Luke 21:25-36

William F. Schnell

November 29, 2009

Watching is the key to success in a lot of human endeavors.  For example, knowing what to watch makes the difference between an exhilarating motorcycle ride and a catastrophe.  We all know that a motorcyclist has to watch out for the other guy because the other guy is programmed to watch out for other cars and trucks, not two-wheeled conveyances.  The other guy will turn left in front of you at an intersection even though you have the right of way, and with complete honesty will swear that he never saw you coming.  You had better be watching out for that kind of thing because it really doesn’t matter who is at fault if you are dead.

There are certain things you don’t want to watch while riding a motorcycle.  You don’t want to gaze at cows in yonder field or you might not see the dog that is running into the road in front of you which, while an unfortunate inconvenience for a car driver, is a bit more consequential for you.  You do not want to stare at a pothole in the road because a motorcycle tends to go where you are looking.  The trick is to watch where you want to go—to look ahead and go there instead of into the pothole or off the berm or what-have-you.

You want to watch the weather—to watch for dark clouds rolling your way so that you can stop and put on your foul-weather gear before you are already drenched.  You want to watch the temperature so that you can add or remove layers as needed.  You want to watch the time because if it is getting late you definitely want to watch for deer.  You want to watch your driving habits because if you are unable to maintain a stable speed and track in your lane, you are probably too tired to ride and in need of a power nap.

Some folks learn the importance of watching for the right things, and others do not.  Some of us are watching our cell phones while we try to drive and text at the same time.  Big mistake.  Don’t do that.  It is just a matter of time before somebody gets hurt, like a judicatory executive pal of mine from the United Church of Christ who used to ride bicycles and is now riding wheel chairs because somebody in the driver’s seat of a 4,000 chunk of steel wasn’t paying attention.

The title of our message for today is "Watch."  It is the first in a series of Advent sermons from the Gospel of Luke.  Advent is from the Latin advenireto meaning "come."  Both our opening and closing hymns for today are classic Advent hymns, and both include the word "come"—O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.  Emmanuel means "God with us."  Advent anticipates God coming to be with us on Christmas morning.

In one sense we are commemorating the Lord’s arrival 2,000 years ago.  In another sense we are anticipating his second coming.  As he testifies in the next to the last verse of the New Testament, Yes, I am coming soon (Revelation 22:20).  But in yet another sense we long for his coming here and now as we have need for his care and guidance, remembering how he told his disciples, And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20)..  So whether we are commemorating his coming in times past, or longing for his coming in our day or anticipating his coming at the last hour when he will take the faithful home to glory, it is imperative that we watch for him lest we miss him when he comes.

In our text Jesus is teaching his disciples and other followers who are gathered with him in the courtyards surrounding the temple in Jerusalem.  A recent expansion of the temple precinct under Herod has resulted in a series of courtyards encompassing some 35 acres.  One would have to go to Egypt to find walled sacred areas larger than Herod’s temple precinct.  It is as huge as the centralized dressed stone temple is magnificent.

Just prior to our text we read: Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.  But Jesus said, "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another, every one of them will be thrown down."  "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen?  And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" (21:5-7).  Our text is Jesus’ answer to that question.

Recall that the Holy Land was under Roman occupation during the days of Jesus.  This did not set well with the Jews.  Indeed, some of Jesus’ more zealous followers looked to him as a revolutionary who would lead an insurrection which would liberate the Holy Land from the infidel.  Jesus did not want to have any part of that role, but he could see the rebellion coming.  As it happened, a Jewish insurrection in A.D. 70 led to the Jewish-Roman War.  The result was not the liberation of the Jews.  Quite the contrary, the Romans defeated them, destroyed their temple and dispersed the Jews among the nations.  They would not return to reconstitute a nation in the Land of Promise until 1948.

As was said, Jesus saw this coming over 35 years in advance, and he drew some connections between the signs of the times leading up to that cataclysmic event and his own coming on Judgment Day.  He says, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.  On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.  Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.  At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Verses 25-27).

Notice the descriptive terminology Jesus uses: anguish, perplexity, faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.  Do you ever feel that way when you look out upon our world with its economic uncertainty and clash of cultures between the West and the rest?  These are the signs, Jesus says, of Judgment Day—a day of reckoning--which is as much bad news for the sinful as it is good news for the righteous.  Jesus is addressing the latter with what he says next.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Verse 28).

This temple, city and nation may be destroyed; the people may be dispersed among the conquering nations; the heavenly bodies may shake and the seas may quake but these are signs that your redemption is drawing near, that your savior is coming soon and that your cross is about to become a crown.  Watch for these signs of the times so that you may be among those for whom the coming Day of Judgment brings good news and not bad news.

He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.  I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened (Verses 29-32).  No generation passes away until all these things have happened.  Jesus is not just talking about the Chosen People of his day, or the Chosen People at the End of Days, he is talking about the Chosen People of this and every day.

Where is there anguish in your life right now?  Where is there perplexity?  When do you feel faint from terror?  When do you feel apprehensive about what is coming on the world?  Watch for those things because that is where and when Jesus breaks into our world.  We usually associate Jesus with positive, upbeat, warm and fuzzy things and we search for him in those circumstances, which is why we often miss him when he comes.

Jesus has a history of coming in the ways we least expect.  We don’t expect him to come to us in the mangy mangers of life.  We expect to find him in the lap of luxury.  We do not expect him to come among the least and lowly.  No, we expect to find him among the high and mighty.  We do not expect to find him when our world is rocked by disappointment, grief and tragedy.  No, we expect to find him when everything is going our way.  As a result, we fail to find him when he comes because we are watching for him in all the wrong places.

Jesus warns: "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.  For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth" (Verses 34-35).  This is not just about Jews in Jesus’ day; it is about all who live on the face of the earth, including you and me.  There are going to be times when we all feel trapped, when we all feel weighed down by the anxieties of life, when we are tempted to hit the bottle or otherwise self-medicate ourselves or divert ourselves from the pain of life.

Of course these diversions never take away the pain of life.  Quite the contrary, they magnify and multiply the pain.  And so it is that the coming Day of the Lord becomes a dreadful day of harsh judgment for some.  But there is a much more constructive response to the anxieties of life, and watching for Jesus is the key.  As Jesus concludes our text, "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" (Verse 36).

Whenever we are weighed down by the anxieties of life that is a clear sign and signal that we should be watching for Jesus in those very circumstances.  Jesus is trying to get our attention.  When Jesus’ whispers do not get our attention, he turns up the volume.  Sometimes he has to yell at us through life’s difficulties: "You are on the wrong path.  You need to make a change.  You are clearly making a mess of things and its time for you to trust me.  Can you hear me now?"

It absolutely floors me when people will say, "God doesn’t speak to me.  Other people claim to have heard his voice, but I never have," as if God speaks to us with a basso profundo voice in our native tongue.  God does not speak in our native tongue.  All human languages can easily be misunderstood (ask my wife).  When God speaks he uses the language of life which cannot be misunderstood.  I ask them, "Has life ever gotten you down?  Have you ever felt encumbered by a load of care?  Do you ever feel discouraged or downhearted?"  They will say, "Oh yes, I have felt that way before."  And I will respond, "Then don’t say that God has never spoken to you, because he is speaking to you in those very circumstances where you would otherwise least expect to find him.

The best thing we can do when life is getting us down, is to literally get down on our knees and pray: "Lord, what are you trying to tell me in all of this?  I am all ears.  If I need to make a change, just give me a sign.  I am ready to trust you and to obey you."  If you do that instead of counterproductive things like hitting the bottle, Jesus will come to you and he will save you.  You will look back on that hard, hard moment as a grace-filled turning point from going down, down, down to going up, up, up.

But before the saving gift of Christmas comes the watchful season of Advent.  May this season of Advent find us watching for the Lord’s coming in the ways he chooses to make himself present in our lives.  Next Sunday we will explore what it means to prepare to receive him when he comes.  For now, watch with the Advent attitudes of expectation and anticipation together with the Blessed Assurance that he will come with his saving power.