Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near

 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.  For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.  And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations.  And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectations of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

  - Luke 21:20-28

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem, and it is what we know as Holy Week, the final week of the earthly life of Jesus.  He has been teaching daily in the temple, and also disputing with the religious leaders, who question His authority and also seek to trap Him.  But the common people listen eagerly to hear Him teach.  Yesterday we read that, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, "These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."  So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be?  And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"  And He said:  "Take heed that you not be deceived.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.'  Therefore do not go after them.  But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."  Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.  But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons.  You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.  But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.  Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.  You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But not a hair of your head shall be lost.  By your patience possess your souls."

 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.  For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.  And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations.  And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."  Jesus warns of what is to come in Jerusalem (at the Siege of Jerusalem, which would take place in 70 AD).   These events would effectively take place forty years after Christ's death.   Forty years after Christ's death indicates, according to St. John Chrysostom, a period of an entire generation given as grace and for consideration of the gospel message.  My study bible notes that the Lord's phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be living at that time.

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectations of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."  Jesus speaks of the fulfillment of this time in which we live, which will culminate in His Return.  That they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory indicates this even will be unmistakable to all people, hidden from no one.  My study bible comments that at His first coming, Christ came in humility and mortality.  But at His second coming, He will be revealed in power and great glory, a phrase used also by Matthew (Matthew 24:30).

What does it mean that Jesus says that "Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled"?  I think we don't necessarily know a clear answer to that.  But certainly we can be given to understand we live in a period in which we simply await His Return -- and that we have no idea when that will occur.  God's time is not our time, and the fulfillment of prophesy is not a matter of simple calculation, nor immediate manifestation.  Moreover, all of Christ's emphasis is first of all upon warning His immediate disciples to be alert and aware of the time in which the Siege of Jerusalem would take place, and also that all of the Church -- for the entire period of existence of the Church -- is to remain alert for His Return.  That is, we're not to sit and calculate and speculate when that will happen.  Rather we remain alert to the things that we need to be about, how we best fulfill the mission He's given us, and to be the disciples He asks us to be.  In this sense, although 2,000 years have passed since Christ's life as Jesus, each of us has absolutely no time to waste.  Many will tell you that life is short, but what Jesus teaches us is that every moment counts, that He expects us to be alert and awake and fully present to His purposes in our daily lives.  Despite the power of prophecy and the temptation to speculate, if we don't take that message from what He tells us, then we are missing the point.  In this sense, every moment is precious.  Our walk of faith in our worldly lives is so essential that even the hair of our heads is numbered.  It is really remarkable how many teachings of Christ seem to indicate we have no time to waste.  When He warns against excess anxiety and useless worry (12:22-34), He's really teaching us not to waste our precious time.  He warns us that His Return will come as a thief in the night, at an hour we don't expect.   So our real purpose in hearing and heeding these warnings is to understand how deeply essential to God each moment of our lives in discipleship really is.  If we realized how precious our own life is, we would consider always what it is that we are to be about, how we may love God and grow in the practice of that love.  For each moment and for each person, there will always be ways to be busy being about "our Father's business."  We may always turn to prayer, for Christ calls faith in Him the work of God (John 6:28-29).  In a prayerful life, we may see things with a certain perspective, and whatever is before us to do will present opportunities for acting on that love of God, that faith in Christ.  We effectively consider at all times the two commandments that Jesus calls the greatest:  that we first love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and from this we love neighbor as ourselves.  The life lived as if all time is precious is one in which we do not forget this teaching, in which we understand that a moment lived in this love is not wasted -- and that there may be infinite ways of its expression depending upon our own circumstances.  It is a disposition of the heart that is the kind of alertness we're called to, and there will always be something at hand -- even if that means to sit in one's secret, private place and pray.  Sometimes that is indeed the best use of our time, as affirmed by Christ (Matthew 6:6).  Let us not forget that Christ also calls us to appreciate the beauty of the world and not to waste our time in useless toil (Matthew 6:28-29).  Moreover, we're to be aware of the good gifts we're given.   And we are always called back to ourselves, as was the Prodigal (15:17).  We might consider all the goals and challenges with which the world may present us; and contrast that with the humility He asks of us, the true and sober orientation of the heart He reminds us always to be alert to -- for it is there we will find our true challenge, the Way He asks of us, and how precious our every moment is to Him.  This is how we remain mindful of the reality of the time to "look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."