Sermon Seeds: All Thrown Down

Sunday, November 17, 2024
Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost | Year B
(Liturgical Color: Green)

Lectionary Citations
1 Samuel 1:4-20 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10 OR Daniel 12:1-3 and Psalm 16 • Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25 • Mark 13:1-8
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?z=p&d=85&y=382

Focus Scripture: Mark 13:1-8
Focus Theme: All Thrown Down
Series: Here I Am…Testing and Tested (Click here for the series overview.)

Reflection
By Cheryl A. Lindsay

I received a bouquet of flowers recently. It was a delightful surprise. Red and pink roses along with one single yellow flower (I believe a goldenrod) brightened the peninsula in my kitchen. I cut the flowers down and arranged them in a glass vase. In a few days, the flowers began to drop, and even released a few petals. I attempted to extend the life of the bouquet by doing a small fresh cut on the flowers. It worked, and I could even see a couple of the flowers rebound. Still, cut flowers have a shelf life no matter how many fresh cuts are made to keep them going.

They are beautiful in their time even when taken from their natural environment, but they do not last forever. The falling petals signal the transition from life to death and from vitality to decay. Still, knowing how this process inevitably evolves, I still love flowers. I know that I will enjoy them for a brief time, and I appreciate every moment of it. So much of life proves to be like that…full of temporary and fleeting moments to be relished and enjoyed even though they may not last long. Along with the delight of those moments is the assurance that we can plant flowers and replace what has been lost when we have the right seeds and are ready to do the work of nurture and care to build a new bouquet.

How different would our understanding of our faith be if our gathering as an assembled community found sanctuary in a garden rather than a building?

The gospel reading begins with a jarring exchange between Jesus and one of his disciples. The disciple admires the beauty of the buildings as they exit the temple, and Jesus assures them that every stone would be thrown down.

Mark 13:1–2, formally a chreia, or pronouncement story, signals a shift to a new location: as Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple, an unnamed disciple praises its magnificence: “Teacher, look at the great stones and the great buildings!” (13:1b). After the implicit and explicit criticisms leveled by Jesus against the temple and priesthood in 11:1–12:44, the disciple’s comment seems rather foolish. Jesus’s prophetic reply is ominous: “Do you see these great buildings? Not a stone upon a stone will be left that won’t be destroyed!” (13:2). As with his previous utterances against the temple, Jesus’s words are in the tradition of the Israelite prophets who foretold the destruction of Solomon’s temple (cf. Isa. 43:28; Jer. 7:1–15; 23:10–12; 26:18; 52:12–23; Ezek. 10:1–22). The phrase “a stone upon a stone” particularly echoes the wording of Hag. 2:15–16a LXX: “And now call to mind, from this day backward, before the placing of a stone upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, what sort of people were you?” (cf. Collins 2007, 602). The Markan prophecy thus envisions a reversal of the building of the postexilic temple, and a reversion to the desolation of Israel without a sanctuary (cf. Hag. 2:15–19).
Mary Ann Beavis

The building of the temple is a frequent theme within the biblical narrative. For a people whose identity is highly rooted in their most transitory time as articulated in the Exodus narrative, the shift from worship in a tent to a temple cannot be underestimated in importance and formation for the people. The temple represented stability, permanence, and sustainability. The temple noted that the people had a home, certainly, and security. Yet, those feelings were illusionary. As Jesus noted, the buildings were made of stones, and stones can fall just as petals of that bouquet I admired so much. The distinction is that I expect those petals to fall. The stones suggest that the structure will last forever. But what lasts forever?

Mark 13:1–37, the eschatological discourse (or “little apocalypse”), is the last of the four blocks of teaching material that punctuate the Gospel. In particular, it corresponds to 4:1–34, the teaching in parables. There is an especially close literary relationship between these two sections. On the one hand, the parable chapter repeatedly enjoins the audience to “hear” (akouete) the significance of Jesus’s teaching (4:3, 9, 15–16, 18, 20, 23–24, 33; cf. 4:12); in Mark 13, on the other hand, Jesus tells his disciples to “see” (blepete, vv. 2, 5, 9, 23, 33) or watch out for (agrypneite, v. 33; grēgoreite, vv. 34–35, 37) the signs of the times (vv. 2, 7, 21, 26, 29). The bracketing of the Gospel by these two extended discourses suggests a functional parallel between them, for Mark 4:1–34, like Mark 13:3–37, is prophetic. That is, in the overall dramatic structure of the Gospel, Mark 4:11–12 is oracular, the delivery of a prophecy that will be fulfilled in what follows: “Seeing they might see and not perceive, hearing they might hear and not understand, lest they repent and be forgiven” (Isa. 6:9–10). From this point on, the themes of seeing, hearing, perceiving, and understanding are repeated throughout the narrative. Different characters—including the disciples—show varying degrees of “blindness” and insight into the significance of events surrounding the advent of the reign of God: “Like the oracles in Graeco-Roman plays, novels, and biographies, Mark 4:11–12 foretells early on the course of events in the rest of the narrative” (Beavis 1989, 164–65).
Mary Ann Beavis

The image of all the stones from the beautiful architecture reflects violence, destruction, and defeat. The devastation will be total and complete. Any place that will be needed and used in the future will need to be rebuilt from scratch. For a people expecting that their Messiah would usher in a time of peace and prosperity, Jesus’ teaching begins the deconstruction by breaking down their hopes of an easy future that does not require them to participate in their own salvation.

The people will need to reconnect to the lessons of exile. They will be tested by humbling, perceived setbacks. It’s easy to glorify the name of the Holy One when surrounded by evidence of power, privilege, and prosperity. It’s a hard test to follow the journey to the cross or to remain faithful while living in the midst of ruins.

The chapter takes a turn from this dire prediction to another caution: beware of false prophets and false narratives and know that difficult days are to come. The disciples ask him when the stones will be all thrown down; they want a sign. Jesus does not give them a direct answer. Still, his warning suggests that this will not be a one-time event but a progression in the redemptive story. At the same time, there is a word of hope that the impending devastation will serve not as an end but as a pain-filled beginning.

“Watch” characterizes Mark’s ethical stance (Donahue and Harrington, 378). The inclusion of this ethical/exhortation component makes this chapter practical and immediately applicable. It also caused James A. Brooks to conclude that Mark 13 “combines two literary forms, apocalyptic and testamental” (Brooks, 204). This fusion enables Mark to achieve his purpose for this chapter: keep eschatological hope alive while balancing it with vigilance (Donahue and Harrington, 378). His message to his readers is clear: This is not the end. It is only birth pangs, and they are just as unpredictable as labor. So, keep awake!
Raquel S. Lettsome

New flowers require new seeds. For a seed to become a flower, the seed must die to itself and give way to the life within it. For the seed, it’s completely devastating. For the garden, it is necessary and routine labor. Life moves forward in these cycles of life, death, new life. This is true for the human story and all creation.

At the same time, while the tests and trials humanity faces may be equivalent to birthing pangs, we would do well to remember that birth is a dangerous act. It is not as simple as digging holes in dirt, dropping seeds, covering them, and watering them until they grow. Birth is risky and can be deadly for both the one giving birth and the one being born. Birthing the good news into the world can be dangerous and life-threatening. In political climates that threaten the well-being and the safety of those who are othered because of race, gender, disability, age, and sexuality, bringing truth to life is a costly and dangerous act of resistance. In social environments when the comfort of the privileged remains the priority over the survival of the oppressed, false prophets will manipulate and corrupt the gospel for their own ends while claiming their falsehoods are uttered in the name of Jesus. In a world that prefers the easy lie over the hard truth, being a truth teller is as precarious a calling as prophets in exile.

Throw down the stones. Let them fall and disintegrate into dust. Let us uncover the facade of politeness and niceties that seeks a cheap suppression of conflict rather than a true peace that comes from repentance, repair, and reconciliation. Let the buildings built on the backs of enslaved, enforced, and undercompensated labor crumble under the burden of wickedness. Let the pretense of harmony dissipate so that all voices may be heard, recognized, and celebrated. Let us commit to becoming doulas and midwives who come forward and give their strength, power, encouragement, and hands to the painful, dangerous, messy, determined, and glorious work of bringing forth new life, new hope, and a new world.

Reflection from Voices of People of African Descent
The 33rd General Synod adopted a Resolution to Recognize the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). As part of its implementation, Sermon and Weekly Seeds offers Reflection from Voices of People of African Descent related to the season or overall theme for additional consideration in sermon preparation and for individual and congregational study.
“Kindness eases change.
Love quiets fear.
And a sweet and powerful
Positive obsession
Blunts pain,
Diverts rage,
And engages each of us
In the greatest,
The most intense
Of our chosen struggles.”
― Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Talents

For Further Reflection
“Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.” – Julia Morgan
“The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche.” – Cesar Pelli
“Architecture is about trying to make the world a little bit more like our dreams.” – Bjarke Ingels

Works Cited
Beavis, Mary Ann. Mark (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011.
Lettsome, Raquel S. “Mark.” Gale A. Yee, Ed. Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Two Volume Set. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.

Suggested Congregational Response to the Reflection
This sermon series invites us to explore the call to Christian discipleship and to examine our response. Invite the congregation to consider their public witness to truth.

Worship Ways Liturgical Resources
https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/after-pentecost-26b-november-17/

The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology (lindsayc@ucc.org), also serves a local church pastor, public theologian, and worship scholar-practitioner with a particular interest in the proclamation of the word in gathered communities. You’re invited to share your reflections on this text in the comments on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SermonSeeds.

A Bible study version of this reflection is at Weekly Seeds.