The pictures of
disaster and alarm continue. The descriptions are of events that, as Morna
Hooker (The Gospel according to Saint Mark) puts it, bring – “terrible suffering for those involved” but are “like
many other disasters which have taken place in the course of history”.
The risk with such passages is that we
apply them to current events and draw conclusions that are neither needed nor
appropriate. I am writing these notes at a time of pandemic and many are
wondering what are the implications, both short and long term, of the current situation
as we talk about a ‘new normal’, but at a point where it has not arrived as
things are still some distance from settling down. History is full of difficult
stuff that hurts people and, in some ways, this is simply stating that. As
Christians we rightly assert that all things are in God’s hands, but it is
invariably unhelpful to try and find hidden meanings or make predictions around
what particular events imply. It is good to be alert. It is good to look for
what we should be doing and saying, but that should not include attempting to predict
the course of history.
The reference to the coming of the Son of
Man is a way of promising God’s care. Mark here addresses his readers, originally
the members of the relatively early church, very likely facing the possibility
of persecution and, as Hooker says – “this passage is an assurance that,
whatever sufferings they may have to endure, their faithfulness to Jesus will
be rewarded on the Last Day, when they are acknowledged by the Son of Man.” We
all sometimes go through periods of distress but, come what may, God is with
us.
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