Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore; for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

- Matthew 24:32-51

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was preparing His disciples for what is to come after His death and Resurrection in Jerusalem. On Thursday, we read of His disciples asking Him a question: "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" This was after He predicted the destruction of the temple. He warned them of the destruction to come in Jerusalem. In yesterday's reading, we read: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." This refers to the Roman defiling and destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. His warnings are dire: don't return home, woe to the ones who are pregnant and who are nursing babies, pray that it not be in winter or on the Sabbath. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." Moreover, He instructs them not to be fooled: "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you all beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is there the eagles will be gathered together.

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." We remember that Jesus has taught us about the times of the end in overlapping stages, starting with the destruction of the temple in the siege of Jerusalem, and the tribulation to come to the early Church and the believers, and also taught what His Second Coming would actually be like. Here He gives a warning that in some sense can be applied to all stages, but there's also a specific reference to the Second Coming - especially as we read the warnings in the verses to follow. And I think we read it appropriately in that sense of overlapping warnings for that generation and for future generations of the Church. The wars around and in Jerusalem would happen within that generation's lifespan. But my study bible adds: "This generation probably refers to the new race of Christians. The end is always near, just ahead of us."

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore; for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Here we are given several verses in a great deal of detailed images in order to pass on a warning. It is a warning that we must be prepared for this time to come. If we think about it, the end of the age will hit all those who have come since the Incarnation, and these words are not just a warning to those who live on earth now, to be prepared, but in effect they are the whole of the way that we are to live our lives in His faith. We are to be prepared as if this Day will come tomorrow, today, this afternoon. We must keep our awareness of it alive in ourselves. His first words are to tell us that even He doesn't know when this will happen, therefore giving us an exact time frame is out of the question, and beside the point! My study bible says, "The unexpected suddenness of Christ's coming will catch people unaware and engaged in earthly pursuits, just as in the days of Noah." We mustn't be like those invited to the wedding feast, who make light of this banquet, who go off to our own businesses or plans instead, who treat its messengers with spite and harm and harassment, or who fail to be properly dressed and ready for that banquet when it comes. One thing we are promised: it is coming at an hour we don't expect! It won't happen at the time it seems to us it will. Our watchword from Him is to be ready. In the Greek, this is in the plural. It applies to all of us. In an even more accurate sense, we could translate it as to "be becoming ready," to be preparing ourselves as a constant state of becoming, and implies growth and the passing of time in doing so.

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Jesus begins this section after His warning of the end of the age with a parable. My study bible says that Jesus' purpose here is not to make His disciples experts in prophecy, but rather, that they may "watch and be ready, continually engaged in virtuous action, obeying His commandments-- remembering that we cannot know the time of His coming. These warnings are illustrated by the parable of the household and the thief . . . [urging us] to watchfulness, faithful responsibility, preparedness, and use of our spiritual gifts." Here is a warning against lawlessness as we grow lazy in our work of preparation: abuse of one another, violence and greed, living in a way that defiles our lives rather than honors them as God-given. The main point here in this parable is that we don't know when the master will return, and we know that it's specifically directed to those who would be His disciples, His servants. We already know who the hypocrites are (see here, here and here) -- we shouldn't like to be numbered among them.

So, as we read today's passage, two things stand out very clearly, and they are inseparable from one another: In this time in which we now live, we must remember that (1) He's returning at a time when we don't expect it, and (2) that our work in this world as His servants is to be in a constant state of preparation for this to happen. We are to "be becoming prepared." That is, in these words there is an implication that this is a constant state of evolution, of growth. It is a state of becoming . . . we can't be too prepared. It is this work of preparation for that Day in which we must be constantly engaged. There is always work to be done, always something to keep in mind, to think about. We don't rest in what we did yesterday: today is here before us and there is always something to be done, there is always growth to be had. We must think of Him, and be ready for His return. So let's take a look at how we live, how our lives are led. What do we do today? Do we grow lazy and greedy, are we cultivating a little abuse here and there, a misuse of power in His absence? Let's remember the day will come whether we are alive on this earth or not; for all of us, at a time we don't expect. What does preparation mean to you, now, today? This minute?