Text for the Week: It Will Happen

Scripture: Luke 21:25-36

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. ²⁶ The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. ²⁷ Then they will see the Human Onecoming on a cloud with power and great splendor. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”

²⁹ Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom is near. ³² I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until everything has happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.

³⁴ “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.”

Questions

1. What are the signs in the natural world mentioned in verse 25?
2. How is it that people will see the coming of Jesus but at that moment Jesus says our redemption is near and not realized?
3. This Jesus say, “this generation will not pass away before these things happen”?
4.  How do we keep ourselves from despairing during the difficult times?

Background

Related Scriptures: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Daniel 7; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Revelation 21

The signs mentioned are not inherently known events rather Jesus is using the language of Genesis 1 and the Flood story which will cause people to think that God is allowing the earth to return to chaos. This is metaphorical language and should not be understood as a literal event.

The fear mentioned in verse 26 could be translated frightened to death.

The coming of Jesus does not describe the end of the world but is described as the people seeing him taking authority. This verse does not mean people are physically seeing Jesus return rather it is a quote of Daniel 7:13 where the “Human One” (Son of Man) takes authority from God. Thus, this passage is about people recognizing Jesus as king, not about him returning.

This passage is part of a genre known as apocalyptic literature, while many think that this means Jesus is talking about specific future events, it really means that he is compressing a timeline to help people understand how God is present in the world. The goal is not to know what will happen at the end but how God is caring for people now.

The point of the condensing of the time is meant to help Jesus’ followers stay vigilant during the years of Jesus’ absence. The point is that if we are consistently thinking about how the world is working we will consistently be reminded of how it is different from what Jesus desires and stay in a ready expectation of his final restoration of all things.

Reflection

One of the major problems with how people approach this passage is that they begin with the assumption that it discusses Jesus’ physical return and so try to pinpoint the details into a timeline of events. However, Jesus was not trying to give us a timeline of events for the end of the world, nor was he even providing signposts about how to recognize it. Jesus was attempting to provide his followers with hope for the future. But not simply a passive hope; Jesus wanted his followers to engage with an active hope that would push them to continue to engage the world with energy and vigor. Unfortunately, many take these words that are supposed to provide comfort and hope to Jesus’ followers and twist them to a place where they do not seem to provide hope and seem to provide Christians with excuses not to engage the world.

The first Sunday in Advent is about hope, about trusting in God so deeply that we approach the world at its most chaotic with confidence. It is about understanding our hope so well that our hope becomes Good News for those outside the Church. The first Sunday in Advent is when we look at prophecies like that in Jeremiah 33 and remind ourselves that God said to ancient Judah “I will restore you” and did restore them, said, “I will send a new king” and then sent Jesus. These are not simply idle words or reminders of God’s past victories, we read these words to develop trust in the future. The prophets remind us of times when the world seemed to be falling apart around God’s people and yet God stepped in with a promise and carried out that promise. Jesus’ words do the same thing, they remind us of another time when the world looked bleak, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. And Jesus said that in that time people would see that he had ascended to power and reigned with God. He spoke those words to comfort his disciples; Jerusalem was the center of their world, and he was telling them there is a black day coming and when it does come and you see the building you have called God’s house destroyed, remember this is when it is clear I am on the throne. Jesus wanted to remind the disciples that the same God who said, “I will” to Jeremiah said “I will” to them, and this same God has said, “I will” to us. The same God who promised that Jesus will be seen even in the destruction of Jerusalem will be with us until the day this creation ends. Jesus blends the timeline of history in a way to shows us that when the chaotic nature of this world leads people to confusion, stress, and fear we have a source of strength, God who has promised to be with us and who has never failed to keep a promise. Our hope then is that God has promised us a future where there will be a new heaven and a new earth and we can and must walk confidently into that future, believing that we are participating in it even today.

When we are able to truly experience the reality of the hope that Jesus describes we open ourselves up to the calm expectation that he describes. We begin to eagerly anticipate the future, not as some fairytale heroine, looking to leave her worthless surroundings; but as the farmer who is tending fruit trees. Jesus uses this analogy, and we can put it to good use. The farmer with fruit trees does not sit idly by and watch the trees, the farmer is engaged with the trees and helps to nourish them, so they develop the best fruit. We are the same, seeing the signs of Jesus’ reign in the world we work with Jesus to prepare for the coming harvest. We vigilantly participate in the growing process, and this will spark curiosity in others. When our hope shines it will impact others who are downtrodden by the chaos in the world, and those living in fear and uncertainty will see our message of hope for the Good News it is. This passage then is not about bringing more fear into the lives of those who are already unnerved by the chaos around the world, this is about securing ourselves in the hope of God’s promises so that we can be a lifeline for those already in turmoil. We are called to live into our hope both as good servants of our Lord and so that we can provide an example to those who desperately need Good News.