The Light of the World-Waiting on Hope Pat I
Today's part is just my thoughts on the sermon scripture
We have a lot to do today, and given my return to the retail workforce, this Monday Morning With Jesus may be delayed until Tuesday morning. Let’s dive right into the scripture.
23“But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
24“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
26“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27“And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
29“Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
30“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
31“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
32“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
34“It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
35“Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
36in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.
37“What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ”
Mark 13:23–37 (NASB95)
I took quite a few notes on the scripture. I may make this two parts to get something out today and maybe do something for tomorrow. We’ll see.
This passage of scripture is all red letters meaning it is what Jesus said. In fact, the entire chapter is red letters except for verses 1, 3, 4, and parts 2 and 5. According to Halley's, Jesus is coming out of the temple for the last time. Various readings of commentaries note the confusing and jumbled nature of this story, Matthew 24 &25, and Luke 21. No one knows if that is intentional, but given God’s Revelation to John and how confusing that is, I understand why this revelation concerning the end time is also confusing. Halley’s explains that the use of “this generation” can also mean the people of Israel, meaning the Jews, shall not cease to be a people before all of this comes to pass. They do not believe Jesus meant the people alive then (read the verses before verse twenty-three and the Matthew and Luke passages.) More common readings indicate Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem during the lifetimes of those listening to Him. In fact, that would happen within forty years, around 70 AD. That destruction is likely referencing “that tribulation” in verse twenty-three.
Today's passage is part of Jesus’ response to someone saying the following in verse 1.
1As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
Mark 13:1 (NASB95)
Our portion of Mark 13 comes after the group is on the Mount of Olives, where Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask him to clarify his answer to the question from verse 1.
2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,
4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”
Mark 13:2–4 (NASB95)
I’m not going to dig into the interposing verses between four and twenty-three for today. There’s certainly good stuff in there, but it wasn’t covered in the sermon message. However, there’s more to cover in our passage today.
Verse 24 uses a word in the KJV and NASB that I think is important, tribulation. This is in reference to what happened in our history (70 AD), but to them, it was a future prophecy. We have this word used in our future prophecy as well meaning the second coming happens in and around a “tribulation” we have coming. Let’s look at the dictionary definition as well as the Greek word behind the one used in verse 24.
Tribulation
trib-yuh-ley-shuhn
noun
grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering.
an instance of this; an affliction, trouble, etc.
Here is the Greek definition of Strongs 2347 Tribulation (which is also paired with the article 3588)
Greek Strong’s Number: 2347
Greek Word: θλῖψις
Transliteration: thlipsis
Phonetic Pronunciation: thlip’-sis
Root: from <G2346>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 3:139,334
Part of Speech: n f
Vine’s Words: Afflict, Affliction, Anguish, Distress, Distressed, Tribulation, Trouble
usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
tribulation 21
affliction 17
trouble 3
anguish 1
persecution 1
burdened 1
to be afflicted + <G1519> 1
[Total Count: 45]
from <G2346> (thlibo); pressure (literal or figurative):- afflicted (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.
James Strong, “Θλῖψις,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
The part that sticks out to me is “pressure,” either figurative or literal, but the entire Greek definition covers what we’ve just concluded as our lesson title for 2023, A Coming Storm. The Sermon message and my Advent lesson for Sunday were on Hope. This single passage in and of itself is not hopeful, but it is in conjunction with the fact that verse twenty-six says that’s when Jesus comes.
I mention that because the lesson title for 2024’s series is Dawn of Hope. There is always an “after” with the storm. After the storm, the clouds part and the sun shines again. Even in the passing of a loved one who lived in Christ, his or her faith brings about the ultimate healing as they go on to the hoped-for dawn in Jesus with everlasting life in Heaven.
Some may question that conclusion, given things such as a life lived in separation from God and Christ. They question what is called the “deathbed conversion.” In truth, the idea of living a life I know is something God doesn’t like with the plan of “accepting Jesus” right at the end so I can “have fun” the rest of the time bothers me. I don’t say that to put doubt in anyone’s mind. I say that to point out that entrance into Heaven isn’t up to me. It is up to Jesus. He has the burden of judgment, not me. That’s a good thing because I want mercy for myself, which means I need to have mercy for other people. In realizing that fact, we should hope and pray that those last-minute “deathbed conversions” are honored by the Son of Man. We should still strive to carry forth in our faith in Jesus. This is not a lobby to say that we can do whatever we want in life and at the last minute flip over. If we do that intentionally, we’ve got a problem because we might run into the “I never knew you” part of scripture.
I share this with you all not because it troubles me about other people. I share this with you all because it troubles me about me. I have not lived a life pleasing to God until recently. My past is my own burden shared with a very few who knew me then. Some know parts, but few know most, and almost no one knows it all. I very closely identify with the Prodigal Son for a lot of reasons. It is my hope that the love of Christ is there for me when the time comes. It is my hope that it is there for all people who make that realization at whatever point. I think scripture confirms it, too, in a parable told by Jesus.
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2“When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3“And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place;
4and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
5“Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.
6“And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
7“They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’
9“When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.
10“When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11“When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner,
12saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
13“But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
15‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’
16“So the last shall be first, and the first last.”
Matthew 20:1–16 (NASB95)
Verse twelve above is the hope for those who find Jesus late in life. They are the “last men.” The hope is the fact that the “Land Owner,” who is Jesus, “paid” them the same as the others who “toiled” for far longer. Note everyone gets the same thing here. We all get salvation, meaning our sins are washed clean regardless of how long we “labored in the vineyard” or lived a life before the “Land Owner” called us to work for Him. Note here who went out and found the “laborers.” The Land Owner went out. Not other laborers. That’s important because we think that because the Great Commission commands us to go and make disciples, we think it is our burden to convert people to Jesus. It isn’t. Only God can change a heart. Only the “Land Owner” can call a laborer to His vineyard. It isn’t up to us to make them change, but it is up to us to do whatever the Holy Spirit leads us to do.
That’s a long digression from the notes on the scripture from the sermon, but it’s where it led.
Getting back to my notes, we have another parable in the scripture for the sermon about the fig tree. In this case, it is the budding fig tree coming out of winter. Again, we have imagery coming out of hardship. In this case, the cold of winter. The tree is bare, simply trying to endure the cold of the season until the cold desolation of winter passes and the warmth of spring brings forth the new greenery.
When gardeners see those tender shoots emerging from bulb and branch, they know the seasons are changing. We call the stages of our lives seasons, too. Seasons mean change. In this case, the “season” of change coming is that of the tribulation, which the signs Jesus speaks about herald.
I love the implications verse 31 has when Jesus says Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Scripture tells us there is not a thing that was made without Jesus. It also tells us God spoke all things into existence. What we can take from that is a deeper meaning here. All of creation is built on God’s words having been spoken into existence. All things we know shall be gone, but still, God’s ways and what He made, which we have no way of comprehending the totality of it all, will remain beyond what we know. This level of durability and endurance gives God’s statements about the things that are good and bad even more weight than they had before (or should have had.)
Verse 32 moves into a statement I’ve been making quite a bit in class recently. This is a point I think we should dwell on for a moment. It is quite germane to our present times, I think.
We see wars and rumors of wars. Storms, earthquakes, violence, floods, and famines. All these things are spoken of in the Bible concerning the end-times. It would be easy for us to see these things and conclude that time is now. However, if we look at history, we can see numerous times preserved for us in the historical record that I’m certain looked just as ominous for the people of those times. For instance, the Roman time of Nero likely looked like the end times to the Christians of that time period. The Jews who experienced the Holocaust likely saw that time as the end, and the Christians who experienced the Laotian killing fields in and around the Vietnam War likely saw that time as the end, too. My point is the same as the point Jesus makes in verse 35. We don’t know when that time will come. We cannot know it, and I contend we shouldn’t become preoccupied with looking for it either.
“But the scripture commands us to watch.” Not exactly, no. It commands the porter to watch. Who was the porter? In the NASB, it uses the word “doorkeeper” which might give you a hint. Here’s the definition of porter.
Porter
pawr-ter, pohr
noun
a person hired to carry burdens or baggage, as at a railroad station or a hotel.
a person who does cleaning and maintenance work in a building, factory, store, etc.
an attendant in a railroad parlor car or sleeping car.
“A person hired…” or “…maintenance work…” in a place. Let’s look at the Greek word behind it for added flavor.
Greek Strong’s Number: 2377
Greek Word: θυρωρός
Transliteration: thyrōros
Phonetic Pronunciation: thoo-ro-ros’
Root: from <G2374> and ouros (a watcher)
Cross Reference:
Part of Speech: n m
Vine’s Words: Porter
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
porter 2
that keeps the door + <G3588> 2
[Total Count: 4]
from <G2374> (thura) and ouros (a watcher); a gate-warden:- that kept the door, porter.
James Strong, “Θυρωρός,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
A watcher, a gate warden. What was their purpose? To see the approach of someone traveling to their location and when they realized someone is coming to summon the appropriate servants of the house to aid him in tending to the new arrival. In the case of the Master returning, the whole house turns out to welcome him and, if necessary assist him in bringing in whatever burden he brought home.
In the worldly sense, the master would be tired from the journey. He would want help if nothing else than with tending to the beast he traveled on or simply to open the gate. Most homes that had a “master” who had a “porter,” “gate-warden,” or “doorkeeper” had walls to keep wild beasts and bandits out. If no one saw the approach of the master and the gate is closed, he would have to shout and call, waiting outside his own home until someone came to let him in. This would make the master of the house angry, thus the line in verse 36.
In the case where the parable can be taken to mean the return of Jesus to earth, we should be found working at whatever task the Holy Spirit, which is God, gave us to do. If we are simply “living our lives” away from faith in Jesus, we are “sleeping.” After all, we are all created in His image, which means we have things to do that are of a divine nature, lead to the Divine Nature of God, and work to further God’s plan for His creation. It isn’t our creation, though some believe they are the end all and be all of creation. We are His handiwork, created for His reasons to do His work. We should be found working on those tasks when the time comes for the master to return.
So, what does that last verse mean, which sounds like a command to watch? Verse 37 does sound very much like Jesus telling us all to watch, which sounds exactly the opposite of what I’ve said throughout this lesson and all year, sporadically. Why is that?
Greek Strong’s Number: 1127
Greek Word: γρηγορέω
Transliteration: grēgoreō
Phonetic Pronunciation: gray-gor-yoo’-o
Root: from <G1453>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:338,195
Part of Speech: v
Vine’s Words: Wake, Watch, Watchers, Watchful, Watchings
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
watch 21
wake 1
be vigilant 1
[Total Count: 23]
from <G1453> (egeiro); to keep awake, i.e. watch (literal or figurative):- be vigilant, wake, (be) watch (-ful).
James Strong, “Γρηγορέω,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
Verse 36 says not to be caught “sleeping.” The Greek word for watch, shown above, also means to “keep awake.” I like the word “vigilant.” But for what? Well, what are workers supposed to do? Work, obviously, but at what? That is a question only the individual can answer, but I would say there are some other basic questions we can ask ourselves that might help lead to the ultimate answer to the question what should I be vigilant about and what should I watch for?
What are you good at?
What or whom do you feel a strong connection to (meaning groups of people?)
Where do you constantly find yourself, whether you like it or not?
If the answers seem to indicate things you choose, perhaps you aren’t listening to the voice of God. If the answers seem to indicate people, places, and things you don’t like very much, perhaps you should be digging into why. If the answers seem to confuse you as to how they can possibly be connected to the work God has for you, perhaps you should consult a trusted Christian brother or sister for council.
All that doesn’t seem to connect to being vigilant and watching, which seems to be an outward activity, but perhaps we miss the point if we turn our eyes to the world around us. God did not send Jesus to be a military leader to liberate bodies of the flesh. That’s too limiting for God.
Jesus came to establish God’s kingdom on earth but not of the flesh. His kingdom is one of spirit. If we shift our vigilance from those around us to the spiritual, that vigilance takes on a new meaning. What we are to watch for are those things assaulting our hearts. What we are to be vigilant for are those things within ourselves trying to batter down the gates of God’s kingdom within us. The task we should be caught being about when the Master returns is tending to the vineyard of our heart, pruning those things not of God from the vine of Christ so we bear more fruit for Him. We should be weeding the garden of our soul to clean out those things scripture says God doesn’t like within ourselves. When we are about these tasks, it doesn’t matter if the events of the world around us are those of the end times or just another tumultuous chapter in history. Either way, we are making sure we shine a light into the darkness around us, showing the world a better way, welcoming the earthly oppressed into the hope of salvation by reflecting the love of a risen Savior. We become the city on the hill, showing the world a better way through the smiling countenance that is on our faces daily because we know who our Master is and that He has overcome all adversity on our behalf. If we do otherwise, we are asleep at our post when the Holy Spirit returns to us, and the Master may grow angry standing outside the door to His own home. That’s an image I don’t want to come true.
My notes for the scripture took over Monday Morning With Jesus. I haven’t even gotten to the actual sermon preached on Sunday yet. I will cover that tomorrow in part two.