Beyond the Lemonade Stand
When Jesus Hosts a Watch Party
On a cool spring afternoon the disciples made their way from the temple grounds through olive groves to a bluff overlooking the temple itself. Herod had overseen the construction of a magnificent edifice that inspired wonder and awe upon onlookers; he captured what Solomon only envisioned. The temple was completed some twenty years earlier and the boy Jesus might have been one of its first attendees. Jews of all walks of life swelled with pride as the temple was a light to the nations.
Naturally, Peter, John and the disciples draw their attention to the building and made a passing commentary on its glorious beauty. I can’t fault them. I’ve stood in awe on top of Rocky Butte overlooking downtown Portland, Oregon amidst Mt. Hood, the Columbia River, and Mount St. Helens. Impressive. I distinctly recall my visit to Washington DC and how awestruck I was in seeing the Capitol building. Speechless. So the disciples’ attention on the building is not beyond something I might have said. But Jesus’ response was exactly Jesus, “All those stones to build the temple will land in a heap of rubble” (Mk. 13:2).
Shocked. Bewildered. Confused. The disciples sought clarification from their teacher. They wanted answers to two questions, “When will it happen?” and “What will be the sign ahead of fulfillment?” What unfolds in Mark 13 (and Matthew 24) is a difficult answer that requires an understanding of the book of Daniel and apocalyptic literature, neither of which is easily assessed by modern, western thinking Christians. Certainly, followers of Christ have exploited his words, in part because Jesus not only answers their questions, but also points even further down history’s timeline to his return. The real difficulty is figuring out when Jesus is talking about Jerusalem’s fall and when he is talking about his return?
The simplest way to understand Mark 13 is that verses 5-32 all deal with the fall of Jerusalem. When Jesus talks about misdirection of the coming Christ (v. 6, 21-23), or nations warring against each other or cataclysmic events (v. 7-8) or the “abomination of desolation” (v. 14), he’s directly addressing events surrounding 70 AD. Certainly, persecution and betrayal (v. 9-13) will always be part of our faith-walk with Jesus, but Jesus is still looking at events unfolding in their next thirty-five years.
While verses 24-31 sound like Jesus is talking about his second coming, two facts say otherwise. First, “But in those days, following that distress,” (v. 24) means that Jesus is still on the AD 70 events, not his second coming. Secondly, the language of these verses continues apocalyptic images and was often used by prophets to describe God’s judgment on a nation. In other words, Jesus uses the Old Testament visuals to apply to Jerusalem facing God’s wrath through the Romans. Jerusalem will fall and the temple will be razed.
Jesus slowly pivots his exposition at verse 32 by saying, “No one knows about that day or hour . . ..” He has just told his disciples about heaven and earth passing away (v. 31) and the enduring power of God’s word, but no one is privy to when the end comes. I’m sure Jesus knew when Jerusalem was going to fall, or at least the general time frame for its fall. But he, the angels and the many so-called “predictors” do not know when God set the time for him to return.
In order to appreciate the ominous foreshadowing words of Jesus, we need to try to feel the despair of watching Jerusalem being breached and the temple being levelled. For a first century Jew the world was emotionally coming to an end. The game was over. The final chapter was written. Go on home because no “end-scene” credit was shot. We know this because we’ve experienced moments where all looked lost. October 29, 1929 when the stock market crashed forcing America into the Great Depression. December 7, 1941 when America was thrust into the throes of a world war for the second time. September 11, 2001 when terrorists high jacked planes and flew them into the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon. Each of those events changed the direction of the world, but didn’t close the book on the world.
The solution Jesus offers to his disciples is to invite them to his own Watch Party. “Watch out that no one deceives you” (v. 5). “Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (v. 33). “Keep watch” because you do not know when he returns (v. 34-35). “What I say to everyone: Watch” (v. 37). So he invites us to his Watch Party because it might be at midnight when he’s praying in the garden (v. 35; 14:32), or just before the rooster crows during his trial (v. 35; 14:72), or at dawn when he was sentenced to die (v. 35; 15:1). We watch because we never know how God will take an “end of the world” disaster and breathe new hope into it.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)
Man In The Mirror
Kinder & Gentler
A Plank, A Rock & A Baby Ewe Lamb
The peril of a life lived as a critic means that one sees only the flaws in everyone else, but refuses to acknowledge the same flaws in themselves. The danger is the damage created by the individual who has no self-awareness for his/her own sin, but freely attacks or exposes other’s sin. Ironically, how many times has the critic been found committing the same sin as those he/she attacks? As the finger points, three more tend to point back at the accuser.
The climax to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) is a warning to the listeners where danger lurks when judgmental attitudes prevail. The imagery given is the person criticizing someone with a speck in his/her eye while ignoring the plank in their own eye. The humorous scene of someone claiming to help another with their “sawdust of a problem” does more damage to that person because he/her is constantly being smacked in the head by a 2×4.
When they dragged the woman before the crowds, they weren’t looking for justice. They were looking to trap and trick Jesus. They were creating a show with her and Jesus on center-stage; they might as well have been selling popcorn, peanuts and programs. But Jesus refused to play their games. His writing in the sand was likely a distraction to take the attention off the woman (if she was “caught in the very act of adultery,” where’s the guy?). With Jesus wedged between upholding the law while providing mercy for an exploited woman, he looked at her accusers in the eye. He proposed, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn. 8:7). With the younger men ready to launch their rocks, the older ones dropped theirs to the ground and left, leading the young with them. If you’re going to be quick to accuse, then your own life needs to be guilt free.
In the wake of David’s sin with Bathsheba, he was graced by a visit from his prophet and friend, Nathan (David has a son named Nathan and it may say something about his fondness for the prophet). Nathan shared with the king an injustice. A wealthy man, with a flock of sheep, confiscated the only sheep owned by a penniless man. The ewe lamb was like a house pet to the poor man. The wealthy man had a friend traveling through and refused to sacrifice one his own flock or herd, so he stole from the poor man. Outraged, David visibly saw in this scene made him blind to his own sin. Nathan’s words were direct while cutting to the heart, “You’re the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7a).
Clearly, the critical and judgmental life is hardly encouraged in Scripture. Just as clear is how easily we endorse the critical and judgmental life as a means of defending truth, the gospel or Scripture. In other words, we need to fix their attitude, perspective and doctrine because ours is just fine if not perfect. Let the finger pointing begin as we do so in the name of Truth, the Gospel and Scripture. Let the three fingers pointing back at us be our indictment.
If there were a way to soften the critic within us and to stop the finger pointing, then at least two steps must be taken. First, take a good look in the mirror. Work on yourself before working on others. The bible is intended to reveal the heart of the one reading it (Jas.1:22-25). And while the image of the sword prevails in Hebrews 4:12, the link to the sword is its “sharpness” not its weaponry. So yes, the Word penetrates to your own soul and spirit. If God’s Word is going to convict and confront, it must convict and confront the person reading it, or holding it, before applying it to others and should never be weaponized.
Secondly, when the time comes to address something in a person’s life, and that time will come, humility and compassion must be the tip of the spear. Paul tells the Galatians that when someone is caught in a sin, restoration is a gentle process (Gal. 6:1). It’s not about hurting the person with your plank or by the stone in your hand, but through weakness, compassion and understanding. No wonder Paul clarifies that the restoration process is led by someone spiritual.
The danger of a life lived as a critic is that it ultimately pits me against them. I’m the good and they’re the bad. And when that happens, we’re not only blinded to God’s will but we widen the gulf between each other, a gulf that was bridged by a lamb’s sacrifice.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)