Ready
Read Luke 12:35-59.
For as long as I can remember, there have been preachers and pundits predicting the end. Every major event in world history has been interpreted as "a sign of the times" and complicated mathematical programs have tried to determine the last day of this world. The only thing all of these predictions have had in common is that they've all been wrong.
Honestly, when I was younger, such predictions scared me. They made so much sense. Obviously, all of the speakers and predictors were a lot smarter than me and made so much sense. And then the day would come and pass and life would go on...until the next prediction. I came to realize several things about the end.
First of all: those who are predicting the end, especially those who single out a date, are ignoring what Jesus clearly said. "About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father" (Matthew 24:36). Now, how the Father knows and the Son does not is a mystery—but if Jesus said it, I guess that's the way it is and I have to just trust it. There is a lot of mystery within the Trinity.
Second: Jesus is coming. He will return. He promised to come back and he keeps his promises. Christ's return has been part of the Christian doctrine since the beginning. It is a guaranteed fact. It's not a matter of "if" but "when." And the "when," as I said, we are not privy to.
Third: Our calling is not to predict, but to be ready whenever. That's what Jesus tells the disciples in this passage from Luke. Since we don't know when he is coming, we should keep our hearts clear and our relationship with him as strong as we can. He clearly says he is coming at a time when we do not expect him (12:40)—which, again, sort of throws all those speculations and predictions into question.
Be ready. He will come. More than that, we can't know the when. So be ready always.
For as long as I can remember, there have been preachers and pundits predicting the end. Every major event in world history has been interpreted as "a sign of the times" and complicated mathematical programs have tried to determine the last day of this world. The only thing all of these predictions have had in common is that they've all been wrong.
Honestly, when I was younger, such predictions scared me. They made so much sense. Obviously, all of the speakers and predictors were a lot smarter than me and made so much sense. And then the day would come and pass and life would go on...until the next prediction. I came to realize several things about the end.
First of all: those who are predicting the end, especially those who single out a date, are ignoring what Jesus clearly said. "About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father" (Matthew 24:36). Now, how the Father knows and the Son does not is a mystery—but if Jesus said it, I guess that's the way it is and I have to just trust it. There is a lot of mystery within the Trinity.
Second: Jesus is coming. He will return. He promised to come back and he keeps his promises. Christ's return has been part of the Christian doctrine since the beginning. It is a guaranteed fact. It's not a matter of "if" but "when." And the "when," as I said, we are not privy to.
Third: Our calling is not to predict, but to be ready whenever. That's what Jesus tells the disciples in this passage from Luke. Since we don't know when he is coming, we should keep our hearts clear and our relationship with him as strong as we can. He clearly says he is coming at a time when we do not expect him (12:40)—which, again, sort of throws all those speculations and predictions into question.
Be ready. He will come. More than that, we can't know the when. So be ready always.
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