Luke 21:25-36
I’ll Be Back!
Every year children from around the world eagerly anticipate the arrival of Christmas morning. Retailers push their sales upon us. Consumers invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring happiness in others. And the countdown begins: 23 days of shopping ‘til Christmas!
Behind it all is the celebration of the coming of the Christ child. No matter how frenzied our shopping, the “holiday” is actually a “holy day.” We celebrate Immanuel, God with us, a child born in a manger, the Son of God stepping down from the glories of heaven to become one of us. A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus arrived on planet earth.
“Advent” means “coming.” And on this first Sunday of Advent, the Christian church pauses to consider the second advent. The gospel reading features Jesus’ teaching on the Second Coming of Christ. He came once, and he’s coming again. The theme rings true in General MacArthur’s famous words to the Philippines: “I shall return!” And it rings true in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s immortal line from “The Terminator”: “I’ll be back!” [in my best Arnold voice]. Jesus is coming again!
Here’s the question: Do you long for Christ’s return as much as you long for Christmas? Do you long for Jesus coming again as much as you long for better health, or a special meal, or a good friend’s company? And think about this: how shall we live in the certainty that Jesus is coming again?
A veteran this week told me the story of a pastor speaking to his men’s group. He asked them, “If you knew this was the last day of your life, because Jesus was returning tomorrow, what would you do differently?” One man said, “I would spend all of my money as fast as I could, because I knew I couldn’t take it with me.” Another man said, “I would tell everyone I knew that Jesus was coming, so that some might believe in him.” A third guy said, “I would go move in with my mother-in-law.” The rest of the group looked at him strangely, until he explained, “Living with her would make it the longest day of my life!” [Now I have a wonderful mother-in-law. It is purely coincidence that she is not here today! ]
Seriously, though, when it comes to the end times, Jesus gave three directions to his original disciples. And they still ring true for us today. First, he said,
1. Watch for signs
Jesus taught his disciples to be on the watch for signs that his return is drawing ever nearer. Earlier in the chapter, he’s mentioned wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, and the destruction of Jerusalem. My wife’s sister’s family in Anchorage faced a 7.0 earthquake this week, which shook them up literally and figuratively! In today’s passage, Jesus shifts to signs at the very end of the age: sun, moon, and stars doing weird things. Since the moon affects our tides, these changes could well bring terrible hurricanes and tsunamis. Jesus speaks of the “roaring and tossing of the sea,” and of nations in “anguish and perplexity.” iel 7:
The final sign is the coming of the “Son of Man,” a character first described in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Listen to these words of the ancient prophet, recorded in Daniel 7:13-14:
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Does that not sound just a little like Jesus? In verse 27 of today’s passage, Jesus states he will return in a cloud with great power and glory. All will know judgement time has come. But he says in verse 28, for the believer, it’s not judgment time; it’s redemption time! We can lift our heads high as he comes for us.
Jesus gives a little object lesson with an olive branch: he said these signs will usher in the second coming just as certainly as spring ushers in new blooms and new growth. Each sign points to Jesus’ certain return.
Now what does it mean to watch for these signs? What it does NOT mean is to come up with a time for Jesus’ return. Even though Jesus said no one knows the time, not the angels, not even him, only the Father (Matthew 24:36), people from his time to ours have guessed and been wrong time and time again. Be suspicious of anyone who tells you they know when Jesus is returning. Do not trust them!
What Jesus DOES mean is to observe world events with his words in the back of our minds. Instead of giving into hysteria every time a tsunami or earthquake or wildfire comes, we grieve for lives lost, we help with disaster relief, AND we are also hopeful. We know in every calamity that God is still in control, that no matter how bad it gets, God is reminding us that Jesus is coming again. Every hardship, every struggle can remind us of Jesus’ imminent return. He is coming again. And so, #2, we can...
2. Live with purpose
The phrase that gathers the most attention among scholars is when Jesus says, in verse 32, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Well, he said these words around AD 30, and Luke probably wrote them down around AD 60, as that generation was coming to an end. Jesus didn’t return then, so what’s up with his promise here? The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Was that what Jesus was talking about? Undoubtedly in the verses right before today’s passage, but not in these verses. Jesus describes here cataclysmic events that will touch the whole world, not just Jerusalem. So what does he mean?
There are a number of possibilities: The word translated “generation” could be used to describe a race, such as the Jewish people. In other words, maybe Jesus meant the Jews will be around until the end times. That’s possible, but doubtful, since this use of the Hebrew word is very rare. Maybe Jesus was talking about the wicked human race. That’s a possibility, too, as sometimes, the word for generation is used to describe a wicked group of people. Maybe Jesus was saying the human race will not escape judgment. The explanation I personally believe most likely is that Jesus was talking about the generation alive when all these bad things start to happen. In other words, he was saying these things in today’s passage will happen so quickly in succession that the generation in which they begin will still be alive to see the end. When it starts, it’s going to end quickly.
Regardless of his meaning, Jesus’ call to believers is the same: every generation is called to live with purpose. We are not to grow spiritually lethargic. Don’t be spiritually lazy. Jesus says, in verse 34, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” We are to be ready, to look expectantly, to live with one foot in this world and one in the next. We should share our faith, the theme from last week. We should be a good witness of what Jesus is doing in our lives. We should keep our hope and faith in Christ, who will not forget us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is coming again!
How might this change the course of our worry over things that will not matter in eternity? Ask yourself, when you’re upset, will this matter in five years? In twenty? In eternity? Live on purpose! Make every day count! Invest in eternity by investing in your relationships with God and people. And lastly,
3. Pray
Jesus says, in verse 36, “Pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Some scholars think Jesus is hinting about the rapture described in 1 Thessalonians 4, that he will catch up all believers in the sky prior to sending the horrific tribulation events described in the book of Revelation. He tells his disciples in today’s verse they should pray they will be able to escape all that is about to happen. Certainly, Jesus gives us a wake-up call as to the severity of the events in the end times. If we could fathom how horrible they will be, we could appreciate our own salvation even more, and we would have a greater sense of urgency to share Jesus’ call to salvation with everyone we know.
The beautiful thing about salvation is that we will be “able to stand before the Son of Man.” Can you imagine? Think about the most famous person you have ever met: maybe an actor or actress, a general or admiral, a governor or president. I remember briefing a two-star general when I was a First Lieutenant. How nervous I was! How intimidating it is to meet a person like this. And now imagine meeting the King of kings, the Son of Man, the second Adam, the God-man, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And yet, we will be able to stand before him, not because of our own good works but because of God’s good grace.
Jesus loves you so much that he gave his life. That is what we celebrate today with Holy Communion. The Apostle Paul reminds us, in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” In Communion, we proclaim the Lord’s death, and we also proclaim his second coming. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Let us pray.
Thank you, Jesus, for your somber words about the end times. May we heed them and watch and pray and be ready every day as if it was THE day of your return. Help us to hold onto the things of this world lightly, knowing that all of this will pass away. Help us to hang onto you and to value people you put in our lives, knowing that your kingdom will last forever. Thank you for your redemption, as you make all things new, including us. We celebrate your death and life again today in Communion, amen.
