Background to Mark’s Gospel
Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the 4 Gospels and is traditionally considered to be the oldest. According to tradition he was a companion of Peter (1Pet 5:13) which would suggest that Peter is the primary source of information about the life of Jesus in Mark’s gospel account. He was also an associate of Paul and accompanied him in his first missionary journey (Acts 13:15). He wrote the gospel primarily for Gentile believers in Imperial Rome. His Gospel was probably written in Rome some time after Peter’s martyrdom (64AD).
Historical Situation – Mark 13: 33-37
This is a composite passage of statements made by Jesus at different times during His life. The emphasis is on ‘active waiting’ and ‘staying awake’. Jesus is in Jerusalem and his own death and crucifixion are imminent and he is waiting on God to show himself and to save him. At the time of writing Mark and the Christian community are subject to persecution and desperately waiting for God to intervene on their behalf. Mark is urging the disciples to stay alert especially at times of instability and confusion because even in the midst of turmoil and upheaval there is hope and expectancy that “the master of the house is coming”. Goodness, Grace and Love will triumph and they must not lose heart. The passage, therefore, is a meditation on how to wait with trust and hope..
Where did this happen? This happened in Jerusalem where Jesus was in and around the Temple
When did this happen? This was during the final stage of the life of Jesus. The end of His life was close and He was facing it with hope and trust.
Who was there? Jesus and His disciples.
Within the passage – the servants, the doorkeeper and the master.
What happened?
V33: this is an abstract statement that stands by itself. “Be on your guard”- don’t imagine you know when the time will come or how God will come to save us. We must be open to the signs of God’s coming, letting God come in his own time and in his own way. We can interpret “the time” to mean a time of grace, of God’s visitation, of God coming to save us. ‘The Master of the house has gone away’ can speak to our “end of world” experiences- when we felt we were finished, that we could not go on – and ultimately the end of our lives. Waiting can be a productive time, where we can grow in trust and patience and we are invited to “stay awake”to the certainty that the Master will come back as he promised.
V34: this verse is a parable that helps us to understand more fully V33 – how and why we must stay awake. The master has gone away and there is a feeling of emptiness. The servants have been given specific tasks by the master which they must do in his absence. The doorkeeper too has his own task. He is to be a sign to the rest of the household that the master is coming. When the Master comes the doorkeeper will open the door and greet him. V35: “evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn”- at times the wait seems interminable. The master seems to take forever to return home. In times of instability we are urged to stay awake for the little movements of peace and harmony – the master will return.
V37: this message of “staying awake” is for the whole world. Why? Because goodness is stronger than evil. This is a message of hope and encouragement for all who are waiting. “I say to all” – the message of Jesus is for all of humanity. Like the Wisdom Statement in Lectio Divina, it is all inclusive – no one is excluded.
In our resting with the Word this Advent we pray that we will find the space and patience to wait on God and on each other . We wait with humility and expectant hope, convinced that ‘the seed is in the ground,’ ‘the child is in the womb’ and sooner or later we will see evidence of this. We can think of the doorkeepers in our lives – mothers, siblings, friends, visionaries, and idealists who kept our hopes alive at very difficult and critical moments in our live.