Mark 13:35-37
I
love clear directions and expectations. Ambiguous directions drive me nuts.
When I plan a trip, whether it is to shop or to travel, I want clear targets,
clear stops. I want to know the addresses of the places where we are stopping.
I don’t want to just drive and see what we find. I guess I don’t like
wandering, unless wandering IS the destination. Then I am perfectly OK with
wandering.
I
am glad that Jesus often gave clear guidance when He told a story to
illustrate. His use of parables, stories with a spiritual kick, brought the
Truth to everyday people. Many teachers use stories to get their points across.
When a story is told, it can capture the heart and imagination and make the
Truth come to life in a way that mere intellectual talk can’t. And Jesus
doesn’t leave anything to chance. He wants His disciples to understand the
important point of all that He said regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and
His return.
The
word “therefore” gives us the signal that the key stuff is next, the reason the
story was told. Keep watch! We are now inserted into the story. We are the
servant in charge of protecting the door. We are responsible for staying awake,
protecting everyone, sounding the warning, signaling His arrival. We have that
task. We must be ready and watching for His return.
So
let me get this straight. Jesus told all these signs, these things for which they
are to watch, and those things aren’t important. They are just billboards along
the road of life. They keep telling us that there is food at the next exit,
that gas is available, that there is some opportunity to spend our money just
around the next corner. The signs aren’t anything really important. They are
just billboards. The real important thing is what the billboards tell us about.
So
it is when we see all these signs. They are not important in and of themselves.
They just let us know that Jesus is coming. The disciples who heard Jesus say
these things, and the first readers of Mark’s gospel would have seen many of
these signs before the destruction of Jerusalem. They would have fled to the
mountains to escape the destruction. They would not have been caught unaware
like so many. They knew that the billboards were talking to them.
As
we see the events of our day, I have to be honest and let you know that I don’t
know if they are THE billboards, or just life in a sinful world. Only time will
tell. As we get closer to His return more pieces will fall into place. This
doesn’t mean that we wait until all the pieces are in place before we begin to
live our lives responsibly before the LORD. We need to live right now, not just
one mile before the exit.
Our
job is to watch and be ready. We share His love and His Truth as we journey. We
live lives that draw people to the light of Jesus. We live in a way that demonstrates
the wisdom of the Gospel. And we watch! We stay awake, always ready.