Read: Mark 13:3-13
About ten years ago I was taking a group of college students on a retreat to a remote cabin in Southeast Oklahoma. How remote? The directions included the following statement, “When you turn off the paved road, you will drive along the gravel road for about an hour. Call us when you turn on the gravel road so we will know to come look for you if you do not arrive on schedule!” These directions seemed dramatic to me in my office, but proved valuable to me on our journey. Had they not told me about the hour long drive on the gravel road, I would have surely turned around before arriving at the cabin, certain I was headed in the wrong direction. In a similar way, Jesus here warns the disciples about the difficulties they will face in life. Jesus’ words here probably seemed dramatic in the shadow of the Temple, but they would prove valuable to His followers as they lived out their lives. Peter, Andrew, James, and John would all be persecuted for their faith in Christ, and Jesus did not want them to “turn around” believing they had gone in the “wrong direction.”
Question of the Day: Have you ever experienced hardship in your life for following Jesus Christ?