"Is Jesus Really Coming Back Or Not?"
The Holy Gospel comes to us today from Mark the 13th chapter, beginning at the 1st verse.
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the gift of life and all that is needed to sustain us from day to day, but we are often unappreciative. You have revealed the depth of your love for us, through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus the Christ, yet we often fail to share your love with others. Through our baptism, you have claimed us as children of your kingdom, and heirs of eternal life, yet we often fail to express our gratitude for your gift of grace. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, move us to deeper faith, and empower us to live our lives in thanksgiving. We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.In the words of today’s text there is a great sense of urgency. These words of Jesus are very important words, because it was just a few days or not many hours before he would be crucified on the cross. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, the disciples would struggle with what to do next. In these words in our text the Lord Jesus wanted them to focus their attention: not on the things around them that they had seen, but on the spiritual things that would give them strength. Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on the power of God’s holy word.
If I were to hand out confidential voting papers on which you can vote either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, I wonder what the results would be.
You want to know what the question is, don’t you! It’s this: Is Jesus really coming back or not? Yes or no.
Mark chapter 13 is not easy to understand, and I do not claim to understand it fully. However, the words of Jesus in chapter 13 tell us very clearly about the time leading up to his return, even if some of the details are difficult to make complete sense of.
Jesus and his disciples are leaving the Temple (13:1). A conversation begins, initially concerning the might and the splendor of the Temple buildings. “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Sadly, my mischievous mind is hearing words like, “Grandmother, what big eyes you’ve got!”
The Jewish Historian Josephus tells us that the Temple at the time of Jesus was a Wonder of the World. Some of its stones were 40 feet long, 12 feet high and 18 feet wide. The front of the temple was covered in plates of gold. When the sun rose the plates reflected back a fiery splendor, so fierce that people were forced to turn their eyes away, just as we are when faced with the sun in our eyes. It was a truly amazing sight.
Jesus’ reply is that every stone of that magnificent Temple will be thrown down. The building symbolizing the pride of the nation is going to be destroyed; and indeed it was destroyed around 70AD by the Romans; but when Jesus spoke these words around 40 years before the destruction of the Temple, he gave no dates. What he did give were warnings about future persecutions, warnings about false teachers, and encouragements to watch and wait for the Son of Man to come with great power and glory (13:26).
These words of Jesus come just a few days before his crucifixion. There is a sense here of Jesus preparing his disciples. Good Friday was to be a bleak, bloody, bereavement experience for the disciples. Easter Sunday was to be a day of joy and jubilation in their journey of faith, but after Jesus ascended into heaven, and even after the gift of the Holy Spirit, awful days of persecution were to come before the return of the Son of Man. I wonder where you are today in your journey of faith in Jesus?
There was a sense of preparation in Jesus’ words because he is talking about a variety of things to come, many of which Christians are experiencing today. Muslim converts to Christ often know exactly what it means for a brother to betray his brother to death and a father his child (13:12).
Mark 13 calls us to have a long term, even eternal view, of events on earth; and not a short-term view.
So, how can we turn our attention to the long term, and avoid getting too focused upon the short term?
During the whole of the chapter Jesus issues clear advice about how we should react to events, so as to help us keep a long-term perspective. (13:5), “beware that no one leads you astray.” In other words take care not to be fooled by false teachings, and there are false teachings at work in the national church today. (13:7), “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.” Wars are awful. They are horrible; but they must not draw us into thinking that God has withdrawn from his world. The Son of Man will return “with great power and glory” (13:26); and “he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (13:27).
Later in the chapter are calls to be steadfast in our faith: Jesus says “Do not worry beforehand about what you are to say” (13:11); and “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (13:13).
So when our circumstances shift from comfort to discomfort; when our world moves from certainty to uncertainty; and when perhaps even friends and family turn against us, these are not reasons to reject God or to cease to believe in him. They are the opposite. They are times to remind ourselves that Jesus predicted these events. They are times to stand firm.
Another theme running through the whole chapter is that of being alert and watchful. Verses 5, and 9 “beware”, verse 23,"be alert", verse 33, “keep alert”, and verses 35 and 37, “keep awake”.
Is Jesus really coming back? He said he will! He is coming back. It won’t be like the return of Doctor Who and not even like the Return of Superman, but Jesus is coming back. Before that day, he’s told us what to expect. Jesus calls us to be alert, and not to worry even if circumstances are awful.
Lord, our God, help us to prepare for the coming of Christ your Son. May he find us waiting, eager in joyful prayer. Grant that we may be ready to receive Christ when he comes in glory and to share in the banquet of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
This sermon encourages us to watch, to wait, to be alert, to be on our guard, and not to worry. This is an encouragement to remember and believe that Jesus will indeed return with great power and glory, and to remember it whatever our current circumstance.
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