Questions Jesus Asks on the Way to the Cross

Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” Mark 13:2

There is something about an awareness of our mortality that helps us clarify what really matters. Jesus had that kind of clarity as he approached his death on a Roman cross. Coming out of the Temple, Jesus’ disciples could not help but be impressed with the sheer size and elaborate beauty of the Temple in Jerusalem.

At about the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod was finishing an expansion and beautification of the Temple. Ancient reports describe it as a true wonder. Herod’s expansion was not to glorify God. His construction projects were intended to show off his greatness and to bring revenue to his kingdom as wealthy Romans came for holidays at the port and luxurious city he built on the Mediterranean called Caesarea Maritima and then on to Jerusalem to see the impressive architecture of his palace, fortresses, and the Temple. Need I mention that his ambitious building projects were built upon the backs of the common people?

We can understand why Jesus’ disciples marveled at these great buildings and imagined they would stand forever. Jesus knew the truth: human efforts at greatness and immortality built from a place of arrogance and injustice will always fall short. Not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down. Jesus was right. In just a little over three decades from the time of Jesus’s crucifixion, Herod’s Temple was destroyed. And yet, Jesus who spent just a couple of years teaching and healing from village to village, and who only ever built a team of disciples from among common folks, continues to be a living presence that changes lives with the indomitable force of Divine grace and peace.

What do you find impressive? Are you giving your life to something that really matters and will endure?



Yours in Christ,

Marc