“Watch and Pray” Fr. Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. took this photograph of a detail from a medieval window in York Minster.
START WITH SCRIPTURE:
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OBSERVE:
This passage is a dramatic reminder that Advent is not merely a season of preparation for Christmas. Advent prepares us not only to observe the nativity of Jesus and his first coming in history; Advent also prepares us now to anticipate his coming at the end of time.
This section of Luke’s Gospel is part of a passage known in the discourse of Jesus as the “Little Apocalypse,” from Luke 21:5-36. Parallel teachings are also found in the other “Synoptic Gospels” (synoptic means that Matthew, Mark and Luke include many of the same stories, with a similar sequence of events, in distinction from the Gospel of John); those passages may be found in Matthew 24 and Mark 13.
In this passage, there is not much subtlety about the signs presaging the coming of the kingdom of God:
There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
The heavens and the earth will point to cosmic events that are to come.
Jesus describes the coming of the Son of Man – a term he uses frequently throughout the Synoptic Gospels as a Messianic title to describe himself. The phrase originates in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel.
Jesus makes it quite clear that he expects to return after his death and resurrection as the conquering Messiah:
Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.
These are intended to be words not of foreboding but of comfort to those who follow Jesus:
Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
Then, as is a common practice in the teachings of Jesus, he uses a parable to explain his meaning:
Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
The analogy is clear. Just as there are signs in nature that spring has come and summer is coming, so he is saying that there will be events in heaven and on earth that will presage the coming of the kingdom of God. He isn’t more specific about what those signs are, perhaps because he feels that those signs will be self-explanatory.
But there are some aspects of this passage that are not at all clear to us. Jesus says:
Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Does he mean that the generation living at that time 2000 years ago would experience the apocalyptic events that he predicts? If so, he either wasn’t speaking literally, or he was wrong. I’m not willing to accept the notion that Jesus was wrong.
On the other hand, does Jesus mean that the generation who will be living when these events begin to unfold will witness these things? If so, then these are events that are still to happen in the future. This could mean that the generation living in that future time will witness those cosmic events and see these things come to pass. These events might happen 2000, 4000, or 100,000 years in the future! Or they might happen today.
But what Jesus doesn’t leave open to question is his own belief that his words are infallibly true:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
What Jesus insists is that his followers must be prepared for these events whenever they may come, by their moral choices, their lifestyle, and their sense of spiritual alertness:
“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Jesus advises his followers to be prepared for his inevitable return that will be revealed to the whole world.
APPLY:
Advent was not originally a season of Christmas lights, revelry and commercialism. Originally Advent was a season of solemn preparation for the final coming of Christ.
We celebrate Christmas because Jesus was born to save us through his life, death and resurrection. But our experience of his redemption is not complete until we see:
‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.
The conclusion is inescapable if we take the words of Jesus seriously. Christ’s words are guaranteed by himself. Jesus fully expects to return in history at the end of the age.
The application for our lives is that we are to be ready at all times for his return. We are living in the interim time, between the first coming of Jesus and his final coming. And we are not to be absorbed with self-indulgence, dissipation, or even with the anxieties of everyday life. Those choices are all a trap.
We are to watch and pray at all times as we await the return of Christ.
RESPOND:
Apocalyptic literature in the Bible is always controversial. I came to faith in Christ in 1974 when “End Times Prophecy” was a growth industry, with books that became best sellers because they promised to interpret the signs that would surely tell us all when Jesus would return.
Since my conversion 41 years ago, there have been multiple predictions by “End Times Experts” of the exact date and time Jesus would return. Each time the “prophets” have been wrong.
My take is this: Jesus has promised to return, and he will return. But prognosticating how and when is none of my business. Jesus has told us that on several occasions.
There are two things that I firmly believe Jesus teaches about the Second Coming:
First, he tells us that he himself doesn’t know when these events will take place:
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36).
If Jesus doesn’t know when he shall return, how can we have the audacity to determine the when and the where?
Second, Jesus tells us that we have a job to do while we await his return:
When Jesus is preparing to ascend into heaven as described in Acts 1, the disciples ask the question,
“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
Jesus answers this question by saying:
“It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).
I sometimes joke with folks when they say to me “Preacher, why don’t you do something about the weather?” I answer, “I’m in sales, not in management.” That may be a rather facetious but accurate way to approach speculation about End Times. We Christians are in sales, not in management. Our task is to pray, watch, work, and witness. The management of times and dates is none of our business.
I do believe in the doctrine of the Second Coming, but I confess I don’t live as though I anticipate Christ’s imminent return. I need to be more aware of the distinct possibility that he could come at any time, and I must live accordingly.
Lord, forgive my self-indulgence, and my misplaced anxieties. Help me to remain vigilant and to pray unceasingly, and to live as one ready for the end. Amen.
PHOTOS:
“Watch and Pray” by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
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