Day 310 – Mark 13

Talking Points

• False teachers and false prophets are a promised reality; we will be faced with them! We are to see to it that no one misleads us. That means we are going to have to be careful and diligent. Most of all, we must know the Scriptures.
• Believers will endure harsh treatment in the last days. The gospel will become an ever-increasing point of division. Jesus says even family and friends will turn on those who follow Christ. He is clear — this relentless persecution will be to the point of death.
• Christ’s followers are to be looking for His returning. While no one will know the exact time of Jesus’s coming, He gives signs to watch for that will indicate its nearness. Look at the urgency in the language — “when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door” (Mark 13:29).
• It is important to see that Jesus is careful and deliberate to warn His followers of things to come. He wants to make sure we are informed and ready. It is a great act of wisdom and kindness to prepare us for what is ahead.
• Notice the condition, “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations,” in verse 10. The Creator God is a God of grace and love. He truly desires that none should perish and that His followers would go out into all the world proclaiming the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation!

Thoughts

When you play tennis, one of the integral parts is staying in “ready position.” It means that you are alert with your eyes up; your racket head is up, your knees are bent, and your weight is on the balls of your feet — you are ready for whatever might come at you, ready to move. This stance, if you’re doing it right, is also one of the more exhausting components of being a successful tennis player.

As I read through this chapter and saw how many times Jesus tells us we must be, stay, and keep “on the alert,” I can’t help but think of the ready position. The word for alert translates “watchful, aware, and discerning.” On a tennis court, the players must always be watchful and aware, constantly knowing where the ball is and where the other players on the court are. They must also be discerning, looking for and determining what is going to happen next, and ready to move. A player caught flat-footed or not paying attention will struggle to get the win.

The same is true for believers as we walk through this life in the days before Jesus’s return. Jesus warns us against being caught flat-footed or “asleep” (13:36). We must be watchful, aware, and discerning. We’ve got to be paying attention to what is going on around us and urgently moving in the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

May we stay in ready position, ready to move. May we pray for strength to help us bear up under one of the more exhausting components of being His disciples. May we remember how integral this part is in being successful in winning souls to Christ.