This coming Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent in the new Liturgical Year. This gospel reading begins with “But of that day or hour…” clearly referencing something already mentioned. Our Sunday passage does not include the first two verses of what scholars hold should be part of the pericope (narrative) of the passage:

“30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32  But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:30–32)

The referent of “that day or hour” is when Heaven and earth will pass away, presumably in the shaking of all things, which is to introduce the second coming. The expression “that day” is frequently found in OT passages announcing the day of God’s appearance (e.g. in Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Joel, and Zechariah). Here it designates an indeterminate date which remains the Father’s secret. Many hear an echo of  Isaiah 34:4: “…The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll, and all their host shall wither away, As the leaf wilts on the vine, or as the fig withers on the tree” – recalling the “Lesson of Fig Tree” from Mark 13:28-31.

While the expression “pass away” would naturally bring to mind an apocalyptic moment, the emphasis here, however, is not on the apocalyptic prediction, but on the permanence of Christ’s words. This is also a thought of Isaiah, which Mark equates with the words of Yahweh in the Old Testament: “Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Lutheran Pastor Brian Stoffregen notes that hundreds of generations have passed away and Jesus has not yet returned. Some maintain that Jesus made a mistake, but Jesus also indicates that he has no idea when the end will come. The first generation of Christians expected Jesus’ return in their lifetimes. Paul did (1Th 4:15). This expectation would have been even more important to Mark’s readers, for his narrative ends with Jesus being absent – there is only a promise that they will see him back in Galilee.

R.T. France argues that Jesus’ words need to be taken at their face value as a prediction of the destruction of the temple within that generation. In contrast to France, another approach to these verses is to note that every other time that Jesus uses the word “generation” (genea) in Mark, it refers to “unbelieving, adulterous and sinful people” (8:12, 38; 9:19). So, it could be that Jesus is saying that we will never be rid of unbelieving, adulterous and sinful people until that day when Jesus brings in the new heaven and new earth. No matter how hard we try to convert all the peoples of the world – and that is part of our calling while waiting – there will always be those people who will not believe — people whose lives bring pain and destruction to others. Perhaps similarly, there may be no hope of living in a world this side of the Parousia where there will not be wars and rumors of wars; nations rising up against nations; earthquakes and famines (13:7-8).

Stoffregen notes that all this leads him to think about those who are so concerned about this earth, e.g., the pollution problem; or fantasizing about life in heaven without having their life centered in the Word, are dreaming about temporary things. “There is a person I know who is great at arguing against using paper and plastic products or the wrong kinds of soap, etc. in order to protect our environment (and I think such concerns are good), but she doesn’t come to any Bible Studies. She doesn’t attend adult Sunday school classes. It would seem that she is making some important secondary concerns primary, rather than centering on the one thing that will last.”

Image credit: Christ taking leave of the Apostles, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1381| Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena | Public Domain US