Be Prepared
Two
parables conclude Chapter 13 with a little controversy to stir the religious
pot.
With his
circle of four apostles around him, Jesus has revealed warnings of destruction
and suffering, as well as an eventual return by "the Son of Man coming in clouds" and the Jews to the
Promised Land.
Yet it's
verse 30 where skeptics, atheists and secularists hang their hats. "Truly I tell you, this generation will
not pass away until all these things have taken place." Should his
statement in verse 30 be taken literally? If so, was Jesus in error?
What did
Jesus previously say about the end times? "This
is but the beginning of the birth pangs." There is also a tie-in to
verse 32, where Jesus states no one knows the day or hour when the Son of Man
returns. Only God knows.
While on
earth, Jesus was living into his humanity. Only God, our Creator, knows when
the time will come. As God of flesh and bone, what Jesus "knows"
is... there will be persecution, suffering beyond imagination, Jerusalem will
fall and the Temple will be destroyed. Be
prepared.
Adding
into the mix,…
To whom
was the Gospel of Mark being shared?
With primarily gentile Greek-speaking residents of the Roman Empire. Did the
author of this Gospel intentionally write these words to heighten the
importance for making a life change? To make such a change would be extremely
radical, with one's life on the line.
If Mark
had instead written -- "Many
generations will pass before all these things have taken place" -- how
might the listening audience have reacted? Intention was behind that statement
-- verse 30. There's no guarantee of tomorrow. Be prepared. When time is of the essence, significant choices will
be made.
Then
there's verse 31. "Heaven and earth
will pass away,…" Heaven will pass away? Really?!? Does that make
sense when taking "heaven" in a literal context?
Consider Leviticus 26:14-20. Notice verse 19 -- "I will make your sky (heaven) like
iron and your earth like copper." God's view is personalized, as in Isaiah 1:1-2. God is describing and speaking to Israel. It's not about a literal
heaven and earth.
Jesus
brings forth a New Covenant. When given to the people, "heaven and earth" (life as it is known by the Law)
will indeed pass away. The Old Covenant will be uprooted, and in its place, the
New Covenant will be planted. Be
prepared.
Jesus
continues, speaking about the necessity for watchfulness. "Like a man going away,..." There's the master of the
house/property who will be leaving on a journey. The servants have been
entrusted with responsibilities.
When
Jesus "leaves home," the
apostles will be "in charge, each
with his work." They have been empowered to do,… to be. Jesus has
prepared them for this moment. And the apostles will help expand the community
with the Good News, thereby empowering others to do,… to be.
In our
own lives,… did a moment in time come when responsibility was placed upon you
to be watchful? To care for something? As a child, did your parents say, "You're
old enough now, so we're going to put you in charge while we're away"?
What did that feel like?
Being on
watch, being alert takes effort. It's much easier to sleepwalk through life. To
just go through the paces so another day passes by. No effort required.
Incorporating
the Boy Scouts motto -- "Be
Prepared" -- one must be prepared to live a full and worthwhile life,
to do whatever is necessary in any situation that arises.
To follow
Christ, our lives will be radically changed. The world as we have known it will
pass away. But it's not "the end."
Let us
live life fully. Stay awake. Be watchful. Be
prepared.
NEXT
The plot
thickens; the anointing
No comments:
Post a Comment