Mark 13:1-8
Did you ever skip rocks as a kid?
Did you ever collect rocks on the beach or in the forest or near a stream?
Did you ever climb a tall hill or a mountain and stand in awe of it?
Have you ever been drawn to rocks?
As a kid, I loved finding strange and interesting rocks. My parents used to take us to places like Colorado where I could find all kinds of beautiful and mysterious rocks in caves and around mountains. Geodes were my favorite.
Geodes are geological rock formations which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. The exterior is generally limestone while the interior contains quartz crystals and/or chalcedony deposits.[1]
There many types of geodes. First Nation groups in Oregon called one geode type “Thunder Egg.”
Fire agates come from Mexico and Arizona. Commercial deposits exist in China, Mexico, India, Madagascar, and the U.S. along the shores of Lake Superior.
The outer surface of an agate is rough, pitted and ugly. It masks the beauty of the crystal inside. However, the crust is weak and somewhat fragile and over centuries it is washed away allowing the gemstone to be discovered along rivers and streams.
Geodes look cool and they’re beautifully complex. But it’s more than just their surface appearance that attracts people.
Many, many people, across the globe, are drawn to rocks.
Psychologist Carl Jung believed that rocks were one of the primordial symbols of eternity. He wrote:
Many people cannot refrain from picking up stones of a slightly unusual color or shape and keeping them…without knowing why they do. It is as if the stone held a mystery in it that fascinates them.[2]
Jung said that each of us has inherited this ancient human tendency toward seeing–or rather, feeling–the sacredness in rocks. It is true that long ago, our ancestors around the world believed that rocks were filled with gods and spirits. It is for this reason that today we pile rocks on graves or create tombstones—because our ancestors believed that rocks could hold or release a person’s spirit.
Most religions and spiritual movements of the world consider rocks in some way as symbols of faith, spirituality, energy, healing, foundation, or strength. In Buddhism, rocks are considered, in their essence, collections of vibrant energy rather than just inert lumps of matter.
Quantum physics agrees.
So what see with rocks is both modern science and ancient spiritual practices coming together. Rocks are energy; we have been and are drawn to them.
Rocks frequently take center stage in the New Testament’s Gospel stories.
In this Mark story, Jesus’ disciples are marveling at the great temple in Jerusalem, the one built by King Herod in possibly around 19 BCE. It was marble and gold and about five football fields long. It was awesome.
So it’s no surprise that the disciples gawk at the thing:
“Dang…look at those massive stones!”
Of course, Jesus is not in awe as the disciples are. Keep in mind here that Mark’s gospel writer has the luxury of writing this story after Jesus’ death and during or shortly after this Jerusalem temple was actually torn down and destroyed. So this story is contrasting the awe of the disciples with Jesus’ disdain at the corruption and oppression that happened within the temple during King Herod’s reign.
When Mark’s Gospel was written, it was a tumultuous time. War, violence, upheaval, etc.
The story then shifts to the Mount of Olives, positioned opposite the temple for dramatic effect.
Some of the disciples ask Jesus what will happen and how will they know? They are worried about the future and they’re scared.
Jesus’ response is to be wary of those who provide easy answers or try to lead them astray—people who claim to be great rulers or leaders. Jesus does not ignore that there will wars and upheaval and even famines. But this is just the beginning, meaning that all this craziness and uncertainty is not the end.
Something good is actually here AND on its way.
You see, Mark’s apocalyptic/end of world sayings are meant to be good news and not depressing.
How? Because the things that societies and nations and people often exalt and glorify like empires, kingdoms, and beautiful buildings don’t last forever.
Which brings me back to rocks.
A rock can keep energy from the sun’s rays even after other things give way to the dark and cool. Pick up a rock in the sun; it’s warm. And it stays that way. Rocks, unlike kingdoms and empires and wars and upheaval—they are forever present in the world, remaining long after we are gone.
So yes, a rock can actually be a comfort. Jesus of Nazareth was called the cornerstone of a whole new world. He wasn’t a king, a religious ruler, or even a political leader. He certainly did not represent the great temple and what it stood for. Instead, he was a different kind of rock—one who encouraged those left on the outside of society to cry out, to make themselves heard. He welcomed children, widows, lepers, the poor, the marginalized. And if anyone tried to silence them, the rocks themselves in all of nature’s beauty and mystery would cry out.
The rocks themselves would cry out.
So I’m thinking that we could all use a little time with rocks.
We should be children. We should pick them up and curiously look at the strange and odd ones. We should feel them—all their smoothness and roughness. And in the midst of a chaotic and often violent world, we ought to remember what really lasts.
We shouldn’t stand in awe of great empires and governments, marveling at their reach and grand towers and temples. Instead, we should remember that they won’t last forever. Eventually, they will fall down or be torn down. And yet, in midst of all this, the rocks all around us remain constant.
They comfort; they heal; the revitalize.
This is more than just hope; rocks are tangible.
They can be a sign to remember the tangible presence of the Divine in all living things, and even the seemingly unmoving things like rocks.
God’s constant love and presence in the lives of all people everywhere.
[1] Gerard V. Middleton: Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Springer 2003
[2] Man and his Symbols, Carl Jung