Troublesome Topic: The Parallel Passages in Mark and Luke

Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-38 record this same discourse of Jesus in answer to basically the same questions posed by the disciples. However Mark 13:4 and Luke 21:7 record the questions of the disciples differently than does Matthew; they have a more simplified version which said, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign that these things are ready to happen?”

            Here there are only two questions and both of them are related only to the destruction of the temple, not to His “coming” or to “the end of the age.” They were obviously asking for a predictive sign that would hint at how soon the temple and its sacrificial system would be removed. Jesus answered their questions in a partial way, but He also gave them much more than they asked for.

            Whether you read the passage from Matthew, Mark or Luke, the starting point is always the destruction of the temple in AD 70, and it remains the central point of the entire discourse. All three accounts also include double meaning with double fulfillments.