by Christine Hayward
Mark 13:24-37
24 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’
Wow! First day in Advent. I was tempted to just type “Wait and watch”. And perhaps that would be more meaningful than anything I can add. But this chapter of Mark is all about waiting and watching. The Jewish people were convinced that God would intervene in history and win the day for them. They were waiting for Jesus to take the reins of government and believed the second coming was imminent.
Jesus used the parable of the fig tree to exhort people to watch and wait. As the fig tree branches become tender and leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. And with the second coming, Mark 13:33 says “Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.” So while we are convinced that there will be a second coming we don’t exactly know what form it will take. For us to speculate on the form of the second coming is somewhat useless as even Jesus was content not to know the details. History is going somewhere and there will be a consummation to come. William H. Barclay in the Gospel of Mark says “The wise man is he who never forgets that he must be ready when the summons comes. If he lives in that memory, for him the end will not be terror, bur eternal joy.”
So, wait and watch. Ready or not, Christmas still comes as does the second coming of Jesus.