Matthew 24:1-8, 36-44
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
24 As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
The Necessity for Watchfulness
36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Meditation
While the solar calendar has the year coming to an end, Christians are celebrating beginnings – this week marks a new year in the liturgical calendar with the season of Advent. Advent is a time of anticipation with preparations and celebrations for the arrival of Jesus Christ. Typically, when a baby is coming, the preparations are heartwarming and are wrapped around an element of excitement. Christian Advent, however, is both the celebration of Jesus’ birth (his first coming) and also the preparation for the anticipated return of Christ (his second coming). While we really like to focus on the arrival of the baby, the texts for the first week of Advent typically remind us why we need a savior to begin with or why we should look forward to our savior’s return and what that might look like. This year we are reminded to be ready for his return.
Today’s text is a conversation between Jesus and his disciples which is sparked by Jesus predicting the destruction of the temple (vs. 2). The destruction of the center of religious life, the dwelling place of God, and the pride and joy of the Jewish community (history tells us that it was actually destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans). After that disturbing announcement the disciples have questions. “When will this be?” “What will be the signs?” (vs 3). Jesus begins his answer with a warning – Beware! Beware of wolves dressed is sheep’s clothing. People will come to try to snooker you into following false teachings and their lies are going to be believable. Then he answers the question “what will be the sign” (vs. 3) with the rumor mill exploding with atrocities both political (wars) and natural (earthquakes) some of which will be true but others will not be. These lies, rumors, disasters, and all out nuttiness are the signs that believers will recognize as the imminent return of Jesus Christ. And yet, all these false teachers, rumors, wars, and earthquakes are only the beginning of the sign. It may be a while before the actual event occurs. You see, labor pains (vs. 8) are pre-emptive to delivering a baby and sometimes they take hours while other times they can take days – no one knows how long labor pains will play out for individual births. He goes on to explain how unpleasant things will get for believers before his return (see vss. 9-35) and that “for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:22). It is to be a short labor!
The burning question from the disciples, “when will this be” (vs. 3), Jesus cannot answer. “But about that day and hour no one knows” (vs. 36) and the world will go on about its business oblivious of the signs that “labor” has begun. Believers are admonished to “stay awake” (vs. 42) which is not a call to sleep deprivation. It is a call to be alert, pay attention, recognize the signs and be ready – cause when that baby comes it comes quickly. Being ready is about faithfulness. Faithful to the truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day and will return for us on that yet unknown day. Readiness is about “doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God” (see Micah 6:8). As we prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ this Advent season, let us also prepare for Christ’s return recognizing the signs and not being overcome by them. Labor can be quite tiring. So, keep breathing, know and hold onto the truth, love God with all your being, and love those around you unconditionally. Then, when the Lord comes, you’ll be ready.