24 “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world*—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
28 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation* will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
This passage is one that has been the subject of great debate, but what is most important about it is the command for us to, “Watch for Him!” Over and over again in the Old Testament, author after author prophesies about the coming Messiah. The One who would one day come from Heaven and redeem mankind back to The Creator. For thousands of years the men of old pleaded with Israel to watch with expectation for her Savior. Devastatingly, their response was often idol worship, laziness or empty religious practices. The stark comparison to the present day Church is alarming! It is all too easy to look back and scoff at the thousands of people who missed the whole point of who Jesus was, but if we are to put ourselves in that story, which category would we fall into?
It is a bit uncomfortable to think that the only people Jesus was disappointed in and became angry with were the “religious” people of the day. Let that be a wake up call to those of us who find it easy to say the right things and appear to be on the right track. If we really look introspectively, our hearts are doing anything but watching for our beloved Redeemer.
[call_to_action]Action // Challenge yourself this Advent season to ask God to search and know your heart, and to renew the passion and expectation for Jesus’ coming. May we not only long for His physical reappearance, but to equally yearn to join Him in the renewal of all things- to see Him make things in San Antonio as they are in Heaven.[/call_to_action]
by Mike DeFrees