Keep Watch! Your Master Is Coming.

Mark 13:26-37

26 At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Keep Watch! Your Master Is Coming.

You all got the EAS, i.e. emergency alert, text message last week, right? The province wanted test its ability to share emergency information quickly, and (because we’re addicted to our phones) texting is the surest way for the most people to get the message.

I haven’t seen as much of it since moving from the fringes of metro Chicago, but I used to get those kinds of alerts on my phone all too often. Sometimes, it would be a “Silver Alert” notifying us that we should keep an eye out for a missing senior citizen. Sometimes it would be an “Amber Alert;” same thing, but a missing child. It’s an important message that the government wants everyone to know.

Just a minute ago, we read a different kind of “Alert” from the Gospel of Mark. Had there been text messaging back then, I’m sure Jesus would have loved to push this notification to everyone’s phone. That’s what he says:

“What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch.’”[1]

As a matter of fact, Jesus says it 4 times in our text for today: “Watch!”[2] “Keep watch!”[3] “Be on guard! Be alert!”[4] It’s not hard to figure out what Jesus wants us to do. The questions are, “What are we supposed to be watching out for,” “How do we do that,” and, “Why?”

The first question is the easiest to answer. “What are we supposed to be watching out for?” Well, in a word, it’s Jesus.

It seems so natural and obvious standing here on November 24th exactly a month away from Christmas Eve. You go to any department store and you’ll be bombarded with Christmas decorations and gifts. You turn on the radio and you’ll hear Christmas music. Everything is about Christmas right now; you’d only expect church to be too.

That’s true, but only partially. We’re at the time of the year when we certainly look forward to Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, but that’s only half the story. Jesus left this world 2,000 years ago with a promise that he would come back, only this time it won’t be to save us – he already did that. When Jesus returns it will be to judge the living and the dead, i.e. to send unbelievers to hell and welcome believers to heaven.

That’s what this time of the year is preparing us for – for the second coming of Christ. That’s what we’re supposed to be watching out for. That’s why (earlier in Mark 13) Jesus lists several signs of the End Times, e.g. wars, natural disasters, religious persecution, gospel outreach. These are the things that we should be looking for. That’s how we’ll know that Jesus’ return is imminent.

Are there wars? Yes! Ukraine. Israel. Sudan.

Are there natural disasters? If you’ve visited Jasper recently, you’d see the effects firsthand. Hurricanes in the Southern US. Drought in South America. Flooding in Africa, Asia, and Europe.  

Does religious persecution take place? According to a recent report, in just the last 2 years human rights violations against Christians have increased in more than 60% of the countries surveyed. It was only a year ago that 160 Christians were killed in Nigeria at Christmastime. Our brothers and sisters in China have to go “underground” because their government is rounding them up and shutting their churches down. In Eritrea there are around 400 Christians currently in prison – without trial – just because of their faith.

How about gospel outreach? Miraculously, by God’s grace, that’s done too! 16 new mission churches have been launched in the last 2 years in North America, with another 10-12 on the way next year. Our sister seminary in Indonesia graduated 19 students this year. 55 Hmong pastors graduated in Vietnam last year. There are tens of thousands of new Christians being reached Ethiopia and Sudan and the Congo.

All the signs are here. If you are looking, i.e. if you are watching, then you will know that Jesus could come at any time. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? If Jesus could come at any time, then that means that we always need to be on our guard. Jesus warns us, “About that day or hour no one knows.”[5]

That’s why Jesus tells us to watch, i.e. to keep our eyes open. But that leads us to the next question, “What does it look like to keep watch,” or, “How do we do that?”

Jesus helps us to understand that question with an illustration:

It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.[6]

We’ve all been in a situation like that, right? Your boss goes out of town. Your teacher leaves the room for 5 minutes. When she comes back, she doesn’t want to yell at you for goofing off or wasting time. She wants you to be doing your work. And it’s not for her sake; it’s for yours. There’s work you’re supposed to be doing.  

When Jesus talks about the master going away and putting his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, he’s talking about what’s going on right now. Jesus is our master. He’s gone away; he left this world 2,000 years ago. But he’s coming back; we just don’t know when. It could be today; it could be 2,000 years from now. We just don’t know, but what we do know is how Jesus wants us to wait.

Like those servants the master put in charge, Jesus wants us to do our assigned tasks. And I think that this is a beautiful image, because it tells us that Jesus doesn’t view us as cookie-cutter clones of the perfect Christian. We’re all different. We all have different gifts. We all live in different circumstances. But we all have the same master, and we all have work to do.

Maybe your job right now is to be a good mom or dad – to love your children, to provide for them, to put food on their plates, a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs. Maybe you are one of those children, in which case your job might be as simple as listening to your parents, making their lives easy, showing them love and respect. Maybe your job is completely different – enduring hardship with a peace that only God can give; working hard to change a bad situation into a good one; being the only neighbour on your street, at your office, in your classroom that puts others’ needs ahead of your own.

We all have a job to do. It’s not enough just to be found ready on the moment that Jesus returns. If that were the goal, then God would have told us when that day would come. We’d all have our alarms set so that we can get our affairs in order at the last minute before Jesus comes back. But what God actually wants is for us to be constantly vigilant, so that we’re constantly faithful. There’s work for us to do here and now. And while all of us have different opportunities and responsibilities, there is one thing that we can all do – keep watch.

As important as it is for the mother to feed her baby and change its diapers, it’s even more important for her to keep watch for her baby – to tell her about Jesus, to teach him God’s Word, to show them God’s love.

As important as it is for you to be kind to your neighbour, it’s even more important for you to keep watch for them. Sure, be a good neighbour, shovel their walk, bring their bins in, but be the kind of neighbour who cares about their soul. Chat with them about Jesus and the joy he brings at Christmas that’s so much better than the twinkly lights at night or the events that so quickly fill up our calendars. Invite them to a church service where they can hear the Word of God and prepare their hearts for Jesus to come again.

And this leads to the central question of our text for today. “Why?” Why do we need to keep watch?

Because when Jesus comes again, it won’t be to save but to judge. And if we’ve lived our lives of faith the way that a group of Grade 7s behave when their teacher walks out of the room for 5 minutes, then we could be in serious trouble and so could everyone who has fallen spiritually asleep. We need to be constantly vigilant so that we’re not eternally condemned. We can’t afford to lose track of time or to be caught unaware, because Jesus could come at any moment.

Can you say you’re ready? Maybe today; you took steps to be here this morning. Will that be true tomorrow? What about Wednesday? Saturday? How long can you stay constantly vigilant?

It’s intimidating, isn’t it? We have no idea when Jesus will come back, but we do know how important it is to be ready; it’s a matter of eternal life and death. And yet, as scary as it can be to hear Jesus tell us to be on guard 4 times in Mark 13, I take great comfort in his concern. He goes out of his way to warn us. Jesus speaks these words to you.

And do you know when Jesus said this? It was on Holy Tuesday, just 3 days before he died. He was sitting on the Mount of Olives looking across the valley at Jerusalem, where, in just 3 days’ time, he would be hanging on a cross.

If it scares you to think that Jesus could come at any time to judge the world, don’t forget about what he did the first time he was here. Don’t forget about Christmas. Jesus didn’t come to be cute and cuddly and to give you an occasion to give gifts to each other. He came to die for you. He came to pay for your sins, even those times that you grow spiritually sleepy, even those times when you grow tired of always being “on,” always being ready.

It’s exhausting, but it’s OK, because that sin finds its forgiveness in Jesus too. Everything that you have ever done wrong or failed to do right, is forgiven because Jesus came at Christmas to be your Saviour. And because of that first coming, Jesus’ second coming doesn’t have to be scary. That’s your Saviour coming back for you. He’s coming back to take you home to heaven because of the sacrifice he made for you.

So, for Christians, while it is important for us to watch and wait, it’s not for fear that if we’re not ready when Jesus comes, he’ll be mad and disown us forever. No, we’ve already seen how much he loves us. He died for us!

We wait and we watch, not out of fear, but with eager anticipation to welcome our Saviour again, to invite him to see how prepared we’ve been with lives of faithful waiting, but more than anything, to rejoice that our waiting is over and that the time has come to be with God.

That’s what Jesus wants you to know. That’s what Jesus wants everyone to know – that he is coming again; that we prepare to meet him by being faithful to our responsibilities; and, finally, that you can watch and wait with joy because your Saviour is coming.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

[1] Mark 13:37

[2] Ibid

[3] Mark 13:34

[4] Mark 13:33

[5] Mark 13:32

[6] Mark 13:34

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

Belief Is Better than Relief from Grief

John 11:32-44

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said,  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Belief Is Better than Relief from Grief

Have you ever played the “what if” game? Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had met your spouse when you were both still in high school? Have you ever wondered how far you would have made it in your amateur sports career if you hadn’t broken your wrist? What if you didn’t take the job, or you did and it would have meant that you would have had to move to another city?

There are so many what ifs you could ask. But do you know when we often ask them the most? When tragedy strikes.

My siblings and I played that “game” this summer before and after my mom died. What if, 15 years ago, she had never contracted a staph infection during a “routine” surgery? What if that staph infection never reached her heart? What if she hadn’t cut her arm a couple years ago? She wouldn’t have needed to go to the hospital, which meant that she wouldn’t have been put in that medical transport. What if that driver had actually buckled her seatbelt? Then when they got into a car accident, she probably wouldn’t have broken her leg, which means that she wouldn’t have been as weak and unstable, which could have prevented the final fall that landed her in the hospital before she died. If any one of the links in that chain of events had been broken, I wouldn’t be talking about it today. Mom would very much likely still be here.

Maybe you’ve played that same “game” when one of your loved ones died. What if things had happened differently? That’s what Lazarus’ sisters wondered. We only heard Mary say it in our reading for today, but a few verses earlier Martha said the exact same thing:

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”[1]

They had seen him perform miracles before. Just recently he restored sight to a blind man. They believed that he was the Messiah – the promised Saviour of the world, the Son of God sent from heaven to deliver mankind from suffering. They had every confidence that had Jesus been there 4 days earlier he could have cured whatever fever, cold, cancer or flu afflicted Lazarus.

And it’s worth pointing out that that’s true. Jesus could have cured whatever ailed Lazarus. But just because he could have, does that mean he would have? Had Jesus been there, would the result have been any different? Jesus gave his disciples a clue on the day he first heard about Lazarus’ sickness:

“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”[2]

And then, strange as it seemed to his disciples at the time – and to Mary and Martha later – Jesus stayed where he was for 2 more days. He had the opportunity to be there. He chose not to and as a result, when he did arrive outside of Bethany, he was met by a mob of mourning Jews, Mary and Martha among them, and Jesus himself shed his own tears outside of his dear friend’s grave.  

Sometimes we play the “What if” game. How about a game of “Would you rather?” Would you rather have a God who grieves over tragedy, or one who prevents it? The answer seems like a no-brainer at first, doesn’t it? Of course we’d want a God who prevents tragedy! I’m grateful to have a God who grieves with me, but I’d rather have no reason for anyone to grieve at all.

But let me ask you this, if we had a God who always prevented every tragedy, what would that do to your faith and his glory? If nothing bad ever happened, would you begin to believe that nothing bad ever should happen, i.e. that you deserve happiness, that God owes it to you? If this life always presented a straight and easy road, would you fall asleep behind the wheel, i.e. would you grow complacent, even contemptuous about God’s almighty power and grace? If you never saw the problems and never felt the pain, would you ever appreciate his salvation and his promised consolation?

That’s the problem. We live in an imperfect world, and we are an imperfect part of it. Like Mary and Martha, we doubt the goodness, wisdom, power, and grace of God not so much by asking the questions but by making the statements we so often do when tragedy strikes, e.g. “God, if you had just _____, then none of this would have happened.” But what does that kind of comment say about us? That we know better than God? That we can see all ends? That our plans are always best? That God is some kind of dummy? That God wasn’t there at the river or on the road or in the hospital? That God doesn’t care?

God absolutely does care. And if you ever doubted it, read the shortest verse in the Bible again. It reads like a novel of God’s compassion and care for this fallen world and the sinful people who live in it:  

Jesus wept.[3]

It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s a tender and touching moment to see the raw emotion of our Saviour. Lazarus’ death touched his heart too. But it does beg the question, Why? Why would Jesus cry? He was holding a miracle in his back pocket that was going to bring a smile to every one of those grieving faces. Why would he weep? There are two answers in this passage:

When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.[4]

Jesus wept at the toll that sin and death take in human life. Jesus grieves to see you grieve. His heart breaks at your heartbreaks. None of this brings him joy for a second, even if he knows we have every reason to have hope for a better future. The pain of the present pains him too. But there’s also this:

Some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”[5]

Jesus also grieves at our lack of understanding and hope. And I think this is worth pointing out, because our English translation doesn’t do us any favours. In English, Jesus does the same thing that Mary and Martha and the rest of the mourners do: he weeps. In Greek, though, they weep; he sheds tears. There’s a difference, isn’t there? It’s not as if Jesus isn’t sincere in his sadness; he’s literally moved to tears. It’s just that he doesn’t weep and mourn like people who have no hope.

Jesus knew the answer. Jesus knew that in a few moments’ time he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and therefore also raise the spirits of everyone else who was there. More than that, though, Jesus knew that what he was about to do for Lazarus was going to serve as a preview of what Jesus would do for all mankind in just a few days’ time.

What’s easy to forget about this passage is that this trip to Bethany served as the launching pad for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead took place mere days before he raised himself from the dead. Jesus was preparing the people’s hearts for a hope that was even better than getting a loved one back from the dead.

Let me ask you another “Would you rather?” Would you rather have a God who grieves over tragedy, or one who prevents it? What about a God who reverses tragedy?

One of those three things feels rare, but it happens far more often than you know. The other two happen all the time without exception. God doesn’t always prevent tragedy, but he does more often than you could know. How many close calls have you survived? How many near misses have you experienced? Or think about it this way, how few close calls have you had? Can you count them on fewer fingers than you have on one hand? That’s God’s preservation at work in your life! He is protecting and preserving you.

But even in those moments when in his wisdom and love and grace he allows tragedy to strike, the other two options are true without exception too. He weeps with you and grieves for you. He knows your pain; he’s felt it. He willingly sent his Son into the teeth of this world’s greatest tragedy to save you from eternal disaster.

Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He’s the only person in this world we could say that about. The rest of us are sinners. Like Mary and Martha, we doubt the power, wisdom, glory, and grace of our Father in heaven. But Jesus didn’t. He obeyed his Father even though that obedience led straight to the cross, because he loved his Father and trusted him, and because he loves you and was willing to die for sins that weren’t his own, so that your sins could be forgiven.

Like the mourners who came to grieve at Lazarus’ grave, we fixate on our earthly problems when tragedy strikes. But Jesus didn’t. He had your heavenly future in mind. That’s why he didn’t weep, but only shed tears, because while the sadness is real, it will not last forever. Jesus knew the greater miracle that he would perform in a few days’ time by rising from the dead himself, and giving you the hope of eternal life at his side in heaven, with all the saints who have died in faith and have gone before us to our Father’s home.

We are tempted to look back in time and play the what if game, wondering what might have been. God reminds us what is and what will be because of Jesus. We have a God who does protect and preserve us, more than we realize. We have a God who sheds real tears over our human heartaches. But best of all, we have a God who reverses tragedy, by living, dying and rising from the dead, and thereby giving us comfort in this life and hope for the next.

We could play “what if” all day long, but we can know that one thing that will always be better than relief from grief is our belief in the Son God sent to save us and the glory he will reveal to us through him. To him be all power and glory and honour and praise forever and ever. Amen.

[1] John 11:32

[2] John 11:4

[3] John 11:35

[4] John 11:33

[5] John 11:37,38

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS