Rise and Follow: 30 Days in MarkSample

Mark 13 is often called Mark’s “mini-apocalypse.” Apocalypsis is the Greek word often translated as revelation. It literally means “an unveiling.” An “apocalypse” is a literary genre that was familiar in the Jewish world by Jesus’ time. In the Bible, the books of Daniel and Revelation fall in this category. Apocalyptic writings were designed to reveal eternal realities within the framework of history. In other words, they aim to help us view our world in light of God’s coming reign. To do this, they often rely on strange symbolism and leave a lot up to mystery—they’re not the easiest to make sense of!

Tomorrow, we’ll unpack more of Jesus’ teaching in this chapter. For today, we encourage you to simply read it and reflect on what it might mean.

Additional Resources

In Mark 13, Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man,” a title which comes from the book of Daniel. To learn more, check out this video from the BibleProject.

Reflection Questions:

• How is God speaking to me through these verses?
• What does this set of verses teach me about God?
• What does this show me about the good news of Jesus?
• How can I apply what I read today?