St. Andrew Day is when we honor the apostle Andrew for whom we are named. God worked it out so that our lectionary passage is one of the twelve times that Andrew is mentioned in Scripture. This passage might not be familiar to you, but it is known as the little apocalypse for the gospel of Mark when Jesus tells of the destruction of the temple. “The Jerusalem temple, newly constructed by Herod the Great at tremendous expense, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The project began about 20 years before the birth of Jesus…..It occupied a platform of more than 900 by 1,500 feet twice as large as the Roman Forum with its many temples and four times as large as the Athenian Acropolis with its Parthenon. The huge retaining walls that supported the temple were composed of great white stones as long as 40 feet…” (Christian Century, 11/11/15, pg. 20).
The Jerusalem temple will be destroyed some 40 years later by Rome, but why does Jesus declare its destruction? The temple is believed to be the dwelling place of God, a holy site. Remember that God visited Abraham in the tent, then came to Moses on Mt. Sinai, then dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant while Israel was nomadic. Ultimately God’s presence was believed to be found in the temple. This is the same temple Jesus just cleansed of money changers, challenging their truth in worship. This will be the last time Jesus entered the temple. This temple described as a mountain of white marble adorned in gold, a temple of immense wealth is not where God dwells. With the coming of Christ, no longer will God dwell in buildings, but rather in people, in holy relationships.
Hebrews speaks of this shift as well. No need to continually offer sacrifices to God at the temple, which will never take away sins. Now Christ is the offering that has perfected those who are sanctified. It is a movement from the temple where God dwells to the sanctuary where Christ’s blood has made us clean once and for all. Our connection to God is not found in a building but in our relationship with Christ. God forbid, if this building- our beautiful sanctuary were no more- we would still be the St. Andrew church. We would desperately miss the comfort of being in a place we love, but we would still have the connections we share. We might struggle with what comes next but we still trust in God’s care and sovereignty. God did not dwell in the synagogue then and God does not dwell in our sanctuary now. God dwells in us.
When I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for a year right after seminary we lived no more than 100 yards from the castle. Walk out the front door of our flat, turn right march up the hill to the castle gates. It is an impressive and commanding castle that is built right atop of a craggy mountain, known as Castle Rock, making it more defendable and visible from great distances. Throughout history the English and the Scots have fought for this castle and control of the region. Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges in its 1100-year-old history, giving it a claim to having been “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world” (Caldwell, David H (National Museums of Scotland) (2014). “Besieged”. Historic Scotland magazine: 20–24). Edinburgh Castle knows of wars and rumors of wars of nations rising up against nations. Scotland even experienced a great famine with the blight of the potato in late 19th century which led to another wave of immigrants to Canada and this country. Maybe some of our ancestors we proudly claim today.
Jesus spoke of these devastating things in an apocalyptic fashion; as a way of saying that what we know now is not what is to come. Trust in God, God is in control. We see the famines and wars all around us today and we wonder their meaning. We hear of the terrorist attacks in Paris and wonder what is the world coming to? This year the earth shook in Nepal and Arizona quaked three times, while California had our own earthquake last year. Even in the turmoil, in the fear of war God is still in charge. We do not need to worry about the signs themselves rather trust in the one who is to come- the one who enables us to look up after such devastation and claim the certainty of blessing.
Jesus moves away from the temple and with the disciples climbs the Mt. of Olives. Contrasted with power dwelling in the temple, in Mark’s gospel mountaintops always connote nearness to God. Ezekiel foretells of this shift of God’s power, “And the glory of the Lord ascended from the middle of the city (meaning the temple) and stopped on the mountain east of the city” which is the Mt. of Olives (Ezek. 11:23). Peter, James, John and Andrew want to know a sign of when the world will change. They do not know that Jesus’ death is imminent; they are only two days away from the Passover, the Last Supper. Later Jesus tells them no one knows the day or hour; so keep awake. He does take this last opportunity to prepare them for what is coming. You can almost hear Jesus say, “Andrew beware; for they will hand you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them.” Our namesake endured all of this to be a witness to Christ. Andrew was a missionary to Asia Minor and Scythia; today we know the region as Greece, Ukraine and Russia. Andrew preached along the Black Sea and extended as far north as the Volga River. He is claimed to be the patron saint of both Russia and Scotland, hence our tie to Scotland. Migration histories show that the ancestors of the Scots and Anglo-Saxons migrated from this same area in which Andrew preached. Andrew was a great martyr- he fulfilled Christ’s words, “And the good news, the gospel, must first be proclaimed to all nations.” Andrew proclaimed first and to the last the good news of Jesus Christ to every nation. He proclaimed the good news even while he was suffering on a cross for his final two days.
On this St. Andrew Day may we be inspired by Andrew’s dedication to his Lord, and have courage to share the good news. Andrew was Jesus’ first disciple and the one who brought his brother Peter to Christ. Even as things may seem to have fallen apart, let us claim Christ’s word, “Good News Must First Be Proclaimed.” May we be blessed by the legacy of Andrew and be emboldened in our commitment to share the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!
