October 8, 2014
Matthew 24-25
“Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!”
These words from the communion liturgy reflect Biblical truths about Jesus that should shape us every day. Christ has died; we’ll read Matthew’s account of Jesus death tomorrow in chapters 26-27. Christ is risen; we’ll read Matthew account of the resurrection tomorrow, as well, in chapter 28. Christ will come again; Jesus took time, the week of his passion, to describe the hope that has encouraged the church for nearly 2000 years. It seems that God intended for every generation of believers to expect Christ’s return in their lifetimes; and Jesus’ words allow for this.
In Matthew 24, the disciples are admiring the temple from across the Kidron Valley on the Mount of Olives. Jesus interrupts their reverie with this news: Every stone of that temple is coming down! This prompts the disciples to ask about Jesus’ coming and the end of the age. In their minds, the destruction of the temple, the end of the age of the coming of Christ to his throne would all happen at once. Jesus seems to describe the “end of the age” in vv. 4-14, the destruction of Jerusalem in vv. 15-22, and the second coming in vv. 23-31. If this is true, Jesus is jumping back and forth from the distant future to A.D. 70 back to the distant future, for the end and Christ’s return haven’t happened yet. The end of the age will be marked by signs and stress. The destruction of the temple is a certainty, for it already happened. And the second coming, Jesus warns us, will be falsely announced many times. But when it comes, it will be unmistakable, “All nations” will notice! All believers will be gathered up!
In the rest of Matthew 24 and in all of Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching us how live in the light of His sure and certain return. Since “no one knows the day or the hour,” (24. 36) we must always be ready. This doesn’t mean we stop what we’re doing, put on white robes and head for a mountaintop to be whisked away. It means that we are serving like the Master has called us to serve (24:46), prepared like the 5 virgins (25:10), as busy as those who put their “talents” to work (25:21, 23), and ministering to people as if they were Jesus himself (25:40). Doing so, we will be ready for anything!
Tomorrow, we walk with Jesus through His passion.
Your fellow pilgrim through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
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