Mark 13:5-13

Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecution Foretold

‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

Today is the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. Tradition says that Mark was the founder and first Bishop of the church in Alexandria, Egypt and was martyred there on this day in the year AD 68. 

Mark is not thought to have known Jesus personally, but he probably did know Saint Peter who is the source of the material in his Gospel. Mark was the first Gospel to be written and Matthew and Luke borrow much of their material from him – including this particular passage (Matthew 24:4-14; Luke 21:8-19).

Mark (and Matthew) describe the wars and earthquakes and famines that are sometimes seen as heralding the end of the world as “the beginning of the birth pangs”. In Morna Hooker’s commentary on Mark’s Gospel it states that “the rabbis spoke of the sufferings which would precede the end as ‘the birthpangs of the Messiah’ and it is possible that the phrase was already a semi-technical one in the first century.”

At the end of a week when we have been reading about the phenomenal growth and development of the Early Church on Acts 2, it is sobering to be reminded that suffering and death were part of the story for the first Christians too. Like birth, new beginnings are sometimes preceded by pain and loss – as the paschal mystery of crucifixion and resurrection also reveals.

The birth of the Early Church wasn’t all bliss and joy. There was trauma and devastation as well. Saint Mark was killed for his faith, as were many of the other Christian evangelists of his time. It’s important that we remember his death today and give thanks for the Gospel he gave birth to.

Blessings as we remember that our present trials perhaps mirror what the early church also experienced metaphorically. Be safe!  Be well!  He is Risen!

 To Ponder:

• When have you experienced ‘birth pangs’?
• Are there people you know whose experiences it is important to write down or record for future generations?