{"id":255,"date":"2011-11-24T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2011-11-24T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/?p=255"},"modified":"2012-02-21T11:33:30","modified_gmt":"2012-02-21T16:33:30","slug":"mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html","title":{"rendered":"Mark 13:24-37 – Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Matthew L. Skinner<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Here comes Black Friday, even earlier than usual<\/a>. Bell-ringers are appearing outside stores. Advertisers are shifting the consumerism-as-therapy machine into high gear. And Christians say: This is a good time to think about the world falling apart.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not trying to be morose. We\u2019re starting Advent.<\/p>\n

The season of Advent (four Sundays preceding Christmas) traditionally begins, not with backward-looking remembrances of circumstances surrounding Jesus\u2019 birth, but with eerie images of cosmic mutations and grand promises of a future in which Jesus plays — to put it mildly — a noticeable role. Don\u2019t wear the tacky Christmas sweater just yet; track shoes and a hazmat suit may capture the mood better.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Advent\u2019s watchwords are preparation and waiting. It\u2019s about looking outward and ahead. It\u2019s time for Christians to declare that God\u2019s previous incursion into human affairs through Jesus Christ is not the end of the story but the foundation for a future hope of God bringing ultimate promises to fruition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Advent Is About Preparing To Recognize Jesus<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s really a shame how passages such as Mark 13:24-37<\/a> have been arrogated by the \u201cLeft Behind\u201d camp and others<\/a> who view the Bible as an encrypted map of the future, leaked by God to code-breakers, who derive from it a deity who\u2019s itching to snuff out the multitudes. Instead, this passage orients us to the future in a very different way, and for different ends.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 instruction here is part of a much longer speech. Notice the words \u201cafter that suffering\u201d: he has just described a situation of awful destruction, persecution, and sacrilege. The themes and imagery make this speech similar to other literature of the time, literature meant to interpret current events and political circumstances.<\/p>\n

What great devastation is he talking about? He\u2019s not predicting the Greek economic mess or the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 current season; his words must have resonated with those who knew (firsthand or from reports) of the siege of Jerusalem, which effectively ended the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 C.E<\/a>. The first readers of the Gospel according to Mark likely read it as the fumes of ruin — and failed promises — still hovered in the air. The war had been a time when many Jews (including some who were Christian) expected divine intervention, believing God was ushering in a new order.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus deliberately separates<\/em> his description of the war from his statements about his future reappearance. His point? The war — and perhaps every other war to be waged — will not be the occasion by which God\u2019s intentions come to fullness.<\/p>\n

Why was the war a false<\/em> sign of God\u2019s activity? Perhaps the war\u2019s end, another decisive Roman victory, indicated as much. But I think it\u2019s the means of the war that\u2019s the problem. Jesus will not exercise power like the world\u2019s rulers and would-be rulers do. He won\u2019t be changing the world with conventional tools and tactics.<\/p>\n

False signs remain everywhere; they are events and trends we rely upon to inform our ultimate hopes or fears. Consider Iran joining \u201cthe nuclear club,\u201d the death of Osama Bin Laden, the recommendations of the congressional \u201csupercommittee,\u201d or the outcomes of the \u201cArab Spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Important stuff, those things. But we Christians are still waiting and watching. We suspect God has other ways.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t find hope (or worry) in certain large-scale political developments. We do. Still, if we expect our pet political and social causes get to be identified (exclusively) as God\u2019s causes, we\u2019re mistaken. If the change we seek for the world embraces new forms of dominance over others, then we\u2019ve missed the point. Those revolutions will not be theologized. Jesus\u2019 speech instructs us to direct our vision elsewhere to find signs of God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

The outcome is not just about waiting for another physical appearance of Jesus in the future, although some Christians put great stock in that hope. I think it\u2019s also (and more fruitfully) about patiently and watchfully training our attention on where Christ might be manifested today. And so in Advent we ask where Christ and his message are apparent within — and outside! — of Christian communities. Where are God\u2019s desires becoming actualized? We may be surprised.<\/p>\n

Consider the unfolding Occupy movements. Is God at work throughall<\/em> their aspects? Probably not. But do they manifest God\u2019s activity in some aspects? People of faith are keenly attentive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Watch the ON Scripture Video:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

<\/object><\/p>\n
\n

In the early morning hours of Nov. 15th, Mayor Bloomberg ordered a police raid to clear Zucccotti Park of the Occupy Wall Street protesters who had camped there for almost two months. Faith leaders and protesters congregated nearby to contemplate their next step.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Advent Is Dangerous<\/strong>
\nThe impulses behind Advent should alarm those who are overly enamored with the current system (who probably number more than 1%), as well as any others who are overly confident in their ability to engineer what\u2019s best for the world.<\/p>\n

Advent expresses the insistence that all is not right in our societies. That\u2019s a dangerous expression. Stoking hopes for a new world order, for justice really<\/em> to be for all, usually implies that old systems, governments, and loyalties aren\u2019t what they\u2019re cracked up to be.<\/p>\n

Notice: the transformation anticipated in Mark 13:24-37<\/a> is such a monumental and all-encompassing upheaval, its description must resort to symbolism. The symbolism is unnerving, even though it was familiar to ancient audiences. It suggests that, in the face of the God\u2019s desires coming to full fruition, every other power (symbolized by sun, moon, and stars) receives notice and sees its light go out. No aspect of human existence goes untransformed when God enters in for good.<\/p>\n

The claims of Advent should rattle all who benefit from exploitative and domineering forms of power. This means a lot of us, of course.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Advent Is Busier Than It Looks<\/strong>
\nWaiting and watching for Jesus in our midst is not about passivity. His words in this passage commend readiness and alertness, not patient inactivity.<\/p>\n

Everything I learned about waiting I learned as a kid waiting to be picked up by my mother. Whether I was at school or soccer practice, I couldn\u2019t stand it when she was late. Today, I could use a cellphone to find out where she is. Then, I had to cope by doing all I could to lessen the distance or the time between me and her, wherever she was. I walked to the corner in the direction from which she would drive. I squinted, looking for the right car color or headlight tint. All my senses were fixed on the road.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of waiting this passage has in mind, an active waiting that has come to know full well that the one who is coming is recognizable, even before fully arriving.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 message about his appearance encourages advocacy, not idleness. Expectancy means looking alertly for opportunities to come alongside Christ and embody Christ\u2019s purposes in the present, as well as in the future. We expect he\u2019s all around us.<\/p>\n

For us living north of the equator, it makes sense that Advent coincides with winter\u2019s dimmest and longest nights. We light candles, whose tiny, pathetic flames stand defiantly against the night. They say: No matter how much waiting — and working — lies between now and the dawn, we are not giving up hope.<\/p>\n


\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Learn more about the ON Scripture Editorial Board Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

Learn more about ON Scripture Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

Like ON Scripture Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow ON Scripture Click here <\/a><\/p>\n

ON Scripture is made possible by a generous grant from the <\/strong>Lilly Endowment<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Matthew L. Skinner Here comes Black Friday, even earlier than usual. Bell-ringers are appearing outside stores. Advertisers are shifting the consumerism-as-therapy machine into high gear. And Christians say: This is a good time to think about the world falling apart. We\u2019re not trying to be morose. We\u2019re starting Advent. The season of Advent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":465,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[84,36,38,33,34,10,98,99,67,37,35],"class_list":["post-255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-ows","tag-advent","tag-christmas-season","tag-gospels","tag-holidays","tag-matthew-l-skinner","tag-mayor-bloomberg","tag-nyc","tag-occupy-wall-street","tag-shopping","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nMark 13:24-37 - Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas - ON Scripture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mark 13:24-37 - Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas - ON Scripture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  By Matthew L. Skinner Here comes Black Friday, even earlier than usual. Bell-ringers are appearing outside stores. Advertisers are shifting the consumerism-as-therapy machine into high gear. And Christians say: This is a good time to think about the world falling apart. We\u2019re not trying to be morose. We\u2019re starting Advent. The season of Advent…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ON Scripture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-24T15:00:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-02-21T16:33:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2011\/11\/Mathew-Skinner4.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mark 13:24-37 - Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas - ON Scripture","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mark 13:24-37 - Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas - ON Scripture","og_description":"  By Matthew L. Skinner Here comes Black Friday, even earlier than usual. Bell-ringers are appearing outside stores. Advertisers are shifting the consumerism-as-therapy machine into high gear. And Christians say: This is a good time to think about the world falling apart. We\u2019re not trying to be morose. We\u2019re starting Advent. The season of Advent…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html","og_site_name":"ON Scripture","article_published_time":"2011-11-24T15:00:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-02-21T16:33:30+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2011\/11\/Mathew-Skinner4.jpg"}],"author":"Odyssey Networks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html","name":"Mark 13:24-37 - Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas - ON Scripture","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2011\/11\/Mathew-Skinner4.jpg","datePublished":"2011-11-24T15:00:48+00:00","dateModified":"2012-02-21T16:33:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/378ff98df1bd7df2dbc812937bbae6fa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2011\/11\/Mathew-Skinner4.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onscripture\/files\/2011\/11\/Mathew-Skinner4.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/2011\/11\/mark-1324-37-advent-one-of-those-dangerous-religious-ideas.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mark 13:24-37 – Advent: One of Those Dangerous Religious Ideas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/","name":"ON Scripture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Odyssey Networks","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/378ff98df1bd7df2dbc812937bbae6fa","name":"Odyssey Networks","description":"Odyssey is the nation's largest multi-faith media coalition with over 100 members, including faith groups, organizations and individuals. Our stories explore a wide range of issues including peace, tolerance, social justice and the environment. Our Mission: To use electronic media to enrich spiritual life and build bridges of understanding among people of faith. Our Method: Telling stories of faith in action. Stories changing the world. Odyssey Networks is a service of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc., established in 1987.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.odysseynetworks.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/author\/yyuce"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/465"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1104,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions\/1104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}