 to a tribulation still to come.
Mark 13:19
“In those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation - May it not be doubted, whether this be yet fully accomplished? Is not much of this affliction still to come?”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
for the sake of the elect: Theophylact reads the days cut short as the quick end of the Roman war, so that Jews who believed, or would later believe, were saved. John Wesley takes the elect as the Christians. Bede, on the verse before, reads those days as the time of Antichrist.
Mark 13:20
“That is, if the Roman war had not been soon finished, no flesh should be saved; that is, no Jew should have escaped; but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, that is, for the sake of the believing Jews, or who were hereafter to believe, He hath shortened the days, that is, the war was soon finished, for God foresaw that many Jews would believe after the destruction of the city; for which reason He would not suffer the whole race to be utterly destroyed.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:20
“The elect - The Christians: whom he hath chosen - That is, hath taken out of, or separated from, the world, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. He hath shortened - That is, will surely shorten.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Mark 13:21-23
The opening warning returns: if anyone says to you that here is the Christ, do not believe it. Jesus warns that false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect. He closes, I have told you everything in advance.
Mark 13:21
“After that the Lord had finished all that concerned Jerusalem, He now speaks of the coming of Antichrist, saying, Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not. But when He says, then, think not that it means immediately after these things are fulfilled about Jerusalem; as Matthew also says after the birth of Christ, In those days came John the Baptist; (Matt. 3:1) does he mean immediately after the birth of Christ? No, but he speaks indefinitely and without precision.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:21
“And then, if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo he is there; believe him not--So Lu 17:23.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:21
“And then if any man shall say to you,.... During those days of tribulation and affliction, or when shortened and at an end: lo! here is Christ, or lo! he is there; the Messiah has appeared in such or in such a place, to deliver you from your national distresses and calamities, and from the Roman yoke and bondage: believe him not; give no credit to such a report, for the reason following; See Gill on Mat 24:23.”
if that were possible: Gregory the Dialogist reads if that were possible as the fear in the minds of the elect, who will persevere. Origen takes the words as a figure of speech. False teaching can move even careful hearers.
Mark 13:22
“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders. No one can read JOSEPHUS' account of what took place before the destruction of Jerusalem without seeing how strikingly this was fulfilled. to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect--implying that this, though all but done, will prove impossible.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:22
“While Antichrist is generically one, there may be many species of him. It is as if one would say that falsehood is generically one, but according to the differences of false doctrines there are found many specific falsehoods.… "If possible" is a hyperbole. For he did not suggest or indicate that even the elect are to be thrown into error, but wishes to show that often the words of the heretics are exceedingly plausible and have power to move even those who hear them wisely.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on Matthew 46patristic
told you everything in advance: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown join this to the verse before. The elect will not be deceived in the end, yet the danger is near enough that they must be on guard. Augustine says the troubles were told in advance so believers would wait for the end with more confidence.
Mark 13:23
“But take ye heed; behold, I have foretold you all things--He had just told them that the seduction of the elect would prove impossible; but since this would be all but accomplished, He bids them be on their guard, as the proper means of averting that catastrophe.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:23
Yet let not the excessive and headlong faithlessness of many move or disturb us, but rather strengthen our faith in the truthfulness which has foretold the matter. As some have become such, because these things were predicted beforehand, so let other brethren beware of matters of a like kind, because these also were predicted beforehand, even as the Lord instructs us, and says, "But take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things."
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise I On the Unity of the Churchpatristic
The Son of Man Coming in Clouds
Mark 13:24-25
The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light echoes the day of the Lord in Isaiah 13:10. The same prophets used this language for judgment on Babylon, so it may describe the end or the judgment on Jerusalem.
Mark 13:24
“This part of our Lord's prophecy on the Mount of Olives is entirely unfulfilled. The events described in it are all yet to take place. They may possibly take place in our own day. The passage therefore is one which we ought always to read with peculiar interest. Let us observe, in the first place, what solemn majesty will attend our Lord Jesus Christ's second coming to this world . The language that is used about the sun, moon, and stars, conveys the idea of some universal convulsion of the universe at the close of the present dispensation.”
powers of the heavens: Readers divide on the powers. Bede takes them as the angels, who tremble at the sight of the judgment. Augustine reads the falling stars as believers who once seemed to shine and then yield to persecutors, with even the strongest of the faithful shaken.
Mark 13:25
“If you examine this whole passage of Scripture from the inquiry of the disciples down to the parable of the fig tree, you will find that it makes sense at every point in connection with the coming of the Son of Man. He will bring both sorrow and joy. The Son of Man is coming in the midst of both calamities and promises, both the grief of nations and the longing of the saints. He is the common element in both.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion 4.39patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:25
“We cannot therefore consider the mere strength of this language a proof that it refers exclusively or primarily to the precursors of the final day, though of course in "that day" it will have its most awful fulfilment.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:26-27
the Son of Man coming in the clouds: Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, words drawn from Daniel 7:13 to 14. It is read as the visible return of Christ, or as a coming in judgment.
Mark 13:26
"And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and majesty." As if it were openly said: They shall see in power and majesty Him whom, placed in humility, they refused to hear, so that they may then feel His power all the more strictly, inasmuch as now they do not bow the neck of their heart to His patience.
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 1patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:26
"The judgment is set, and the books are opened." Who that is guided by the mere words would doubt that this is a description of the Final Judgment? And yet nothing is clearer than that it is not, but a description of a vast temporal judgment, upon organized bodies of men, for their incurable hostility to the kingdom of God upon earth.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Cross references
Mark 13:26
from the four winds: Bede takes the four winds as the world's four quarters. Theophylact notes that the Son sends the angels as the Father does, and draws from it his equality with the Father. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown compare the prophets' pictures of God gathering his people, such as Isaiah 27:13.
Mark 13:27
“By the four winds, He means the four parts of the world, the east, the west, the north, and the south.”
Bede · written before 735 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Mark 13:28-29
learn this lesson from the fig tree: The fig tree teaches the reading of signs. So also, when you see these things happening, know that He is near, right at the door. What is near may be the fall of Jerusalem, the coming of the Son of Man, or both.
Mark 13:28
“Now learn a parable of the fig tree,.... Our Lord was now upon the Mount of Olives, in one part of which fig trees grew in great plenty, and one, or more, might be near, and in view; and it was the time of year, the passover being at hand, for its putting forth: when her branch is yet tender; and soft and opening, through the sap now in motion: and putteth forth leaves; from the branches: ye know, that summer is near; from such an appearance on the fig tree; See Gill on Mat 24:32.”
right at the door: The Berean Standard Bible reads He is near, while Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, following Luke 21:31, take the kingdom of God as what draws near. Theophylact reads it of Christ's coming. He will be summer after winter to the just and winter after summer to sinners.
Mark 13:29
“So ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass--rather, "coming to pass." know that it--"the kingdom of God" (Lu 21:31). is nigh, even at the doors--that is, the full manifestation of it; for till then it admitted of no full development.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:30-31
this generation will not pass away: In this generation will not pass away, genea may mean those then living, and Jerusalem fell within forty years. It may also mean a race, the Jewish people, or the generation alive when the signs begin.
Mark 13:30
“Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass,.... Not the generation of men, in general, or Jews in particular, nor of Christians; but that present generation of men, they should not all go off the stage of life, till all these things be done; which were now predicted by Christ, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the signs of it, and what, should immediately follow upon it; See Gill on Mat 24:34.”
2 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:30
“Whether we take this to mean that the whole would be fulfilled within the limits of the generation then current, or, according to a usual way of speaking, that the generation then existing would not pass away without seeing a begun fulfilment of this prediction, the facts entirely correspond.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Mark 13:30
“This generation - Ἡ γενεα αὑτη, This very race of men. It is certain that this word has two meanings in the Scriptures; that given in the text, and that above. Generation signifies a period of a certain number of years, sometimes more, sometimes less. In Deu 1:35; Deu 2:14, Moses uses the word to point out a term of thirty-eight years, which was precisely the number in the present case; for Jerusalem was destroyed about thirty-eight years after our Lord delivered this prediction.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
My words will never pass away: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown call this the strongest claim of divine authority, words no mere man could say of his own words. Bede holds that heaven and earth will pass away in their present form. Methodius reads it as a change into glory.
Mark 13:31
“Heaven and earth shall pass away,.... Which may be understood either affirmatively, as what will be at the second coming of Christ; or comparatively, rather than any thing said by Christ should; and so shows the certainty and irreversibleness of his predictions, as it follows: but my words shall not pass away; which is true of all the words of Christ he ever spake, and here particularly relates to those he had just delivered, concerning the calamities that should come upon the Jewish nation; See Gill on Mat 24:35.”
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:31
“Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away--the strongest possible expression of the divine authority by which He spake; not as Moses or Paul might have said of their own inspiration, for such language would be unsuitable in any merely human mouth. Warnings to Prepare for the Coming of Christ Suggested by the Foregoing Prophecy (Mr 13:32-37).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Watch: You Do Not Know the Hour
Mark 13:32-33
No one knows about that day or hour: Arian teachers pressed the words nor the Son against His deity. The church read it of His knowledge as a man, holding His true humanity and true deity together.
Mark 13:32
“When his disciples asked him about the end, he said with precision: Of that day or that hour no one knows, not even he himself—that is, when viewed according to the flesh, because he too, as human, lives within the limits of the human condition. He said this to show that, viewed as an ordinary man, he does not know the future, for ignorance of the future is characteristic of the human condition.”
Athanasius of Alexandria · written before 373 · Discourses Against the Arians 3.46patristic
3 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:32
“Of that day - The day of judgment is often in the Scriptures emphatically called that day. Neither the Son - Not as man: as man he was no more omniscient than omnipresent.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Mark 13:32
“Neither the Son - This clause is not found either in Matthew or Luke; and Ambrose says it was wanting in some Greek copies in his time.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Mark 13:32
“Whether it means that the Son was not at that time in possession of the knowledge referred to, or simply that it was not among the things which He had received to communicate--has been matter of much controversy even among the firmest believers in the proper Divinity of Christ.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
you do not know when: The hidden hour has a purpose. Athanasius argues that anyone who knew the day of the end would neglect the time before it. One who does not know is readier each day.
Mark 13:33
The end of all things is concealed from us. For in the end of all is the end of each, and in the end of each is the end of all [on the last day]. Whereas this time is uncertain and always in prospect, we may advance day by day as if summoned, reaching forward to the things before us and forgetting the things behind. For who, if they knew the day of the end, would not disregard the interval? But if ignorant, would they not be more ready day by day?
Athanasius of Alexandria · written before 373 · Discourses Against the Arians 3.49patristic
4 more voices on this verse
Mark 13:33
“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? How apt many of Christ's own disciples are to idolize things that look great, and have been long looked upon as sacred.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Mark 13:33
“Moreover, for our benefit God has hidden the end of life, both of the common life and of each of us individually, so that we, in the uncertainty of this end, might ceaselessly strive, expecting it and fearing lest it find us unprepared.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Markpatristic
Mark 13:33
“How useless is the advice of those simplistic moralists who teach that after death rewards and punishments fall with lighter weight! That is, if any judgment at all awaits the soul! Rather it ought to be assumed that judgment will be weightier at the end of life than during it. For nothing is more telling and complete than that which comes at the very end. So no judgment could be more complete than God's.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On the Soul 33patristic
Mark 13:33
“A person does not go wrong when he knows that he does not know something, but only when he thinks he knows something which he does not know.”
Augustine of Hippo · written before 430 · Letter 199, to Hesychius 52patristic
Mark 13:34-37
instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch: The discourse closes on a man who left his house and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. The last line, I say to everyone: Keep watch, carries the command from the four disciples to all who hear it.
Mark 13:34
“For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, &c.--The idea thus far is similar to that in the opening part of the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14, 15). and commanded the porter--the gatekeeper. to watch--pointing to the official duty of the ministers of religion to give warning of approaching danger to the people.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:34
“The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey - Being about to leave this world and go to the Father, he appoints the services that are to be performed by all his servants, in their several stations. This seems chiefly to respect ministers at the day of judgment: but it may be applied to all men, and to the time of death.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
when the master of the house: Albert Barnes explains that the four times named are the four divisions into which the Jews divided the night. Theophylact applies them to the stages of a life. Evening stands for old age, midnight for the middle of life, and the rooster's crow for the waking of reason.
Mark 13:35
“Watch ye - Be diligent, faithful, and waiting for the return of your Lord, who will come at an unexpected hour. Master of the house - Denoting here the Lord Jesus. At even, or at midnight, or ... - This refers to the four divisions into which the Jews divided the night.”
find you sleeping: Adam Clarke notes that a sleeping doorkeeper leaves the house open to thieves, and he takes the doorkeeper as a picture of the gospel's ministers. Gill describes the sleep as idleness in grace and neglect of duty. The master's arrival will be sudden.
Mark 13:36
“He find you sleeping - A porter asleep exposes the house to be robbed, and well deserves punishment. No wonder that the man is constantly suffering loss who is frequently off his guard. Our Lord shows us in this parable: 1. That himself, ascended to heaven, is the man gone from home. 2. That believers collectively are his family. 3. That his servants are those who are employed in the work of faith and labor of love. 4. That the porter represents the ministers of his Gospel, who should continually watch for the safety and welfare of the whole flock.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
I say to everyone: The discourse was given privately to four disciples, as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown observe, yet its last word reaches all. Augustine asks how a warning for the final generation can bind the dead, and answers that the day comes to each person at death. So every Christian must keep watch.
Mark 13:37
“I say unto all, Watch - This command was proper, not only for those who were expecting the calamities that were soon to come upon the Jews, but for all who are soon to die and to go to the judgment. We know not the time of our death. We know not how soon we shall be called to the judgment. The Son of man may come at any moment, and we should therefore be ready.”
1 more voice on this verse
Mark 13:37
“And what I say unto you,.... The four disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew; who came privately to him, and put to him the questions, which occasioned this long discourse; see Mar 13:3. I say unto all.”
Keep studying
Studies6
People and groups1
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Mark; Athanasius of Alexandria, Discourses Against the Arians 3.49; Augustine of Hippo; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Glossa Ordinaria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Gregory the Dialogist; Hilary of Poitiers, ON THE TRINITY 11.28; J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Mark; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew; John Gill; John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Methodius of Olympus, Methodius From the Discourse on the Resurrection; Origen of Alexandria and Theophylact of Ohrid.