But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the 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 the 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."

 

- Luke 21:29-36 

 

On Saturday, Jesus continued His discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem (and the temple) and the end times to His disciples:   "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 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."   We perhaps can take a double meaning to the phrase this generation.  The events of the destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem would come within one generation of the time that Jesus was speaking these words. But, perhaps more significantly, Jesus is giving a warning to all believers at all times, the generation of the Church (as my study Bible puts it), and not only to those alive at the time of Christ.

 

 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the 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."   Jesus' emphasis, in all the warnings we have reported in the Gospels, is on the unknown time of His return, which will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.   His emphasis is repeatedly upon our own watchfulness, our understanding of the things we are to be about as His followers, and an awareness of the judgment to come at His return.

 

Jesus says, in His final words of warning in St. Luke's Gospel, "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly."  We might think there's an exaggeration here, that such behaviors as He warns about would not apply to His disciples (carousing, drunkenness).  But note that He is speaking not of some terribly flagrant sins or extreme behavior.  Jesus is warning us of things that weigh down our hearts.  We need to consider carefully His words here, for He's not just speaking of violations of some code against sinning.  He's speaking of things we do in our lives that might seem good, or divert us to some kind of pleasure, or even the necessary things of this world with which we must concern ourselves.  He's talking about being burdened with things that are, in fact, not necessary to ourselves and should not be the focus of our lives, should not divert us from the life in the Kingdom we are meant to live and to pursue as the center of our lives.  The things that weigh us down are unnecessary burdens, even things we might think we need, but we don't.  It's important to note that He places the cares of this life in the same category of weighing down our hearts with carousing and drunkenness.  Are we over-consumed with worry about what we look like, what we'll wear, what house we have?  Do we think all the time about our work lives, or even what college our kids will get into?  While all of these things may be necessary, they are not all good to focus on with the kind of all-consuming intensity they can take on.  This is because, like carousing and drunkenness, they become diversions from the things which are really and truly important in Jesus' perspective, that involve the care of our soul.  For what is salvation?  Is it getting the best house, or keeping our reputation in the society?  Is it making sure we put on a good show, or obsessing over having "perfect" lives according to someone's image or theory they've put before us? (See Luke 12:22-34.)   The primary importance of the time of our lives, in Christ's view, is the life of the Kingdom that He has for us.  That is, living prayerfully, and always aware of where we are at, what we are dealing with, what choices we're making, and mindful of His return and living so as to be prepared for that.  Do we love those whom we need to love?  How are we judging ourselves and others?  Are we spreading false values we don't really believe in?  Most of all, are we caring for our hearts?  How do we relieve ourselves of the burdens that weigh us down, and find Christ's help to do so?  Are we aware of the spiritual life that permeates our world and our part in participating in that?  These are things that are weightier and far more important matters to concern ourselves with according to Christ and His teachings.  Do we remember who we are?  Do we remember God?  Do we cherish the gifts we're given by God?  What do we do with them?  All of these things matter to Christ, and not the things that would distract us from living the fullness of that life, our awareness of His Kingdom that lives in and through us, and the care and love of neighbor as ourselves.  Let us be consumed with love for Him and for the life He offers and invites us to live instead.  For this is truly the "work" He has for us to do.