BE READY, BE WATCHFUL
NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Matthew 24:44
“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
It could be argued that in recent history we have witnessed and experienced a world that was not “ready” for a global pandemic. While there had been other moments in time when preparation toward a disease of global proportions could have been taking place, it seems it wasn’t. The outcome was that no one, no country, was prepared for a disease on this scale, or for the impact it would have on societies.
Our passage today is one of a series of teaching verses where Jesus tells us to be prepared. Jesus’ words here: “Be careful…”, “Be always on the watch…” (v 34, 36).
In Luke 21, Jesus is not only referring to his eventual second coming. He blends language about the Son of Man returning in great glory (v 27) with more impending warnings to his generation about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (look at 21:5-6, 20-24, 32). We know from the history books that the demolition of the temple by the Roman army really happened in 70 AD, and the eyewitness accounts sound just as dreadful as Jesus’ descriptions in verse 20 and following.
Admittedly, we may not be 1st Century believers suffering the fall of Jerusalem, but I believe we can relate to Jesus’ warnings in verses 9-11 about wars, disasters and pestilences ( pandemics?). Living between Jesus’ first and second comings is not promised to be comfortable and easy, a bed of roses as we often say.
In Luke 21:34-36 Jesus spells out what it means to be ready, awake and prepared. You see, I believe, Jesus knows how easily we get distracted, and he loves us so much that he doesn’t want our hearts to be weighed down with the “anxieties of life." Jesus love is deep for us he doesn't want to see us trapped in a cycle of vices, or addictions, to dull the pain.
There is good news in the catastrophic language Jesus uses: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (v 28). No-one knows what the future will bring, or when Jesus will finally return. But as Jesus’ followers we can anticipate the future with our eyes fixed on him.
I wonder if these words in our readings today are not nudging us to think about what distracts us from watchfulness.
Are there ways that we can simplify our life to keep our hearts in a healthier place?
Are there practical things - getting enough sleep or exercise, a daily time for prayer, communication with a good friend, or something else that can help us live with freedom and peace?
LET US PRAY
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