Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Mark Chapter 13
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:1-8
13:1And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! 13:2And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.
13:3And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 13:4Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished? 13:5And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. 13:6Many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and shall lead many astray. 13:7And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled: these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. 13:8For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the beginning of travail.
May 15, 1949: Mark 13:1-2
Does the person who possesses a sound organism and a fine physique have a good prospect of long life and continued health? Other things being equal, he has; but this is no guarantee. Continued health and a long life depend on the keeping of the law of life. Flagrant disregard of the laws of health results in a breakdown of the body, with failure of the various organs to do their appointed work. “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.”
March 5, 1944: Mark 13:3-10
What significance attaches to the statement that Jesus “sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple”? The Mount of Olives represents the exalting of divine love and wisdom in consciousness. God's idea of man in expression (Jesus) viewing the body (Temple) in the consciousness of divine love and wisdom, foresees what is to overtake the materialized body of man (the temple desecrated by being turned into a market place).
“Tell us, when shall these things be?” To what do “these things” refer? Jesus had just been foretelling the destruction of the Temple. The disciples wished to know when this would take place. Since the Temple represents the body of man, its destruction represents the death of the body.
Why did Jesus warn them, “Take heed that no man lead you astray”? Because wisdom requires us to keep our thoughts constructive by contemplating life rather than death.
Are “wars and rumors of wars” a reliable sign of impending death to the individual? Only in so far as wars represent discord and inharmony, mental states that disrupt peace and well-being of the body.
Is life a universal or a limited expression of God? It is universal, but it may become limited in the consciousness of the invisible creation.
Do wars, earthquakes, and famines serve as true portents of what is in store for us? Such calamities are not signs except in a negative sense. They show that the race has not yet learned to exercise the dominion that it is capable of exercising, when it learns to develop the power that is its innate heritage.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:9-13
13:9But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them. 13:10And the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. 13:11And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit. 13:12And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 13:13And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:14-23
13:14But when ye see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not (let him that readeth understand), then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains: 13:15and let him that is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out his house: 13:16and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak. 13:17But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! 13:18And pray ye that it be not in the winter. 13:19For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be. 13:20And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 13:21And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there; believe it not: 13:22for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect. 13:23But take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:24-27
13:24But in those days, after that tribulation,
the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light,
13:25and the stars shall be falling from heaven,
and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken.13:26And then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 13:27And then shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:28-31
13:28Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; 13:29even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors. 13:30Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until all these things be accomplished. 13:31Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 13:32-37
13:32But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 13:33Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 13:34It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch. 13:35Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning; 13:36lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 13:37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
May 28, 1933: Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Please explain. This saying emphasizes the need of perseverance. Man needs to hold steadfastly to the way of life that Jesus outlined for him, regardless of all deflecting influences.
In this lesson, what is meant by man's “sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants”? Each man's inner life is his “house.” He controls its activities and sets over it his servants, will, desire, hope, faith, and so forth. When he withdraws his attention from this inner realm and devotes himself to business, he sojourns “in another country.”
What is the meaning of the injunction “Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh?” When the external interests of man are satisfied or their demands met, he turns back immediately to his house, the seat of his real life. Fortunate is the “lord of the house” whose faculties are kept alert and actively engaged in carrying out the will of the higher self.
March 5, 1944: Mark 13:31-37
Why are prayer and watchfulness enjoined on us? Because they connect us with inner springs of power and prepare us for whatever may come. Through prayer and watchfulness we learn to live life well and truly, and have no fear.
What point is seen in the repetition of the word “watch”? To be continually on the alert is never to be taken by surprise, but to be ready for emergencies and able to meet them in a way that preserves poise and mental balance.
May 15, 1949: Mark:13:28-37
What does study of the fig tree teach us? That we can learn to predict certain effects from certain natural causes by observing and studying the causes and effects until we understand the law that governs. As budding branches are a sign of the rising of the sap and the coming of spring, so a clear complexion and a springing step are signs of physical health. Likewise negatively, a sluggish condition of the body indicates disease or a tendency toward ill-health.
Why do true words not “pass away,” that is, become inapplicable to changed conditions or circumstances? Because they are based on principles that govern life and are known to be universal.
If heaven and earth are destined to pass away, what is to remain to prove the truth of these principles? The inner universe of causes, which we designate as Divine Mind, will always remain, since it is eternal and infinite, subject to no limitations of either time or space.
Is the ability to foretell the future a desirable development of our perceptive powers? Not unless we “foretell” a future to whose realization we ourselves are prepared to devote the full force of our thought and effort, as when we strive to become proficient in our life-work and persevere in our preparation for it and our pursuit of it. We can cultivate an awareness or quickened sense of law, until we become able to foretell events that are immediately impending. “When ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.”
Why are watchfulness and prayer necessary with respect to our future? Since prescience is as yet a largely undeveloped power in us, this lack is compensated for by watchfulness and prayer both of which make the mind alert and resourceful in unforeseen emergencies and situations to which our human faculties prove unequal.
In the last part of today's text to what correspond the house, the servants, the porter, and “the lord of the house”? The “house” is the body, the “servants” the faculties, the “porter” the intelligence or mental endowment in charge of the body and its activities; “the lord of the house” is the higher law of life, the Spirit of life, that governs the human being.
If the faculties are lethargic and the mind dulled by the ascendancy of sense desires, do they respond to the higher law of life, the call of the Spirit? No. Such a condition makes the one in whom it prevails unresponsive to spiritual stimuli.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-21-2014
