Be Ready Always. Mark 13:32-37.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. “Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come. “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. “Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning -“lest he comes suddenly and finds you asleep. “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Dear Household of Believers,
In this discourse, Jesus has been responding to the question by Peter, James, John, and Andrew, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (13:3-4). In his conclusion, Jesus gives them a simple answer: Just be ready.
Be Awake (v. 32-33). Jesus makes an intriguing statement about the extent of his knowledge. By claiming to not know the day or the hour of his coming, he provokes in us the question, How can the Divine not know anything? Did he not claim to be God when he said that he had the power to forgive sins (2:10); lordship over the Sabbath (2:28); receive testimony from the Father himself (9:7) and claim superiority of his word over all creation (v. 31)? We do know that Jesus is both divine and human. How the two natures interacted in his incarnation (his time in human flesh, from conception to ascension), we do not know. All we can gather is that at this point, in his humanity, he did not know. When something big is coming and you are not sure when you should be sleepless with anticipation.
Be Active (v. 34). Like a man going on a journey who puts his servants in charge, Jesus left all of us the command to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (16:15). Each of us should keep busy in the effort to accomplish this task.
Be Aware (v. 35). We must never forget that Jesus could come for us any minute. We must live in the conscious awareness that at any moment, Jesus could come. This calls for faithfulness in the way we live. Imagine Jesus finding you in the middle of sinful activity!
Be Alert (v. 36-37). We must not be found sleeping on the job. The coming will be sudden, no time for us to put things in order – they must be in order all the time. Are you ready?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.