St Mark Chapter XIII : Verses 14-23
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| Christ speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem. J-J Tissot |
[15] And let him that is on the housetop, not go down into the house, nor enter therein to take any thing out of the house:
[16] And let him that shall be in the field, not turn back to take up his garment.
[17] And woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days.
[18] But pray ye, that these things happen not in winter.
[19] For in those days shall be such tribulations, as were not from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, neither shall be.
[20] And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect which he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
[21] And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; lo, he is here: do not believe.
[22] For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect.
[23] Take you heed therefore; behold I have foretold you all things.
[14] Cum autem videritis abominationem desolationis stantem, ubi non debet, qui legit, intelligat : tunc qui in Judaea sunt, fugiant in montes : [15] et qui super tectum, ne descendat in domum, nec introeat ut tollat quid de domo sua : [16] et qui in agro erit, non revertatur retro tollere vestimentum suum. [17] Vae autem praegnantibus et nutrientibus in illis diebus. [18] Orate vero ut hieme non fiant. [19] Erunt enim dies illi tribulationes tales quales non fuerunt ab initio creaturae, quam condidit Deus usque nunc, neque fient. [20] Et nisi breviasset Dominus dies, non fuisset salva omnis caro : sed propter electos, quos elegit, breviavit dies. [21] Et tunc si quis vobis dixerit : Ecce hic est Christus, ecce illic, ne credideritis. [22] Exsurgent enim pseudochristi et pseudoprophetae, et dabunt signa et portenta ad seducendos, si fieri potest, etiam electos. [23] Vos ergo videte : ecce praedixi vobis omnia.
Notes
14. when you shall see. This must be understood to mean, “when you shall see the signs that shall he the precursors of the abomination.” Jesus now replies vaguely to His disciples’ question, when shall these things be ? by pointing out certain “ signs.”
abomination of desolation. This is a reference to Dan. ix. 27 : The victim and the sacrifice shall fail ; and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation; and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation and to the end. Most commentators agree that these words apply —
а) To the Roman eagles, which were set up on the very site of the Temple.
(b) To the horrible immoralities, murders and sacrileges perpetuated by the Zealots (see Zealots, Part IV.).
St Luke clearly connects the abomination of desolation with the armies of Rome, since he says, And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with an army ; then know that the desolation thereof is at hand. (xxi. 20).
he that readeth , let him understand. Some writers consider these words as inserted parenthetically by the Evangelist, others take them as the words of Christ, exhorting His disciples to meditate on the prophecy of Daniel. Our Lord often introduced such parenthetical clauses, e.g. He that hath ears to hear , etc., and again in this very chapter, verse 22 (if it were possible).
then : when they see the predicted signs.
let them that are in Judea , etc. Eusebius relates that the Christians received supernatural warnings when they were to flee, and that St Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, with many Christians, fled to the territories of King Agrippa, particularly to Pella beyond the Jordan. This warning must refer to when Callus besieged the city in Oct. a.d. 69, since, when Titus encompassed it, there was no means of escape. It may refer, however, to the time when the Christians should hear that Titus’ army was near at hand, and the abomination was likely to be set up in the holy city. St Luke develops this counsel further : Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains : and those who are in the midst thereof depart out ; and those who are in the countries , not enter into it (xxi. 21).
unto the mountains: where the numerous caves would afford them shelter.
15. not go down into the house : because flight was too urgent. Those on the tops of the houses could escape by passing over the roofs, but as each housetop was marked off by a fence, this would have impeded their flight, or they could descend by the exterior staircase. They were not to flee laden with goods, but to leave all, as men whose lives are at stake.
16. him that shall be in the field. The labourer would put off his “abba” or outer cloak while working in the fields. This he was to leave behind and escape as he was. Both verses 15 and 16 express the extreme haste of the flight.
17. woe to them that , etc. These tribulations would be terrible for women and children, because the former could not escape so quickly from the dangers, and also because, whereas in most wars the women and children are protected, in the destruction of Jerusalem they would be treated most barbarously. Our Lord may also be referring to the awful famine that was experienced at the time of the siege, when mothers devoured their own children.
18. not in winter. When the streams inundate the land, and would thus hinder their flight, while the cold of winter would add to their sufferings. The first siege of Jerusalem, headed by Gallus, was in October, in a fine season. This siege was raised, and the Romans effectually renewed their attack the following April. Hence these things happened not in the winter. St Matthew adds or on the Sabbath , probably on account of the prohibition to go further than 2000 cubits on the Sabbath day. Though the Jewish converts were not bound by this law, still in the earliest ages of Christianity it was necessary to make some concession to Jewish customs and prejudices, and things which were lawful were not always expedient for Christians. The law concerning a “ Sabbath day’s journey ” did not hold good when life was at stake, but the more rigid Jews refused to accept this relaxation of the traditional precept.
19. For in those days, etc. From this verse to the 23rd inclusive, we have a passage which has excited much controversy. Commentators are not at all agreed as to what it refers. Three opinions are put
forward —
(a) It refers, like the preceding six verses, to the destruction of Jerusalem.
(b) It refers exclusively to the end of the world.
(c) It concerns both, inasmuch as the destruction of Jerusalem and its awful tribulations are typical of the greater tribulations which must precede the last day. Therefore these verses have a double signification.
shall be such tribulations , etc. Josephus uses almost these very words. “ The misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world , if they be compared to those of the Jews, are not so terrible as theirs were .... nor did any age ever produce a generation more fruitful in wickedness from the beginning of the world .... nor did it on any account so much deserve condemnation, as by producing such a generation of men as were the occasion of this its overthrow.”
20. had shortened: generally understood to refer to the number of the days, though a few interpret this to mean that the days should be diminished in length, as it once happened at Josue’s command, when he said, Move not, O sun, toward Gabaon, nor thou, O moon , toward the valley of Ajalon, and the sun and the moon stood still till the people revenged themselves of their enemies (Jos. x. 12, 13).
no flesh should be saved. Two meanings are assigned to these words. Some writers understand them to refer to the total extermination of the Jews, unless the Lord had shortened the days : others apply the words no flesh to all men, and conclude that if God had not determined to shorten the duration of the tribulations which must precede the last judgment, even the elect would not be able to persevere.
for the sake of the elect : for the sake of those who love and serve God. The elect has been variously interpreted —
(1) The Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity.(2) Those Jews who should be converted to Christianity after the fall of Jerusalem.(3) Those descendants of the Jews who should embrace Christianity.(4) The whole body of the Church militant that shall live to witness Christ’s second coming.
he hath shortened the days, — i.e. in His divine counsels, since Christ was referring to an event to come. Writers see the fulfilment of these words (as applied to Jerusalem) in the fact that —
(1) The Zealots by their folly hastened the downfall of the doomed city, since they burnt the provisions which would have enabled them to withstand the siege.
(2) They killed those who could have ably conducted the defence of the city.
(3) They abandoned their impregnable towers.
(4) They consumed their energies in intestine feuds and wars.
(5) The Romans for their part “ shortened ” the days of the siege by their rapid movements and energetic measures. Thus Titus enclosed the city by a wall five miles in length and built thirteen fortified garrisons in the brief space of three days. The final siege did not last quite five months.
Note. — Those writers who see in verse 20 only a reference to the last day argue that the events mentioned above merely hastened the doom of the unfortunate Jews, and that the “elect” (the Christians) were not thereby relieved, since they fled to the mountains and were not in Jerusalem during those days of bloodshed, and that the “converted Jews” could not, by the smallness of their numbers, be considered to constitute the elect.
21. if any man shall say, etc. These words warn the Apostles against the impostors who shall arise, of whom St Paul writes, Let no man deceive you by any means : for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of ‘perdition. . . . For the mystery of iniquity already worketh ; only that he who now holdeth do hold, until he be taken out of the way : And then that wicked one shall be revealed whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy, with the brightness of his coming, him, whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs , and lying wonders (2 Thess. ii. 3, 7-9).
22. there will rise up, etc. Josephus relates that when the Temple was in flames, about 6000 men were put to death who had followed one of these false prophets, and gathered together by his orders.
23. Take you heed therefore. As the disciples were prepared for these tribulations, their faith would not waver. By His timely warnings, Jesus had marked out their line of conduct in the hour of danger and consoled them by His promises. The Apostles, except St John (who was not in Judea then) did not live to see the destruction of Jerusalem, and the words take you heed were written for those who should witness the beginnings of sorrows that were to fall upon the doomed city and for those who shall live till the end of the world.
Additional Notes
14. the abomination of desolation. Various interpretations have been given of this passage : —
(a) The Roman armies encompassing the holy city.(b) The murders and awful crimes committed by the Zealots during the siege.(c) The Roman eagles floating over the site of the Temple as a sign that Jerusalem had fallen into the hands of idolaters.(d) The abominations practised by the Romans on the very site of the Temple.(e) The statue of either Titus or Caesar which was put up in the Temple.(f) The equestrian statue of Adrian placed in the Holy of Holies.
Note I. — “ a , b, c, d ” have greater weight than “ e ” with most commentators.
Note II. — Concerning “ e” and “f” MacEvilly writes: “ The placing of Caesar’s statue happened before our Redeemer spoke these words, and that of Adrian was placed there after the destruction of Jerusalem, and could not therefore serve as a warning to leave a city that was to be destroyed ” ( Commentaries , p. 450). St Matthew refers to the abomination of desolation as “ spoken by Daniel the prophet .” Daniel has several allusions to the abomination of desolation ; notably, “ they shall defile the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the continual sacrifice : and they shall place there the abomination unto desolation ” ( Dan. xi. 31). “ And from the time when the continual sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination unto desolation shall be set up,” etc. (xii. 11). “ In the half of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fail: and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation : and the desolation shall continue even to the consummation, and to the end ” (ix. 27). The first two texts refer to the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes when he set up the statue of Zeus on the altar. This sacrilege led to the successful revolt of the Machabees, The third text quoted is “ the abomination of desolation ” referred to by our Lord, and Josephus himself interprets this as referring to the destruction of the Temple. “ Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them” (Antiq., x, 11. 7).
Causes of the destruction of Jerusalem.
(1) Remote cause. The crimes of the Jewish nation in ill-treating and murdering the prophets, and in rejecting and crucifying the Son of God.
(2) Proximate cause. ( a ) The exactions and tyranny of Gessius Floras, the Roman procurator, which led to the revolt of the Zealots, who refused to pay tribute to Rome.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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