Stones to Be Thrown Down: Mark 13:1-2

Mark 13:1‑2  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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As Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple, one of them said to Him, “Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
But even the disciples did not seem to understand that those great stones and all inside were not meant simply to be admired. Its purpose was to teach all who looked at the temple that the Lord of all the earth was to be honored there. The stones taught of His wisdom and power, for He had created them.
God’s Meeting Place
But most of all, God had said He would meet with His people there and speak with them. They could come there in sorrow or joy and pray to Him. Even a stranger, one of another nation, could come there to pray, or if the people were in trouble in a faraway land, they were to pray with their faces toward the temple (2 Chron. 6:5, 29, 32, 385Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: (2 Chronicles 6:5)
29Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: (2 Chronicles 6:29)
32Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; (2 Chronicles 6:32)
38If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: (2 Chronicles 6:38); Dan. 6:1010Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10)).
It was there that the scrolls of the Scriptures were kept and copied and read to the people, and where they praised God with music.
So no matter how far away people of Israel lived, the temple, or house of God in Jerusalem, was the most important place on earth to them. And we can understand the sorrow of the disciples when Jesus said to them, “Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Reason to Destroy the Temple
When God sent His Son Jesus to that nation, as the prophets had said, He came to the temple (Mal. 3:11Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)) and must have been there many times. He told them God’s words and that He was from God, and He proved by His wisdom and miracles that He was the promised Messiah. Yet the leaders would not believe Him and were soon to have Him put to death.
That was why the great temple would be broken down. The Lord Jesus fulfilled in His death all the sacrifices, and those who trust Him come to God by Him (Heb. 9:1414How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)).
It is not written that Jesus told the disciples when the temple would be destroyed — only that it surely would take place. After His return to heaven, the disciples went to the temple to speak to people. The last mention of the building was when Paul was there (Acts 21:3030And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. (Acts 21:30)). But from history by men, we know that temple was entirely broken down in battle in 70 A.D., and many people were made slaves. That was about 35 years after Jesus said those words.
The Jewish people have never since had a temple in Jerusalem. The building now on that hill is in honor of a false prophet and called the Mosque of Omar.
Further Meditation
1. What kind of access do we have to God’s presence today?
2. For more on worship today, consider Five Letters on Worship and Ministry in the Spirit by W. Trotter.
3. You will find a fascinating historical account of these times in Josephus: The Essential Writings.