But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly

 

Then He spoke to them a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

 

- Luke 21:29-38 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been giving His discourse on the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and on the end times, to His disciples.  Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "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 expectation 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." 

Then He spoke to them a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  My study Bible comments that this generation is a reference to all believers at all times.  It signifies the generation of the Church, and not merely those alive at the time of Christ.  

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.  Here is Christ's emphasis in His discourse, revealing that His aim is not to make people experts on end-time prophecy.  He calls us to take heed, to watch, and to pray always.  We are to continue in virtue, remaining alert and vigilant to the duties of being a follower of Christ, for that Day will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  To stand before the Son of Man is an indication of the judgment to come at that time for all. 

Jesus' final warnings set us in a place where our orientation is toward watchfulness.  This is an important state of mind for one who would be a follower of Christ.  In monastic tradition, it forms the core of what is called spiritual battle, or unseen warfare.  For it is in practicing the virtues, watching our own thoughts, and being aware of where temptation lies (and where we're vulnerable) that forms the core of doing our part to anchor Christ's kingdom in this world.  Jesus emphasizes such practice in the Sermon on the Mount, when He examines the Law and magnifies a deeper layer to its true practice.  He urges us to undertake a spiritual obedience, not merely an outward observance, watching our rage and anger, our tongues, our covetousness, envy, etc.  We're not just outward projections of something designed to be "perfect," far from it.  We're people -- human beings -- in a constant state of energy at work.  We're faced with temptations all the time, we have flaws, faults, vulnerability, yet we are capable of great spiritual beauty.  We have trauma that makes us susceptible to the false lure of evil, and we're easily fooled when it comes to our own blindness to our flaws.  Watchfulness includes constant prayer ("pray always") and avoiding the pitfalls that make us insensible to the realities of the things we need to be about ("take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life").  We should be sure to note that Jesus includes not just carousing and drunkenness (surely shorthand for anything in which we might lose ourselves in forgetfulness) but also the cares of this life among the things that weigh down our hearts.  So often we might think of ourselves as simply being responsible by worrying or taking on the duties of work, property, social concerns, etc.  But Jesus is clearly saying we can lose ourselves in that "responsible" living as well.  He warns of this in the parable of the Sower, too (Matthew 13:22).  As we head into the Christmas season, let us keep this in mind, and focus on our prayer and spiritual discipline.   It's a time to honor the One who came to us as one of us, not to lose ourselves through by being over-involved in the cares of this life.  That would include the frantic scramble for all manner of ways to celebrate, family pressures, and other demands of the season -- a season that can include the hurt that comes to those who feel left out or neglected.   Sometimes less really is more.  The Orthodox have a saying, "Remember God."  Make time to withdraw and pray, as Jesus always did, even in the midst of a whole host of demands from those who sought Him (Luke 5:16).  Perhaps we'd best honor Him by remembering that Christ left us with one new commandment, to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34).