Jesus is coming back!
Matt 24-25 - the absent Lord will return
Predictions. Humans are not really good at making them. I've got a short collection of some of my favourite failed predictions
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
~ "Popular Mechanics," forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
~ Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
~ The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what is it good for?"
~ Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
~ Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
~ Western Union internal memo, 1876
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
~ Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899
Every week millions of people are deluded into looking at "horoscopes" to try to find out some hint about their future
Last week we looked at the resurrection of Jesus. The fact that he came back from the dead in a new and wonderful body. But what happens next? The short answer is Jesus is coming back! The long answer. is a little bit longer! This is the first in a short series of three talks which look at what the Bible says about Jesus coming back. This first one is looking at some of Jesus' own words, from Matthews Gospel.
In order to give the full context, I'd like to skip back to chapter 24 for a moment, and then move forward to chapter 25. This will allow us to take a look at the two big questions that this passage raises for us. Like the disciples, we ask the first one "When is he coming?". Like the disciples we hear from Jesus also the answer to the question "What should we be doing?"
When is he coming?
Chapter 24 opens with the disciples marvelling at the temple and calling Jesus' attention to it - yet he dismisses the building, prophesying that it will be torn down - a prophecy that came true during AD70, at the end of the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman army.
This seems to have set some gears turning in the disciples minds, and when they stop and rest on the Mount of Olives , the disciples come to Jesus with a question (v3). When is it? When is it all going to happen? In their minds they were still probably associating the fall of the temple and the imminent setting up of this new Kingdom, the new order under the Messiah, the Christ.
Sooner or later?
Jesus' answer seems to blend together at least two distinct events. Some parts of it seem to be speaking about the siege of Jerusalem , when the Roman army came to destroy this rebellious people. Some of the descriptions about a flight from peril (v16-20) use particularly Jewish terminology, referring to Judea and the Sabbath. Many commentators link these words to the fall of Jerusalem in AD70.
Other parts of his speech seem to look further ahead, to the far horizons and the ultimate setting up of Jesus' kingdom in all its fullness - the words in v29 are reprised in the Revelation, clearly still talking about the future. V30-31 certainly seem to be talking about the end of the age, when Jesus comes in glory, on the clouds of heaven. Amidst all this we see things like v34, which even today theologians are struggling to understand.
Nonetheless, amidst all the speculation , despite the hundreds of books written about the end times, I think that there is one thing that we should be clear on:
Nobody will know exactly when.
v36 is of key importance. " No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" . If the Father has not revealed that even to the Son of God himself , how can we expect to be able to predict the day and hour? If Jesus himself does not know, how can we expect to be able to divine the time, whether by studying the details of the Old Testament or the prophecy in the New Testament? If none but the Father know, can you believe that he might reveal the precise date through a "word of prophecy" in a local church somewhere? Or to a gifted author?
I'm convinced that Jesus said this to close the door on any and all attempts to predict the precise date of his return. After these words of his were recorded nobody would be able to unearth "mysterious lost words of Jesus", or give credence to either scholarship or prophecy which purported to give the precise date.
Why all the fuss then?
Why does Jesus want to tell them (and us) all of these things about the future? Firstly, it is to underline the fact that he IS coming again. The end of the age IS going to come. The second (and probably most important) angle is that it is to inform our behaviour right now. Just like every other prophecy in the Bible, this word isn't give to promote speculation but to persuade us to modify our behaviour right now.
In the light of this , Jesus presses on with a series of parables about his second coming, which really address this question. What should we be doing.
What should we be doing?
It can be difficult to wait when we don't know how long we have to wait, can't it. Like when the water board will say "do you want us to come round am or pm?"so you say "am" and wait in. And wait. And wait. Are they really coming? Have they forgotten? What's going on anyway? I'm sure you can easily remember the thoughts and emotions which are typical at those times!
I was interested by a television program, "millenniums child", which is tracking a large number of children born in 2000. In one of the programs they gave a well known test to the children. They are shown a pile of sweets and left with one sweet in front of them. If they can leave the sweet alone until the adult returns, they can have the pile of sweets! If they eat this one now (which they are allowed to do) they don't get any more. Almost all the kids went for the immediate gratification when they didn't know how long their parent was going to be.
With that in mind, lets look at these next few parables which Matthew has gathered together share the theme of an absent master, and people who are waiting for his arrival.
v45-51: The faithful and wise servant. Someone is left with responsibility while his master is away - what does the master expect him to be doing when he returns? Verse 46 says he should be carrying on with his masters business like expected. Furthermore, when the master returns he will be given even more. But, if the man starts to behave just how he wants, and forgets about his masters return, there will be hell to pay - literally.
If Christians lose sight of the Lords return, they are likely to just live for themselves.
v1-13: The ten virgins. A group of virgins are awaiting the bridegroom. All look the same, all fall asleep waiting - but only some of them have made proper preparation for the bridegrooms arrival, only some are able to meet him and the others are shut out , not known by the bridegroom
v14-30: The servants with the money. The master gives different amounts of money to various servants, according to their ability. He is expecting them to be faithful with the tasks he has entrusted them. When he returns he expects to see the results of their work. Nobody can say their gift is too small to count, to small to bother with.
Jesus expects Readiness, not Speculation!
He is looking for his people, his church - that is you and I - to be about his business. He is coming back, even though we don't know when . In the meantime we are to be ready for his arrival, yet getting on with his business. Doing the things that he does.
From the beginning Jesus has been notable in helping the poor, the sick, the outcasts. Perhaps he expects his people, his church to be doing that right now.
Lets look briefly at the last , and possibly most disturbing of Jesus' parables. The Sheep and the Goats.
This shows Jesus sitting in judgement when he comes with heavenly glory. He is dividing people into two groups - some for a blessed heavenly inheritance, others for eternal fire and damnation. Eternal life or eternal punishment. What is the basis that the judge is going to be using? How did you treat me when I was hungry, when I was thirsty, when I was poor, when I was a prisoner.
Fundamentally it was each individuals attitude to Jesus himself that is to be the deciding factor.
We, like the people in the story might say "Hey, when did I do all those things? You are in heaven and I'm on earth, how can that be so?". Jesus' answer is very revealing - "as you did it for the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me". (v40)
Who are these "brothers"? In the book of Acts, Saul is persecuting the believers and is stopped in his tracks by the Lord calling from heaven "Why are you persecuting me ?". Earlier on in Matt 10:40-42 Jesus says to his disciples "he who receives you, receives me" and he speaks warmly of those who would receive His disciples.
Now this story doesn't introduce any idea of salvation by works. it is the practical outworking of faith that is on display. As James writes - " I by my works will show you my faith "
What about those who are cursed? It is because they have rejected Jesus - seen in their rejection of his people.
To recap: Jesus expects his people to be getting on with his business.
Part of that business is looking out for those others in the Church who are hungry or poor, sick or imprisoned. Now while that clearly includes those in other countries, such as China for instance, where Christians regularly suffer all these things, I'm certain that it has an application closer to home too. God places people together in local churches, and one of the few actual commands that Jesus gave is "love one another".
In our church there will be those who are elderly, those who are sick, those who are having a tough time, those who are finding it difficult to make ends meet, those who are getting desperate. We really need to pay more attention to our brothers and sisters around us, as well as the wider world, and then decide to do something about it.
In both of the parables that look at servants, the servants are expected to be about the masters business while he is away. We are too.
We show our love for Jesus by showing our love for his people.
So what are we going to do? What am I going to do, and what are you going to do?
Alex White
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