Pentecost 26
– Proper 28/Series C (November 13, 2016)
TEXT: Luke 21:5-28
INI
As we
approach the end of the Church Year this week and next, we contemplate the End
Times. We look forward to the glorious,
visible return of our Lord Jesus and the new heaven and new earth promised in
eternity. In today’s Gospel reading, our
Lord tells about the signs of the times which should prepare us for the end of
this present age and his return. And
when you hear some of the things that Jesus says, you may think to yourself, “The
end really IS near.”
For some,
you’d think the world is falling apart following our recent presidential election. Even the cover of the latest issue of the
German magazine Der Spiegel has a giant
meteor in the shape of Donald Trump’s head on a collision course with earth and
the words “Das Ende Der Welt” … “The End of the World.” Other news reports sound very much like what Jesus
said: “there will be … people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is
coming on the world.” Don’t get me
wrong. I understand the frustration of
those who are upset about how things turned out. You invest so much time and energy in a
campaign. You make a serious emotional
investment in your candidate. But if you
respond with such despair and weeping and gnashing of teeth, you have the wrong
god. Politics is your god. Government is your god. No matter which candidate would have won, it
probably won’t be as bad as you think it would have been. This is not the end of our republic. Life goes on.
And this is certainly not the end of the world as we know it.
Jesus
gave us clear signs of the end. Conflict
between nations. Calamities in nature. Persecution from the government. Christians will be betrayed by their own
family members and hated by all for bearing the name of Christ.
Jesus compared
these signs of the end to the destruction of Jerusalem that was soon to come
upon that city. It would be a picture of
what is to come at the end of this present age.
Jesus weaves this in between his description of the final judgment. And this is how the prophets of the Old
Testament often spoke. They had what
Bible scholars call a “prophetic perspective,” that is to say, blending near
events with far off ones. They tend to speak
not in a linear fashion, but in circles.
Remember our discussion of the Revelation to St. John last week and how
the visions it contains are cyclical. Or
think of it this way. It’s like a piece
of film that is rolled over on itself, looking through two images superimposed
upon one another. The pictures are taken
at different times, but when they overlap you see the images together as one. This is a good way to understand how Jesus
describes the end. He begins by foretelling
the destruction of the temple, that not one stone would be left upon another. But that would not be the end. False messiahs will come. False predictions of the time of the end will
come. Don’t listen to them. Then, in the very next paragraph of the text he
seems to jump ahead describing the end times.
And then, in the third paragraph, he clearly jumps back again to the
first century. Jerusalem will be surrounded
by enemy armies. About 40 years later,
four Roman legions under general and future emperor Titus laid siege to
Jerusalem for several months, bringing horrible suffering and destruction. First century historian Josephus described
how the residents were driven to fighting with each other for food, breaking
into each other’s homes, gnawing on pieces of leather from shoes and belts,
along with other unspeakable wartime horrors.
No wonder Jesus told his hearers to “flee.” And finally, in the last paragraph, Jesus seems
to once again jump ahead into the future and speaks about his final return.
Throughout
all these predictions, Jesus gives promises.
He gives you promises to strengthen you as the end draws near. He says that the tribulation and trials that
come in this fallen, dying world is an “opportunity.” “This will be your opportunity to bear
witness,” he says. So, don’t be afraid of
those who challenge you. Don’t be afraid
of those who may persecute you. You have
the God of the universe on your side.
And he promises, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your
adversaries will be able to contradict.”
At the right time, the Lord will give you the words you need … and you
already have his Word in your heart.
That is the only Word you need.
Jesus
also promises you that no matter how much death threatens, yet not a head of
your head shall perish. That seems
rather contradictory, doesn’t it? But recall
our Lord’s words at the tomb of Lazarus.
“I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone
who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Though you die, yet shall you live. You have eternal life now. You will be with Jesus when you die. You will rise again, just like Lazarus, just
like Jesus. Jesus said, “By your endurance
you will gain your lives.” And he is the
one who will give you strength to stand up and confess and endure to the end. Listen to this promise from the inspired pen
of Paul: “No temptation has overtaken
you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be
tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the
way of escape, that you may be able to endure
it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
At any
given time, as bad as things may look, don’t give up. Abide in Christ’s Word. Confess.
Endure. Listen to the promises of
Jesus. Look at all the promises Jesus has
given you. Remember who you are and
whose you are. You belong to God. You are baptized, forgiven, given faith to
trust Christ’s promises and to endure. Even
if a Christian’s blood is shed, they have eternal life awaiting because of the
blood of the Lamb shed for them. In this
way, you have already gained your life.
As bad as
things may look, don’t give up. Look up! When you see the signs of the times, “straighten
up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus’ return is just around the corner. All the suffering of this life is just about
over.
Look
again at the picture of the martyr on the cover of today’s service folder. All around her, her world is falling
apart. The city crumbles. An indifferent soldier piles sticks at her feet. The wood feeds the flames meant to take her
life. Bound to a post, she cannot
escape. But her redemption draws
near. She clings to the cross. And she lifts up her head.
In
sports, you often hear the cry of “Heads up!”
It’s a warning to look out, something is coming your way. Likewise, the cry in our text today to “raise
your heads” is a cry to not only look up to the heavens, but to also be
ready. Be prepared. Something’s coming. The final judgment and the return of Jesus is
near. As God’s beloved children, there
is no need keep your head down or keep a low profile. Lift up your heads. Be bold and courageous. Take every opportunity to confess Christ as
God and Savior of the world. Do not be
lazy and grow idle, as Paul warns in today’s Epistle, and “do not grow weary in
doing good” (2 Thess. 3:16).
Your
redemption draws near to you today in the Words you hear, the Body and Blood
you eat and drink. Your redemption is
near. It is here. You ARE redeemed.
And your
final redemption is on the way, being delivered once and for all from this vale
of tears. For some of you, it will come
in death. You will be taken to be with
Jesus and await the day of resurrection.
For others, it will come if we happen to be living when Christ returns,
and our bodies will be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:52).
None of
us knows when our last hour will be.
None of us knows when Jesus will return.
But you can see the signs. You can
be ready. When your world seems to be
falling apart, both figuratively and literally, you know what to do. Cling to the cross. Lift up your head. Your redemption is drawing near.
INI
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