The disciples heard Jesus confirm it. The temple would be destroyed (6). The temple was the center of first-century Jewish life. The disciples knew that the temple would not go without a terrible war, and no temple meant no Israel. With Israel no more, the lifestyle that they knew would either change or be lost forever. Either way, Jesus’ prophecy would mean a drastic change.
Drastic change has us asking why. The disciples did not need to ask why, for they knew that destruction was coming to Israel because of a lack of faith in the Messiah. Yet, they still had questions. When will his prophecy be fulfilled, and what will be the signs that they will begin (7)? Asking such questions shows the intimacy between Jesus and his disciples: Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Mark 13:3).
Jesus would answer these questions, but not before he warned them. “Watch out that no one deceives you!” He had stated this at least once before (Matthew 7:15-23).
So many have said, “Jesus is coming on such-and-such a day, and I am the messiah in my life that I cannot count them all. How many more will continue to do so? If Jesus gave this warning to his closest followers, then I cannot discount his warning now! Being a disciple of Jesus means I need to watch for clever deceivers.
