Fifth Discourse in Matthew: The End?

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
“Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. ~ Matthew 24:1-14

 The good news is as epic as it gets, with universal theological implications, and yet the Bible tells it from the perspective of fishermen and farmers, pregnant ladies and squirmy kids. This story about the nature of God and God's relationship to humanity smells like mud and manger hay and tastes like salt and wine...It is the biggest story and the smallest story all at once--the great quest for the One Ring and the quiet friendship of Frodo and Sam. 
~ Rachel Held Evans, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again


Jesus sounds in these verses (as well as the rest of Chapter 24) a little like the writers of Left Behind, and it is easy to wonder about this chapter.

 It's easy to wonder specifically where the good news is.
And it's important to resist reading this chapter as literal instructions for 21st century Christians.

 When these words were written, the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans and most of Jesus' followers had already been put to death. There was a lot of reason for pessimism.

 But there were also plenty of reasons for hope.

 Despite the persecution of the early church, Christianity began to spread. It spread often most spectacularly among those who were persecuted. It spread among those whom the rest of society ignored: the marginalized.

 It was spread by the marginalized, the outcasts, and the ones usually left behind.

 And it kept spreading.

 Which is where the good news of this passage lands.

 The good news will be proclaimed throughout the world, Jesus tells us.

 Everywhere.

 The good news is epic.

 That's where he lands. All that suffering and violence that begins this passage? That's not the last word.

 The last word is that the good news is for the world. 

 And the world will get it.

Meditation: What signs of life do you see amidst the bad news that shows up in your newsfeed each day?

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