Lenten Reader | Day 31

March 25th, 2026

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

“But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Mark 13:1-31

On Your Guard

If you just read the 31 verses of today’s passage and feel a little dizzy, take heart! You are not alone. This is one of the most challenging passages in all of Scripture. Christians have debated what this all means since these words were written. Are we living in the time that Jesus is talking about? Are the wars and earthquakes that we see in the news the fulfillment of these things? Son of Man? Abomination that causes desolation? So many questions and not enough space to answer them here.

But a simple truth for all times emerges from these teachings that are so difficult to understand: be on your guard. The world around us is full of very difficult things. Famine, natural disaster, political unrest. False prophets who speak falsehoods that are sprinkled with nuggets of truth. Trial and difficulty because of our faith. And in the midst of all of that, Jesus tells us to be on our guard. To be discerning. To be wise. To not be taken in by ideas, philosophies, and beliefs that are opposed to God’s kingdom.

And how do we do that? We put on the armor of God! The truth is our belt. Righteousness protects our heart. Our shoes are the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Our shield is faith, salvation our helmet. And finally, the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. These things are how we stand our guard. It is how we arm ourselves. The Word of God, salvation, faith, the gospel of peace, righteousness, and truth.

In these final two weeks of the Lenten season, let’s remember to be on our guard against the enemy’s schemes to draw us away from our Lord. Let’s saturate ourselves in God’s word and cling to the truth. Let’s claim the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus. Because what does Jesus say will be the reward for the one who stands firm to the end? Salvation! That’s the gospel of peace. And with that, we’re ready.

Erik Allsop