Mark 13:1

Mark 13:1 says, And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!  After Jesus and His disciples came out of the Temple, one of His disciples asked Jesus to look at the Temple and marvel at how great it was.  This disciple was focused on the beauty of the Temple, and not what was going on inside it.  As Christians, sometimes we can be focused on the beauty of a church building more than we are on what goes on inside it.  Some church buildings may be very simple, or maybe even run down looking, but the people inside the building may be the most dedicated to God that anyone can be.  We need to be careful that we don't hold churches with beautiful buildings and large memberships in higher esteem than we do those with the simplest church building and a small membership, and the building should never become our main focus of concern.  Whatever it looks like, even if the members are gathering in the homes of its members, the focus should be on what is going on with those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and who gather together to worship and serve God.   Verse two adds, And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  Jesus then answered the disciple by saying that these great buildings would one day be totally destroyed.  That is why we shouldn't begin to overly admire the church building.  Just like the Temple then, one day all these beautiful church buildings, if not totally destroyed, will be left behind when Jesus Christ returns to claim His church, those who have put their faith in Him, no matter what the church building looks like.  Verse three continues, And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, After Jesus said that the Temple would be destroyed, four of His disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, came and asked Him when this would happen.  They still didn't understand when He said He was going to die, and they didn't understand His statement about the Temple.  We cannot understand what the Bible is about if we do not understand that Jesus Christ died for our sins and accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse four concludes, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?  These disciples wanted a sign to show them when these things would happen, and many Christians are still looking for a sign today that Jesus is returning soon, but we are told not to worry about the time, because only the Father knows when the time will be right.  Verse five states, And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: Verse six adds, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Jesus warned them not to be deceived. Jesus said many would come claiming to be Christ, and they have and still do, but that the disciples should not be deceived by them.  As long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the world can never deceive us.  Verse seven continues, And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.  Verse eight concludes, For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. Then, Jesus spoke about things that sound like the news today, wars and rumors of war, nation rising against nation, earthquakes in place where earthquakes don't normally occur, and famine and troubles in the world.  We see news of these each day, and many people even experience them personally.  Jesus said that we are not to be troubled, because these things must occur, but the end is not yet, but these are the beginnings of sorrows.  So, when we hear of all these things, are we troubled, or do we simply continue to put our faith in God?  Do we spend more time talking about all these bad things, or more time sharing the Gospel?  I believe that if we truly believe that we are close to the time of Jesus's return, we should be reaching out to the lost with an urgency that we may have never felt before.