Mark 12:38-44, The Setting for the Olivet Discourse

From the outlines in the previous post, we saw that Matthew records Jesus lamenting over Jerusalem (24:37-39), something Luke records earlier in Jesus’ ministry (Lk. 13:34-35).  The subject of the Olivet Discourse is the desolation of Israel, over which Jesus lamented.  It is part of the setting.

Mark and Luke tell the story of the poor widow giving all she has because the religious experts have told her she needs to do this.  She is in poverty while they serve among the magnificence of the temple mount which Jesus predicts will fall.  Again, this is part of the setting.

All three writers set the Discourse in what is found in Mark 13:1-2.  They were in the temple area, and the Twelve were moved by the amazing buildings.  This was the “Second Temple,” but not in the form that had been built in the days of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the High Priest.  King Herod had remodeled that building, and some would say did a full reconstruction.  He had made something that had grandeur from the Roman point of view, and in doing so he had made the Jews proud of “their temple.”  We are aware, the Jews were not happy with the fortress at the NW corner of the temple mount.  Nevertheless, they made great use of the temple and it’s surroundings.

 Model of 2nd Temple in Jesus' Time

Massive stone of Western Wall

This is what impressed the Twelve.  See what manner of stone and what buildings are here.  If you take the Western Wall Tunnel tour in Jerusalem they describe the amazing stones that were part of the sustaining wall, some weighing hundreds of tons.  But what the Twelve were seeing as they went out towards Olivet was the temple that Herod had beautified.  Whether or not you liked Herod, and basically no one did, the temple, walls and colonnades were impressive. 

Jesus’ response to the amazement of the Twelve gave rise to the Olivet Discourse: not one stone will be left upon another.  In the questions recorded in the Gospels, each of the three records this question: When will these things be?  (Lk. 21:7; Mt. 24:3; Mk. 13:4).  They also ask other questions, but this one question they all record.