A Serving Leadership Insight from the Life of Jesus Christ (Mark 13:1-2)

“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.’” (Mark 13:1-2)

In Mark 13:1–2, Jesus responded with prophetic insight when his disciples were impressed with the grandeur of the temple. Rebuilt by Herod the Great, the temple was an architectural wonder of that day covering one-sixth of ancient Jerusalem. As they marveled at the massive stones and spectacular buildings, Jesus drew their attention to the fact that one day, “Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” In AD 70, Roman general Titus invaded Jerusalem with his armies, destroying the magnificent temple. No trace of these buildings remain today, and even their location is disputed on the temple mount. Having warned the teachers of the law and others outside his kingdom, Jesus now turned his attention to preparing his followers for future persecution and hardship. Like a good leader, he redirected their attention from temporal splendor to that which concerned eternal significance and glory.

KEY QUESTIONS: Do I tend to be overly impressed with human-inspired architecture, design, and structures? How might I focus more on the eternal—on what really matters? How might I help refocus others from the temporal to that which has eternal significance and glory?