Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
https://soundcloud.com/hapearce/reflection-for-june-26-2023
Luke 21:34-36
34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
These are the last three verses of a passage in which Jesus tells his followers about “signs of the end of the age.” That expression is understood as referring to a time of turmoil and confusion that will take place before the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. It’s come to be referred to as the “second coming,” or “the end of days.”
The longer passage is confusing. In some places Jesus seems to be saying that there will be signs we can recognize of the second coming, but in other places he says we should pay no attention to those who claim to know that the time is near. So what are we supposed to make of that?
It might help to stop and remind ourselves that the New Testament scholars say that the apostles who compiled the gospels didn’t worry about putting the teachings of Jesus in exactly the right order. So sometimes, it seems that they grouped together what Jesus had to say on a certain subject, even if he said those things on different occasions. So apparently Luke put together several things Jesus said about the end of the age. And taken out of their various contexts, they seem a little confusing.
For my money, the heart of what Jesus said about the end of the age can be found in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. You might remember that the Gospel of Mark is an eyewitness account and the first of the gospels. And in Mark, Jesus is quoted as saying, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And then he says, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
So it seems to me that the most important part of Jesus’ teaching about the end times, as that teaching is reported by Luke, is this group of three verses. I say that because, like the corresponding verses in Mark, they call us to live ‘watchful lives.’
Jesus says we should be careful not to allow ourselves to become so absorbed in the things that go on in this world that we forget about the kingdom of God that’s coming. His followers are to avoid “dissipation,” which isn’t exactly a word we use every day. But the Greek word is sometimes translated as ‘carousing,’ so you probably get the picture.
It seems to me that Jesus was not saying that his followers should never go to any kind of party or celebration. After all, he himself went to at least one wedding reception. And although Jesus warned his followers against “drunkenness,” he himself was known to drink, and he even made the best wine at the wedding at Cana. There’s obviously a difference between joining in an occasional joyous celebration and being consumed with drinking and partying.
But what he said next might be really surprising to some people, because Jesus goes on to warn against being consumed with “the anxieties of life.” For most followers of Jesus, those anxieties are probably more of a problem than wild drinking and partying. We tend to focus on making a living, providing for the kids, preparing for retirement, getting our medical screenings, guarding against crime in the neighborhood, etc.
So it might seem surprising that Jesus seems to say that “anxieties” are just as much of a threat to our spiritual lives as drinking and partying. That’s probably because people who live anxious lives are less likely to give of their time, talent and treasure to helping the poor and building God’s kingdom. Anxious people are more likely to have a “theology of scarcity” – to be less loving and more suspicious of others. They may be so obsessive about work that they’re too tired to serve God – or even to get out of bed to worship him.
What Jesus says here suggests a surprising thought: that as far as God is concerned, a workaholic who’s too busy or too tired to worship and an alcoholic who’s too hung over to worship are more or less on the same spiritual level.
As followers of Jesus, our highest priority is helping to bring about God’s kingdom. So if we get distracted from that calling – either by worldly pleasures or by the anxieties of life – then we’re risking our standing among those who can “stand before the Son of Man” when his kingdom comes in all its glory.
Let’s pray. Lord, by the movement of your Spirit, lead and empower us to live watchful lives, working for the coming of your kingdom so that if you return during our watch in this world, you will find us doing your work and say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servants.” Amen.
Every Blessing,
Henry
(The other readings for today are Psalms 51 and 52; I Samuel 5:1-12; and Acts 5:12-26. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society.)
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