Marcos 13

ARC · Chapter 13/16

1E, saindo elle do templo, disse-lhe um dos seus discipulos: Mestre, olha que pedras, e que edificios!

2E, respondendo Jesus, disse-lhe: Vês estes grandes edificios? Não ficará pedra sobre pedra que não seja derribada.

3E, assentando-se elle no monte das Oliveiras, defronte do templo, Pedro, e Thiago, e João e André lhe perguntaram em particular:

4Dize-nos, quando serão essas coisas, e que signal haverá quando todas essas coisas se houverem de cumprir.

5E Jesus, respondendo-lhes, começou a dizer: Olhae que ninguem vos engane;

6Porque muitos virão em meu nome, dizendo: Eu sou o Christo: e enganarão a muitos.

7E, quando ouvirdes de guerras e de rumores de guerras, não vos turbeis; porque assim importa fazer-se; mas ainda não será o fim.

8Porque se levantará nação contra nação, e reino contra reino, e haverá terremotos em diversos logares, e haverá fomes e alvoroços. Estas coisas serão o principio de dôres

9Mas olhae por vós mesmos, porque vos entregarão aos concilios e ás synagogas; sereis açoitados, e sereis apresentados ante presidentes e reis, por amor de mim, para lhes servir de testemunho.

10Mas importa que o evangelho se pregue primeiro entre todas as gentes.

11Quando pois vos conduzirem para vos entregarem, não estejaes solicitos d'antemão pelo que haveis de dizer; mas, o que vos fôr dado n'aquella hora, isso fallae; porque não sois vós os que fallaes, mas o Espirito Sancto.

12E o irmão entregará á morte o irmão, e o pae o filho: e levantar-se-hão os filhos contra os paes, e os matarão.

13E sereis aborrecidos por todos por amor do meu nome; mas quem perseverar até ao fim esse será salvo.

14Ora, quando vós virdes a abominação do assolamento, que foi predito, estando onde não deve estar (quem lê, entenda), então os que estiverem na Judea fujam para os montes.

15E o que estiver sobre o telhado não desça para casa, nem entre a tomar coisa alguma de sua casa;

16E o que estiver no campo não volte atraz, para tomar o seu vestido.

17Mas ai das gravidas, e das que criarem n'aquelles dias!

18Orae pois, para que a vossa fugida não succeda no inverno;

19Porque n'aquelles dias haverá uma afflicção tal, qual nunca houve desde o principio da creação, que Deus creou, até agora, nem tão pouco haverá

20E, se o Senhor não abreviasse aquelles dias, nenhuma carne se salvaria; mas, por causa dos escolhidos que escolheu, abreviou aquelles dias.

21E então, se alguem vos disser: Eis aqui está o Christo: ou, Eil-o ali está: não o acrediteis.

22Porque se levantarão falsos christos, e falsos prophetas, e farão signaes e prodigios, para enganarem, se fôr possivel, até os escolhidos.

23Mas vós vede; eis que d'antemão vos tenho dito tudo.

24Ora, n'aquelles dias, depois d'aquella afflicção, o sol se escurecerá, e a lua não dará o seu resplendor,

25E as estrellas cairão do céu, e as forças que estão nos céus serão abaladas.

26E então verão vir o Filho do homem nas nuvens, com grande poder e gloria.

27E então enviará os seus anjos, e ajuntará os seus escolhidos, desde os quatro ventos, da extremidade da terra até á extremidade do céu.

28Aprendei pois a parabola da figueira: Quando já o seu ramo se torna tenro, e brota folhas, bem sabeis que já está proximo o verão.

29Assim tambem vós, quando virdes succederem estas coisas, sabei que já está junto ás portas.

30Na verdade vos digo que não passará esta geração, até que todas estas coisas aconteçam.

31Passará o céu e a terra, mas as minhas palavras não passarão.

32Porém d'aquelle dia e hora ninguem sabe, nem os anjos que estão no céu, nem o Filho, senão o Pae

33Olhae, vigiae e orae; porque não sabeis quando chegará o tempo.

34Como o homem, que, partindo para fóra da terra, deixou a sua casa, e deu auctoridade aos seus servos, e a cada um a sua obra, e mandou ao porteiro que vigiasse;

35Vigiae pois, porque não sabeis quando virá o senhor da casa; se á tarde, se á meia noite, se ao cantar do gallo, se pela manhã,

36Para que não venha de improviso, e vos ache dormindo.

37E as coisas que vos digo digo-as a todos: Vigiae.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and describes signs that would precede the end, including wars, persecutions, and false prophets, closing with the exhortation to watch, for no one knows the day or the hour.

Explanation

This discourse, given on the Mount of Olives facing the temple, responds to the disciples' admiration of the massive stones of the building, which would indeed be torn down by the Romans in 70 AD, fulfilling Jesus' prediction. The mention of the 'abomination of desolation... standing where it ought not' points to a desecration of the temple, a theme already present in the book of Daniel, associated both with an imminent historical crisis and with a broader pattern of spiritual crisis. Jesus repeatedly insists that no one should be deceived by false christs or despair in the face of wars and catastrophes, for these things 'must happen' before the final end. The closing parable about the master of the house who travels and leaves his servants in charge reinforces the chapter's central theme: constant watchfulness and responsibility, not anxious calculation of specific dates.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'let the reader understand,' inserted in the middle of the prophecy about the abomination of desolation, is a rare direct comment from the narrator within Jesus' own words, suggesting a special alert for the gospel's earliest readers.
  • The four disciples who ask the question privately — Peter, James, John, and Andrew — form the innermost group mentioned by Mark, the first ones Jesus called beside the Sea of Galilee in chapter 1.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Marcos 13:1Herod's temple was famous precisely for the impressive size of the stones used in its construction, and the disciple's comment reflects the common amazement of anyone seeing it up close for the first time.
  2. Marcos 13:2The Jerusalem temple was one of the most impressive buildings in the ancient world, built with enormous stone blocks, and the disciples remark on that grandeur almost reflexively. The prediction that not one stone would be left upon another came true a few decades later, when the Roman army destroyed the temple in the year 70, an event that had already happened, or was close at hand, when Mark wrote.
  3. Marcos 13:3The Mount of Olives faced the temple across a valley, offering a wide view of the whole building, a fitting setting for the private question that follows. Andrew appears here alongside the inner group of Peter, James, and John.
  4. Marcos 13:4The disciples' question combines two points: when the announced destruction of the temple would happen, and what sign would show that the time had come. The whole discourse in this chapter answers that double question.
  5. Marcos 13:5Jesus opens the discourse with a direct warning against being deceived, a theme that comes up again several times through the rest of the chapter.
  6. Marcos 13:6The prediction of people showing up claiming to be the Christ actually came true in the following decades, when several messianic leaders appeared before the great Jewish revolt against Rome.
  7. Marcos 13:7Wars and rumors of wars would be part of the normal course of history, not an automatic sign of the end. Jesus asks for calm in the face of that kind of news.
  8. Marcos 13:8The phrase "beginnings of sorrows" uses the same image as labor pains, common in apocalyptic texts of the time to describe suffering that intensifies before a decisive outcome.
  9. Marcos 13:9This warning about courts, synagogues, and standing before governors and kings matches almost exactly what the first followers of Jesus would actually experience, later recorded in the book of Acts.
  10. Marcos 13:10This condition, preaching the gospel to all nations, appears in the middle of the warnings about persecution, tying the suffering of the early Christians to a mission that would also reach non-Jews.
  11. Marcos 13:11The promise of not needing to prepare a defense in advance was a practical comfort for those who would face trials without the time or resources to prepare properly.
  12. Marcos 13:12The description of family turning against family shows how much persecution could split even the closest bonds under extreme pressure.
  13. Marcos 13:13The section's final promise ties perseverance to the end together with salvation, a direct encouragement for anyone facing hatred and rejection because of their faith.
  14. Marcos 13:14This expression comes from a much older prophecy and describes something sacred being defiled in a visible, shocking way. The parenthetical "let him that readeth understand" is the author himself calling for special attention to this point, a warning meant for the first readers to recognize. Scholars still debate exactly which historical event this refers to.
  15. Marcos 13:15Housetops at the time were flat, used for various everyday activities. The instruction is to flee immediately, without even going down to grab belongings inside the house.
  16. Marcos 13:16In the same way, whoever was working in the field should not go back even for his own cloak, an item of considerable value at the time. The urgency of fleeing comes before any material possession.
  17. Marcos 13:17The concern for pregnant and nursing women reflects the extra difficulty of fleeing quickly under those physical conditions.
  18. Marcos 13:18Fleeing in winter brought real practical complications: cold, heavy rains, and flooded rivers would make an already urgent escape even harder.
  19. Marcos 13:19The description uses absolute superlative language, similar to an ancient prophecy from the book of Daniel about an anguish without precedent since the beginning of the world.
  20. Marcos 13:20The idea that God "shortened" the days for the sake of the elect introduces a limit of mercy within a scenario described as extreme, preventing total destruction.
  21. Marcos 13:21The warning against false messiahs repeats, reinforcing that even amid the announced crisis, rumors about the Christ's arrival should not be accepted without question.
  22. Marcos 13:22The mention of signs and wonders used to deceive suggests these false claims would not be obvious or easy to spot, capable of confusing even the most alert.
  23. Marcos 13:23Jesus closes this part of the discourse by reminding them that He had already warned everything in advance. The warning itself serves as protection against being caught by surprise.
  24. Marcos 13:24The image of the darkened sun and the moon giving no light uses common apocalyptic language from the Old Testament, tied to great historical upheavals, not necessarily a literal astronomical event.
  25. Marcos 13:25The stars falling and the powers of the heavens being shaken continue that same symbolic language of cosmic upheaval used in earlier prophetic texts.
  26. Marcos 13:26The coming of the Son of man in the clouds points directly to a vision from the book of Daniel, of a figure arriving among the clouds of heaven with authority given by God.
  27. Marcos 13:27The gathering of the elect from the four winds describes a complete gathering, leaving out no one scattered anywhere in the world.
  28. Marcos 13:28A budding fig tree was a seasonal sign familiar to anyone in the region, a simple, concrete way to teach how to recognize signs before an expected event.
  29. Marcos 13:29The same logic of the fig tree applies to the signs described earlier: when they appear, they serve as a warning that the moment is near.
  30. Marcos 13:30This is one of the most debated statements in the chapter, because it ties the fulfillment of the things described to the generation alive at that moment. Many link it to the destruction of the temple, which in fact happened only a few decades later.
  31. Marcos 13:31The statement about heaven and earth passing away, but Jesus' words not passing away, places His own teaching above even the permanence of the physical universe.
  32. Marcos 13:32This statement puzzles readers because it seems to limit Jesus' own knowledge of the exact moment of future events. It is one of the most debated verses among scholars because of this tension, with no single explanation universally accepted; the text simply records the statement without developing it further.
  33. Marcos 13:33The call to watch and pray complements the previous statement about no one knowing the exact day. Since the date is unknown, the right attitude is to always be ready.
  34. Marcos 13:34The parable of the man who travels and leaves authority and tasks to his servants sets the stage for the final comparison about watchfulness that closes the chapter.
  35. Marcos 13:35The night was divided into watches, evening, midnight, cockcrow, and morning, used by soldiers and ordinary people alike to mark time without a clock. Listing these four watches is a way of saying "at any hour", reinforcing that no one knows when the master of the house will return.
  36. Marcos 13:36The fear of being found sleeping represents being unprepared at exactly the moment it would matter most to be alert.
  37. Marcos 13:37The closing line generalizes the warning: what was said privately to the four disciples at the start of the chapter applies, in practice, to everyone who hears the teaching.

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