Coming, Ready Or Not
Opening Prayer
Shepherd God, quiet my racing pulse, restore my jaded spirit and lead me beside still waters now, I pray.
Read MARK 13:28–37
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Ask yourself whether these words represent your longing: “Oh! When shall time give place to eternity? When shall appear that new heaven and new earth wherein dwells righteousness?” (missionary to India, Henry Martyn, 1781–1812; last journal entry).
Think Further
It is remarkable in the light of verse 32 that so many throughout history have attempted to predict when Jesus will return, with a cluster around the year 2000. People as diverse as Isaac Newton, Reformed preacher Jonathan Edwards and Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon all pointed to that year. It is easy to mock, but is our alertness to the return sharp enough? Being alert (or watchful) is the main theme of this passage, after all.
We should be convinced of the certainty of Jesus’ return, as certain as the budding of the fig tree announces summer. The signs of verses 5–23 will happen in the lifetime of those listening (30) and continue throughout history. They are not, however, to be taken as asserting that the coming is immediate. The phrase “is near, right at the door” (29) “must be taken to mean that the end is sure, not that the end can be plotted in time” (Larry Hurtado). The certainty is underlined further by the enduring nature of Jesus’ words (31).
Assurance must never breed complacency; certainty about the future should never warrant coasting towards it, as if we are heading for retirement with a fat pension and consequently lose motivation for our current work. The teaching here does not mean to suggest that the return described in verses 26 and 27 was immediate, but it unquestionably is meant to keep us on track for a return that will involve accountability for our “assigned task” (34). Dozing off from the reality of Jesus’ return carries an implicit rebuke (31). More positively, in a world in which “Ain’t no use jiving. Ain’t no use joking. Everything is broken” (Bob Dylan), we tell of a returning Master who will usher in a reign of righteousness.
Apply
Take some moments to think about the return of the Lord Jesus. How does it make you feel? Express that to the Lord and share it with someone else today.
Closing prayer
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.