Messiahs, True and False: Mark 13:1-8 - 25th Sunday after Pentecost

¹As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” ²Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
  ³When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁶Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (NRSV)

steeple by crpetoff on Flickr. CC BY 2.0

Since July, someone has been sending text messages, emails, and Facebook friend requests to members of our church, using my name. 

The impersonator says, “I need a favor from you;” and proceeds to asks you to buy iTunes gift cards. 

I did some research, and I found that this scam has been targeting faith leaders and their congregations for several years—and in some parishes, the congregants were scammed out of hundreds of dollars. 

Even though none of our members have been taken in by the scam, some members have been receiving these same fake messages for months. And I have no idea how the scammers were able to access this personal information. 

All I can say is that I will never ask you to buy gift cards for me, or for you to wire money to who-knows-where. And because I am the son of a teacher and the spouse of an English major, any correspondence you receive from me will contain proper grammar and spelling. And if anyone calls you, even if they say they’re a family member, and they ask for your social security number, checking account number, driver’s license number, or credit card number, don’t give it to them!

But that is not to say that even the most vigilant persons cannot be fooled… That’s what makes Jesus’s words from today’s Gospel so alarming. 

He says, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.”

He speaks these words while warning his disciples of chaos and calamities like the world has never seen: wars and rumors of wars, nations and empires rising against one another; earthquakes and famines in various places. Even the great Jerusalem Temple, the dwelling-place of God on earth, would soon be destroyed. When things get this bad, people will look for a Messiah—and many individuals will stand up and say, “I am the one.” 

They will dazzle you with their charisma; they may even perform “miracles.” They’ll make you feel as though God is speaking directly to you. There is no problem they cannot fix; there is no foe they cannot vanquish.

When you have questions, they have answers. When you’re lost and looking for direction in your life, they show you a good pathway forward. They will help you to make sense of everything that is going on in the world. They take all the mysteries out of God. Everything is clear cut, right or wrong, good or evil. “You can be just like me, you can have it all,” they will say, “ you can be just as close to God as I am, if you believe in me and do as I say.”

History is replete of confidence artists and charlatans who’ve amassed thousands, if not millions of followers who hang on their every word, and obey whatever they say, no matter how ridiculous. And I should also point out that false messiahs don’t just operate out of churches. They sit atop multi-level marketing corporations. They have TV shows, magazines, and best-selling books. They campaign for and often get elected to political office. 

But there’s plenty that sets them apart from Jesus. False messiahs offer you certainty. With Jesus, the only certainty Jesus offers you is himself. There are no quick fixes or easy answers. 

False messiahs insist that only those who follow them will be saved. Everyone else will be lost. Jesus seeks out and saves the lost. 

A false Messiah will condemn you if you question or doubt them. If the promises they make don’t come to fruition, then it’s your fault for not doing what you were told to do. Not Jesus. He helps those who cannot help themselves. He is compassionate towards those who suffer and merciful toward those who sin. Jesus makes his power perfect in weakness.

False messiahs insist that their prosperity and popularity are signs of God’s favor. Jesus says, “whatever you do for the least of these who are members of my family, you do for me.”

Lastly, false messiahs proclaim a vision of the future that is, essentially, a return to a glorious past that never existed. Jesus proclaims that the old order of things is dying away. Present and future calamities are the birth pangs which precede the kingdom of God. 

I wish there was a way that you could guarantee that you would never be led astray by anything or anyone. But that’s impossible. The people who fall victim to scammers, join cults, or worship false messiahs are not unintelligent, foolishly immoral people. They are human. They are godly people—and in many cases, they are hungry and hurting. 

Jesus never promised anyone quick fixes, easy answers, or the luxury of certainty. But thanks be to God that your salvation does not depend on you walking all the right pathways, having all the right beliefs, or doing all the right things. Jesus walked the way of the cross for you. He died and descended into hell for you. He rose again, and conquered sin and death for you.  And he will not give up on you when you go astray.

If it’s the messiah you’re seeking, look no further than the waters of baptism, where your sins are washed away. Come to his table, eat the bread of life, drink the cup of salvation. 

When you’re frightened and discouraged, draw near to Jesus in prayer, because Jesus has already drawn near to you. When the things you once relied upon for security in life crumble away, on Christ, the solid rock, you will stand, and all other ground is sinking sand.

If ever you lose your way, you are never lost when you call on the name of Jesus. If you’re seeking the kingdom of God and its righteousness, If you’re loving the neighbor as yourself, if you trust that Jesus keeps his promises, then you are not far from him.

When wars and rumors of war come to pass, disasters strike, church steeples fall and temples crumble;  no matter what the future brings, Jesus still leads on. All things are moving forward towards the kingdom of God.