“…ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars…” Mark 13:7, 8
What were the questions the disciples asked Jesus? “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” (Mark 3:4). When and when. Hearing about the destruction of the temple brought to their minds all sorts of catastrophic prophecies they have heard. They compiled these together and came to a single conclusion: THE END IS NEAR.
But so far Jesus hasn’t given much insight as to when. He’s already warned them against deception. Now he speaks of wars. He says they will hear of wars and reports (or rumors) of wars. He doesn’t deny they’re coming. He doesn’t warn against spreading unverified information. Instead he tells them not to be troubled when they hear of them. They’re going to happen. There’s no stopping them. Of course we should be concerned for the victims of war, but keep your head.
Bad times tempt people to fear the world is falling apart. It doesn’t matter if it’s a military uprising, political manipulation or an economic upheaval. It could be social unrest or the mass undermining of morality. We tend to put ourselves in the same rut, declaring again and again: THE END IS NEAR.
Jesus demands a different conclusion: The end is not here yet. He repeats himself in verse eight, expanding on what he said in verse seven. Still no hint of when. Just an indication that these kinds of events will be the beginning of sorrows. And in the following verses he gives some clear ideas of what form these sorrows will take (stay tuned).
So, the disciples have received two items of instruction thus far: 1) Don’t be deceived, even by those who claim to come in his name; and 2) The end will not be heralded by big headlines in the evening news. They are bound to happen as a matter of course. The end is not yet. And the clear implication is that he’s already told us what business (preaching the Good News) we are to occupy our time with. So keep at it.