This passage from the lectionary, Mark 13:1-8, is known as the little apocalypse. While no fan of apocalypse, or Revelation — Tim Reardon is no fan, more accurately, of all the bad interpretations of it. He confesses to having read several “Left Behind” books when younger, before learning that there was another way of reading Revelation. For the majority of the history of the church Revelation was not read in the manner of “Left Behind”.

Apocalypse can be difficult to understand. It’s a foreign genre to us, though common at the time of Jesus’ life. We don’t know the rules. Surprisingly, these were originally texts of hope, written to provide another vision of the world for people suffering and oppressed. In apocalypse, worldly power is turned on its head, and God’s justice reigns, assuring the vindication of the oppressed.

In Mark’s little apocalypse, Jesus is speaking in realistic terms about what lies ahead for his friends and disciples, trying to prepare them. He reminds them that God will be with them through it all.

Jesus’ warnings here are not a condemnation, but a lament of what is to come. He is reading the signs of the times. A bit later, as Jesus makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he weeps, “if only you knew….the things that lead to peace.”

Hear more as Tim describes Jesus as speaking to the church as people on a journey, carrying good news of peace.