Mark 13:5–8
Pains with a Purpose
A mother once said that in labor she thought she would die, yet minutes later, holding her newborn, she said it was worth every pain. That’s the paradox of labor: agony and joy woven together. Jesus used that very image. When His disciples trembled at talk of wars, famines, and earthquakes, He didn’t call them death rattles — He called them birth pains.
1. Earthquakes – The World Trembles
Jesus said that there would be earthquakes. They did not have fast news sources in the 1st century so these tremors had to be local…and they were. The first one was recorded a few days later when Jesus died on the cross.
History confirms the ground itself convulsed during the years before Jerusalem’s fall. Tacitus tells us that Laodicea was flattened by an earthquake in AD 60, rebuilt without Rome’s aid (Annals 14.27). Pompeii was rocked by tremors in AD 62. Even the earth seemed unstable, shuddering under the weight of coming judgment.
Yet Jesus had said, “Do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13:7). The shaking wasn’t the collapse of creation, but the contractions of a world giving birth to a new covenant age. John Owen once wrote, “God shakes the heavens and the earth, that things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Heb. 12:27).
Application: When life quakes beneath your feet — a diagnosis, a lost job, a fractured relationship — remember: God shakes what will not last so that you cling to what cannot be shaken, Christ Himself.
2. Famines – The World Hungers
Acts 11:28 records Agabus’ prophecy of famine under Claudius. Josephus confirms it (Antiquities 20.2.5), describing Judea’s suffering. Eusebius echoes the same in his Ecclesiastical History (Book 2).
Josephus paints a grim picture: gangs breaking into homes, torturing people for food, cutting open the well-fed to find hidden grain (War 5.10.2). In desperation, a woman even roasted her infant son (War 6.3.4). These horrors weren’t exaggerations — they were fulfillment of Moses’ ancient warnings (Deut. 28:53).
Jesus had said, “There will be famines” (Mark 13:8). And there were. Yet even then, His Church was not abandoned. The disciples sent relief from Antioch to Judea (Acts 11:29). God’s people fed the hungry in the famine of judgment.
Application: In a world starving — not only for food but for truth — will you be one who hoards or one who gives? Thomas Watson said, “Faith is a hand that receives Christ, but it is also a hand that gives Christ to others.” Look around: who needs the Bread of Life from you this week?
3. Birth Pains – Not Death Rattles
Doug Wilson put it plainly: “Jesus said birth pains, not death rattles. These were the convulsions of an old world passing away, not the collapse of creation itself.” The temple system was about to fall, but God’s Kingdom was rising.
R.C. Sproul often reminded us that biblical prophecy first speaks to them before it speaks for us. Jesus’ words were fulfilled in that generation — but they still echo in ours. The same Lord who warned of famine and quake also promised: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31).
Takeaways – Labor On
- Stand Firm: When life shakes, anchor yourself in the Word (Heb. 12:28).
- Feed Others: In a starving culture, share Christ generously (John 6:35).
- See the Signs Rightly: Don’t mistake contractions for collapse. God is birthing new mercies through old sorrows.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “The Christian life is not a sprint; it is a long-distance race. Labor on.” Birth pains are temporary; joy comes in the morning.
👉 Task This Week:
- Memorize Mark 13:7–8.
- Write down one area of life that feels like it’s shaking. Pray John Owen’s words: “Lord, shake what will not last, that I may cling to what cannot be shaken.”
- Share one meal — physical or spiritual — with someone in need.