Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 13:1

"And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings!" — Mark 13:1 (ASV)

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples, on looking at the temple in all its grandeur, uttered an exclamation over its beauty and massiveness. This chapter in Mark’s gospel is Jesus’ response.

The temple area, including the temple building itself, had been rebuilt by Herod the Great. The courtyard had been greatly enlarged (to about four hundred by five hundred yards) in order to accommodate the large throngs of Jews who came to Jerusalem for the festivals. To accomplish this enlargement, a huge platform had to be erected to compensate for the sharp falling off of the land to the southeast. An enormous retaining wall was built to hold the platform in place. The massive stones used in the construction of this wall may still be seen today. At the southeast corner the temple platform towered two hundred feet above the Kidron Valley.

In addition to the temple building itself, on the platform stood porticoes and cloistered courts flanked by beautiful colonnades. The temple area covered approximately one-sixth of the area of the city of Jerusalem. It was an architectural wonder, and its size and location dominated the ancient city.