“Impressed” 4-3-22
Overview
Impressed by the Wrong Things
The Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Khalifa—humanity has always known how to build things that take our breath away. In Jesus' day, Herod's temple was that kind of structure: massive stones, gleaming columns, decades of craftsmanship. So when the disciples walked out and exclaimed, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" their awe makes perfect sense. But Jesus was unmoved. "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another" Mark 13:1-2. What dazzled them did not impress him—and notably, this was the last time he would ever enter or leave that temple.
When the disciples pressed him privately for signs and timetables, Jesus did not satisfy their curiosity. He gave a warning instead: "Beware that no one leads you 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" Mark 13:5-7. Christians can become so preoccupied with decoding the headlines that we miss our actual calling. We are not meant to read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, jumping in our backyards waiting to be taken up. Knowing the precise timing of the end is not our work. Each of us, in our own life, already lives in our own end times. What matters is faithfulness now.
What should impress us is the gospel itself. Jesus died an unimpressive, humiliating death—bleeding, suffering, hanging cursed outside the city—and in that death he absorbed every wicked thought and word and deed we have ever produced. The grandest temple cannot save anyone; the greatest deed cannot remove a single sin. But Christ, having taken our sin upon himself, rose triumphant, and unlike the temple that was destroyed and never rebuilt, he lives. Then he built something more impressive still: the Church, his body, into which we are joined through the waters of baptism and the proclamation of good news Mark 13:10.
That mission is unfinished. Christ has not yet returned in the clouds with great power and glory Mark 13:26-27, which means the work of his Church continues. Paul reminds us that our very bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:19, and that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved"—but they cannot call on one of whom they have not heard, and they cannot hear without someone to proclaim him Romans 10:13-15. So this week, do not be distracted by impressive sights and sounds, or alarmed by wars and rumors of wars. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to the people God places in your path, and share with them the one truly magnificent thing: his act of redemption for all.
Transcript
If you would open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark 13, chapter, it's on page 43 in the 3s
Pew edition of the Bible that is Mark 13 on page 43. 11s
The Taj Mahal. 18s
It took 21 years to build. 20s
It was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. 23s
And it's believed that it took about 1,000 elephants to transport the building materials. 29s
It took the efforts of 22,000 laborers, painters, embroidery artists, and stone cutters 36s
to shape the Taj Mahal. 45s
In all 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlayed into the white marble. 48s
The Eiffel Tower. 58s
Its current height stands at 183 feet. 61s
The total weight of the Eiffel Tower is 10,100 tons. 65s
The number of rivets used is 2,500,000. 71s
The number of iron parts, 18,038. 76s
It took two years, two months, and five days to build. 82s
The Boot Burj Khalifa that is the tower in Dubai took five years to build. 90s
It cost $1.5 billion. 97s
It stands more than 160 stories high. 103s
The window cleaning to wash the 24,348 windows. 109s
The building has three horizontal tracks. 117s
The top of the building is cleaned by a crew that uses ropes to descend from the top 121s
to gain access. 127s
Under normal conditions, when all building maintenance units are operational, 129s
it takes 36 workers three to four months to clean the entire exterior. 136s
Harrod's temple built over decades. 146s
Tower 15 stories high. 151s
It had outer quartz. 154s
It had columns and colonades. 156s
Some of the blocks of stone that were used to build Harrod's temple were 37 feet long. 158s
18 feet wide and 12 feet high. 165s
The temple was one of the most impressive man made structures. 169s
We see these buildings, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the tower in Dubai, 177s
and we are impressed. 187s
The day of Jesus, they had the temple and it was impressive. 191s
And this portion of the Gospel of Mark, 198s
we're going to see a lot of responses and a lot of being impressed. 201s
And what the appropriate responses are. 208s
It begins with the disciples and Jesus' response to this impressive temple, 212s
beginning in verse 1 of chapter 13. 219s
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 222s
look, teacher, what large stones and what large buildings. 226s
Then Jesus asked him, do you see these great buildings? 233s
Not one stone will be left here upon another. 238s
All will be thrown down. 242s
Jesus had a very different response to the large grandiose, 246s
impressive building that was the temple. 251s
He wasn't impressed with its greatness. 256s
He wasn't impressed as the disciples were. 260s
What's really interesting to note here is as they are leaving the temple 265s
and the disciples are exclaiming how impressive it is and wondering 269s
at the massive stones that it's built with, 274s
this is the last time that Jesus would ever enter or exit the temple. 280s
This is the last time that he would be in the temple and he's telling them 287s
it's going to be gone. 294s
It's going to be gone. 296s
We continue in verse 3. 298s
When he was sitting on the mount of olives opposite the temple, 299s
Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 304s
tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign that these things are about to be 308s
accomplished? 314s
So the fact that Jesus is not only not super impressed by the temple but that he's saying 315s
it will be gone, this news impresses the disciples. 322s
They want it explained more. 326s
They want the details. 329s
They want to know how this will happen, how they will know that it's going to happen. 331s
They're saying, what do you mean? 337s
How could this, this impressive structure, the temple of all temples, 338s
be destroyed, they want the details. 343s
And so Jesus responds to them in verse 5. 348s
Then Jesus began to say to them, 352s
beware that no one leads you astray, many will come in my name and say, 354s
I am he and they will lead many astray. 360s
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. 364s
This must take place, but the end is still to come. 370s
This is a very interesting response from Jesus. 376s
Instead of answering their questions, 381s
he warns them. 385s
He goes into a warning, beware no one leads you astray. 387s
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. 393s
This must take place, but the end is still to come. 398s
Those are impressive words. 406s
The warnings, the signs, all of this, has rung throughout history. 411s
And every war or rumor of war, any time, anything comes up in history. 419s
It brings many people to their knees, not in prayer necessarily. 426s
But in fear that this may be the end. 434s
And there are threads within the Christian church in which the entire theology is built 441s
around being impressed with knowing when and how the end time will come. 448s
It is built around reading the signs. 457s
Tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished? 461s
Then Jesus began to say to them, beware, beware that no one leads you astray. 469s
Many will come in my name and say, I am he and they will lead many astray. 477s
When the disciples are asking questions when and what will the signs be, 485s
Jesus responded with a warning. 492s
Don't get distracted. 496s
As a Christian people, we are not called to be distracted. 500s
We are not called to read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other, 506s
trying to decipher exactly when the end is coming about. 512s
There was an interview I heard with a pastor, a Lutheran pastor who previously was part of a different 518s
Christian denomination. And he was so entuned with figuring out and deciphering the times 527s
that he was sure. He was sure it was happening and he went out in his backyard and he said, 535s
he's embarrassed sharing this story. So I'm glad I get to share it with you. 542s
He said he went out into his backyard and he literally jumped into the air expecting that he would be 545s
taken up. He said, when I landed, I was a Lutheran. 553s
Don't get distracted. Don't get led astray. 562s
Jesus was not telling the disciples that there will be wars and rumors of wars in order 572s
to get them straight in a different path. He wasn't telling them in order to impress them. 581s
He was telling them as a warning not to get distracted. Knowing when, when the end times are, 589s
is not of greatest importance because when it comes down to it, you, 601s
every one of you and myself, we are all in our own end times. 608s
What our response to wars and rumors of wars should be is in the section that follows. 618s
We're going to draw out specifically verse 10 where he says, and the good news must first be proclaimed 626s
to all nations. So let's take a second here. Let's just take a moment and talk about what is 635s
truly impressive and what we should truly be impressed by. What's impressive is the good news. 643s
The good news that must be proclaimed to all the nations. What is the good news? 651s
See Jesus, Jesus died a very unimpressive death. Jesus died quite a humiliating death. 659s
They did bleeding all over suffering. Just the smells, the sight hanging on a cross outside of the city. 669s
Hanging cursed by God, hanging as a curse. And his death enveloped every single one of our sins. 683s
His death enveloped every single one of our wicked thoughts and deeds. Think for just a moment. 701s
Think for just a moment the nastiest thing that has ever crossed your lips. 712s
Think for a moment the most base thought that has run through your mind. 720s
Those are removed from your soul eternally because Jesus took it upon himself when he hung upon the cross. 731s
We could build the grandest temples. We could build the most glorious structures. 751s
And they're nothing. They would do nothing to save us. 764s
We can do the greatest deed. We can help the lowest of the low. 770s
And it does nothing to save us. 779s
It does nothing to take away our sin. 785s
The Christ. 790s
Christ took away our sin. Christ humbled himself. Humbled himself and came into our flesh into our humanity. 793s
And he took our sin upon himself. 806s
An unlike the temple which was to be destroyed and never rebuilt. Jesus died in the weight of our sin. 811s
Never to be destroyed. He rose triumphant victorious over our sin, over the death that he gave himself to. 827s
And he rose triumphant impressively winning salvation for all of us. 842s
And then he did something more. He built something more impressive that no one else has or could 853s
ever build. He built the church. John Dunroat, the church is Catholic universal. So are all 865s
her actions. All that she does belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me. 877s
For that child is thereby connected to that head which is my head too. And then crafted into that 885s
body which I am a member. How has the church been built? We go back to verse 10. The good news 893s
being proclaimed to all the nations and baptizing all who come to faith in the waters of forgiveness, 902s
the waters of salvation, the waters which join us together in one body. 913s
Wars, rumors of wars, the destruction of the temple, all of that has happened. 920s
Wars, rumors of wars, they continue to happen. But we know the end has arrived when Christ comes again 931s
in his glory. Verse 26, then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and 945s
glory. Then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 954s
Look around. Christ has not yet returned to gather us. We are still here. 965s
That means the church that Christ has built is not complete in mission. 975s
Paul writes, do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you? 984s
Our mission as the church as temples of God's own spirit is not finished in Romans. 990s
We hear further explanation of what our mission is. Romans 10, for everyone who calls on the 1002s
name of the Lord shall be saved. That's good news. That is good news. But how are they to call 1012s
on one in whom they have not believed and how are they to believe in one whom they have never heard? 1020s
And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him? Unless they are sent 1027s
as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 1034s
So faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. 1042s
Our mission as God's called people as God's church in his one spirit, his one body, 1052s
our mission is not finished. As we enter the mission field this week, don't get distracted by 1063s
wars and rumors of wars. Don't get distracted by the impressive sights and sounds. 1072s
Keep your eyes, your ears, your heart open to the mission to which you have been called. 1082s
Keep your eyes open to those opportunities to which God brings you where you can share 1093s
his impressive, a magnificent act of redemption for all. 1101s