Mark 13 attracts a lot of attention from people who are fascinated by apocalyptic predictions. When is the end coming? Will Jesus’ followers all disappear long before the end comes? Are there clues in Jesus’ words about geopolitical events in our own day? One thing recent history shows for certain is that speculating about the end times can actually be dangerous. The wiser path is to begin with a narrow focus on what the Bible actually says. Our passage today is remarkably straightforward in both the event Jesus is predicting and the response he commends to his disciples.