Introductory remarks:
In the last chapter Jesus left off stumping the religious rulers with His answers to their questioning. In this chapter he continues teaching in the temple. This chapter may be outlined as follows: the widow's offering vv. 1-4; the destruction of the Temple foretold vv. 5-6; signs and persecution vv. 7-19; the destruction of Jerusalem foretold vv. 20-24; the coming of the Son of Man vv. 25-28; the lesson of the fig tree vv. 29-33; exhortation to watch vv. 34-38.
The Widow's Offering
(Mark 12:41-44)
Verse 1, "And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury."
LGT "And having looked up, He saw the rich casting their gifts into the treasury."
Jesus was sitting back relaxing after His debate with the Sanhedrim, in which He had thoroughly beaten them down to a frazzle. He looked up and saw the rich making their contributions into the treasury box.
Verse 2, "And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites."
LGT "And He saw a certain poor widow casting therein two lepta."
"He looked up and saw many people flinging their offerings into the Trumpet; and then came a poor widow. All she had in the world was two lepta. A lepton was the smallest of all coins both in size and in value; the name means 'the thin one'. The offering of this widow was almost as small as it could possibly be" (William Barclay).
Verses 3, 4, "And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had."
LGT "And He said, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than all: for all these out of that which was abounding to them, cast into the gifts; but she out of her poverty did cast all the livelihood which she had."
The best manuscripts omit "God" in the next to last phrase. All the others gave from abundance; but this widow out of necessity; her offering was acceptable to the Lord because of her heart attitude. A true gift is measured by what one has left after the giving.
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
(Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2)
Verses 5, 6, "And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down"
LGT "And some were speaking about the temple, that it was adorned with goodly stones and consecrated gifts, He said, These things which ye are beholding, the days will come in which stone upon stone shall not be left, which shall not be thrown down."
Of course we know now that the Lord was speaking of the destruction of the temple by Titus in 70 A.D. As the people stood admiring the great and costly stones and consecrated gifts that were used in the construction of the temple, the Lord made this amazing prophecy. (See Josephus' notes on the exposition on Mark 13:1,2)
Vincent notes:
"Hence of something set up in the temple as a votive offering. Such were the golden vines presented by Herod the Great, with bunches of grapes as large as a man, and mounted above the entrance to the holy place. The magnificent porch of the temple was adorned with many such dedicated gifts, such as a golden wreath which Sosius offered after he had taken Jerusalem in conjunction with Herod; and rich flagons [a large bulging short-necked bottle] which Augustus and his wife had given to the sanctuary. Gifts were bestowed by princes friendly to Israel, both on the temple and on provincial synagogues."
Signs and Persecutions
(Matt. 24:3-14; Mark 13:3-13)
Verse 7, "And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what signs shall come to pass?"
LGT "And they asked Him, saying, Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what [is] the sign when these things are about to take place?"
The disciples are shocked at the Lord's statement concerning the destruction of the Temple. Mark mentions these four disciples by name: Peter, James, John and Andrew. They ask the Lord to give them a sign as to when these things come to pass. They weren't too much different from us today; we are always seeking a sign.
Verse 8, "And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ: and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them."
LGT "And He said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many will come in My name, saying, I am [He], and, The time is near: go ye not therefore after them."
This verse is naturally referring to the destruction of the Temple. There were false teachers who were claiming to be the Christ; actually they were claiming the authority of Christ.
Verse 9, "But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by."
LGT "And when you shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for it is necessary [that] these things take place, but not immediately [is] the end."
Christ is giving assurance to these disciples with the immediate present, that is, the destruction of Jerusalem in view; the end of the age is also in Christ's mind in this Olivet Discourse.
Verse 10, "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."
LGT "Then He was saying to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,"
Here the Lord begins His eschatological discourse of the end of the age. Christ has two time periods in view here; He predicts the apostolic tribulation through the fall of Jerusalem, and the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's Trouble, the seven year period before He comes back to set up His Kingdom.
Verse 11, "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."
LGT "Also great earthquakes in different places, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, there shall be terrors, and there shall be great sights and signs from heaven."
These are all features that will be intensified at His second coming to earth to judge the nations and to set up His Millennial Reign.
Verse 12, "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name sake."
LGT "But before all these things, they will lay upon you their hands, and they will persecute [you], delivering up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing [you] before kings and governors, on account of My name:"
The Lord is definitely speaking to the nation Israel, first and foremost to His disciples, and then generally to the nation.
Verse 13, "And it shall turn to you for a testimony."
LGT "It shall turn out to you for a testimony."
Their loyalty to Christ will be a testimony for them.
Verse 14, "Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:"
LGT "Settle therefore in your hearts not to premeditate to make a defense:"
Christ tells His disciples not to dwell on beforehand what they shall say in their defense before these mentioned above.
Verse 15, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."
LGT "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which shall not be able to reply to, nor to resist all those opposing you."
Christ assures them He will be their power in front of all those who oppose them. The Lord tells them that their wisdom will confound even the wisest of their wise to the extent that they will not be able to give an answer; the same as the spies that the Pharisees sent out to spy on Him. "This was remarkably fulfilled presently after the pouring out of the Spirit, by whom Christ gave the disciples this mouth and wisdom, when the apostles were brought before the priests and rulers, and answered them so as to make them ashamed, Acts 4, 5, and 6" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 16, "And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."
LGT "But you will be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and relations, and friends, and they will put to death [some] from among you."
Christ is telling them what they can expect in the days to come; He is prophesying their future apostolic history, which we will soon cover in the Book of the Acts.
Verse 17, "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
LGT "And you will be hated by all because of My name."
There loyalty to Christ will cause all to hate them for their lack of a defense to combat Christ.
Verse 18, "But there shall not an hair of your head perish."
LGT "And a hair of your head in no way shall perish."
Some will lose their life for Christ sake, but will not lose his soul. The future benefits that lay ahead for them in eternity will make them count all in this life as loss, for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and then lose his own soul.
Verse 19, "In your patience possess ye your souls."
LGT "By your patient endurance gain your souls."
They do not need to worry about death, for it will never win over their souls. No Christian need fear death, for it has lost its sting in the victory Christ won on the cross.
The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold
(Matt. 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19)
Verse 20, "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."
LGT "But when you see Jerusalem being encircled by armies, then know that her desolation has drawn near."
If they wait till Jerusalem is surrounded, it will be too late. "Remember they had asked Him 'When shall these things be? (v. 7) - that is, when one stone would not be left upon another. Well, that took place when Titus the Roman besieged Jerusalem in A.D. 70. I am of the opinion that many of these men, about forty years later, remembered Christ's words when they looked over the battlements of the walls of Jerusalem and saw the banners of Titus' army unfurled, and said, 'This is the day the Lord talked about.' (This same thing will happen during the last days)" (McGee).
Verses 21, 22, "Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled."
LGT "Then the ones in Judea let them flee into the mountains, and the ones in the midst, let them depart out, and the ones in the countries let them not enter into her; because these are the days of avenging, that all things that have been written might be fulfilled."
The ones in the surrounding city are urged to run into the mountains; the ones in the midst of Jerusalem are to depart; the ones in the countries are not to return into Jerusalem. "They were to do then what they are to do in the Great Tribulation Period. They were to get out of Jerusalem as quickly as possible. The great Jewish historian Josephus tells us about the horrible siege of Jerusalem. During the extended blockage of the city, mothers ate their own children. People died like flies, and the dead were thrown over the walls. Those who stayed either died of starvation or were sold as slaves. Again the Lord is drawing a miniature picture of what it is going to be like in the last days. There are those who claim that it could never happen a second time. It happened once, friend; that is a matter of history. The Lord said it would happen, and it did. He said it will happen again, and I believe He is right" (McGee).
Verse 23, "But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon the people."
LGT "But ooiee to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days: for there shall be great distress upon the land, and wrath among this people."
The wrath of God upon His people will be that He has allowed the Roman's to completely destroy their beloved city; and it will be particularly distressful for the women who are pregnant and those with nursing infants.
Verse 24, "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
LGT "And they shall fall by [the] mouth of [the] sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by [the] nations, until the times of [the] Gentiles be fulfilled."
The literal rendering to the first phrase of this verse is and they shall fall by the mouth of the sword, picturing the sword of the Roman soldier as a "devouring monster" (Vincent). This verse also states that there will be limit to the nation Israel's misery. "The Jews were scattered. Titus put them in slavery. They built the great Coliseum in Rome. Great distress and wrath fell upon the nation of Israel. From the day that Titus entered that city, about 1900 years ago, the Jews have never been able to get the Gentiles out of Jerusalem. Gentiles have controlled Jerusalem from the day Titus conquered it until the present day. 'Holy places' in Jerusalem are held by Gentiles. And there stands the Mosque of Omar where their Temple should stand. Our Lord said Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the 'time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.' I have watched Jerusalem for a long time, and it is still trodden down by the Gentiles. The Gentiles are still in Jerusalem. Isn't it amazing how accurate the Word of God is?" (McGee).
The Coming of the Son of Man
(Matt. 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27)
Verse 25, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring."
LGT "And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, at [the] sound of [the] sea and rolling waves."
Here, through verse twenty-eight, the Lord makes a reference to the last days. The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled when the church is raptured and the Great Tribulation begins.
Verse 26, "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."
LGT "Men, fainting at heart from fear and expectation of that which is coming on the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."
This verse is obviously speaking of a time yet in the future. I am sure that some of these things happened in the apostolic age, but it has to refer to the last days. "There are people who quote this verse and say it is a picture of today. My friend, if I may use a common colloquialism of the streets, 'You ain't seen nothin yet.' If you think we are seeing a fulfillment of this verse now, you are wrong. Things are bad today, I agree. Political crises and social distress are cause for great concern, Physical disturbances are overwhelming, but they are going to get much worse in the last days" (McGee).
Verse 27, "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
LGT "And then they shall see the son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
This is at the end of the Great Tribulation Period, for the rapture of the Church is not the second coming of Christ to the earth.
Verse 28, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
LGT "But these things beginning to come to pass, look up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
We must keep this all in the context; Jesus is speaking to His disciples, and this means that Israel is in view; at the end of the Tribulation, they are to look up for their Kingdom is about to be set up by their Messiah who is coming in the cloud with great power and glory. McGee applies this to the Church, which I find rather difficult, seeing that this is speaking of the Second Coming of the Lord to the earth.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
(Matt. 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-31)
Verse 29, "And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees,"
LGT "And He spoke a parable to them; Behold the fig tree and all the trees:"
For a complete exposition of this parable see Matthew 24:32-35. The fig tree represents Israel, and all trees the Gentile nations.
Verse 30, "When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand."
LGT "When already they sprout, looking [on them] of yourselves, you know that already summer is near."
Israel will once more become a nation to be dealt with. They are scattered at the present, but in the last days when they accept their Messiah, they will become a nation, and Christ will return and set up the Davidic Kingdom.
Verse 31, "So like wise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is at hand."
LGT "So also ye, when you see these things coming to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near."
This verse makes it very obvious that it is referring to the last part of the seven years Tribulation, and not the apostolic persecutions. The kingdom of God has yet to be set up; this is obvious to premillenialists; but to those who spiritualize the Scriptures, the kingdom of God is not physical. A person has to decide whether or not they want to accept a dispensational understanding of the Word, or chooses to be a covenant theologian, and take everything spiritual rather than literal.
Verse 32, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."
LGT "Verily I say to you, that in no way will this generation have passed away, until all shall have taken place."
Some teach that Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem; however, it can only apply as a type of the last days. The term "this generation" obviously is referring to the generation that will be on the earth when Jesus comes the second time at the end of the Tribulation. For all the events above described will happen very rapidly.
Verse 33, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."
LGT "The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words will in no way may pass away."
Jesus utters these words immediately after His prediction in verse thirty-two. Jesus adds His stamp of veracity to all His words, that is, nothing could be truer.
Exhortation to Watch
Verse 34, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
LGT "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be laden with corruption, and drinking, and anxiety of life, and suddenly that day should come upon you"
The Greek word for "surfeiting" Kraipale which has in its meaning intoxication; but is more a parallel with the hangover the next day caused by the intoxication; so it means the nausea and headache caused by the drinking and the stupidity of it. They are warned to be prepared for the great day of the Lord.
Matthew Henry notes:
"The indulging of the appetites of the body, and allowing of ourselves in the gratifications of sense to an excess: Take heed lest you be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness. The immoderate use of meat and drink, which burden the heart, not only with the guilt thereby contracted, but by the ill influence which such disorders of the body have upon the mind; they make men dull and lifeless to their duty, dead and listless in their duty; that stupefy the conscience, and cause the mind to be unaffected with those things that are most affecting [distressing]. The inordinate [excessive] pursuit of the good things in this world. The heart is overcharged with the cares of this life. The former is the snare of those that are given to their pleasures: this is the snare of the men of business that will be rich. We have need to guard on both hands, not only lest at the time when death comes, but lest at any time our hearts should be thus overcharged. Our caution against sin, and our care of our own souls must be constant."
Verse 35, "For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth."
LGT "As a snare: for it shall come upon all the ones who are sitting upon the face of all the earth."
The phrase as a snare is joined to the last verse, for it completes the last sentence of that verse. When Christ returns to the earth to judge the nations, He will gather together the elect from the face of all the earth; here He is giving them a warning to be vigilant and ready for that awful Day of the Lord.
Verse 36, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
LGT "But watch at every season, praying, in order that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, which are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
The only way a person will make himself or herself ready during the time of the end is no different than it is today; they must receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. The ones who are living when Christ returns are urged here by Christ for them to stay sober and watch; but most important of all is to make themselves prepared by believing He is returning. No man or woman will escape that terrible Day of the Lord.
Verse 37, "And in that time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives."
LGT "And He was by day in the temple teaching, and by night going out, He was lodging in the Mount, the one called Olivet:"
Jesus returns to teaching in the Temple, as His practice was; it was the most important thing He could possibly do for any people, especially His children.
Barnes notes on Christ's routine:
"The whole example of Jesus goes to show the importance of beginning the day with God, and of lifting up the heart to Him for direction, for the supply of our wants, and for preservation from temptation, before the mind is engrossed by the cares, and distracted by the perplexities, and led away by the temptations of this life. Commencing the day with God is like arresting evil at the fountain; prayer at any other time, without this, is an attempt to arrest it when it has swollen to a stream and rolls on like a torrent. Let the day be begun with God, and the work of piety is easy. Let the world have the ascendancy in the morning, and it will be likely to have it also at noonday and at evening."
Verse 38, "And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him."
LGT "And all the people came early in the morning to hear Him in the temple."
McGee wrote, "Many of us would have liked to be in that number to hear Him." I personally am satisfied with hearing Him through His written Word; remember He said, Blessed are the ones who will believe who have not seen Me. The early risers were the serious hearers, for it corresponded with the habits of our Lord. A fit ending to this section, that is, chapters twenty and twenty one.
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