Stay Awake—The Time Is Near—Lectionary Reflection for Advent 1B (Mark 13)

 

Mark 13:24-37 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²⁴ “But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

    and the moon will not give its light,

²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven,

    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶ “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷ Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵ Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

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                The prior liturgical year ended with the Son of Man coming in his glory to judge the nations. He will, Jesus tells us, separate the sheep from the goats based on how they treated him. When asked how they had served him, he told the sheep and goats that the way they had served him was in the way they treated the least of his brothers and sisters (Matt. 25:31-46). With that passage, Reign of God Sunday closed out the prior liturgical year.  We begin a new liturgical cycle on the First Sunday of Advent, Year B, with the announcement that the Son of Man will come in the clouds, “with great power and glory.” When he comes in his glory, he will send out his angels to gather up the elect from the ends of earth and heaven. In other words, we start where we ended.

                The season of Advent invites us to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. It is a two-pronged preparation because we prepare for both the coming of the Christ Child (first Advent) and Christ the Judge (second Advent). In this reading, the message is a simple one. The Son of Man is coming soon and very soon, so stay awake. In many ways, Advent is an eschatological season. The chapter as a whole is known as “The Little Apocalypse,” with the larger apocalypse being the Book of Revelation. A key identifier of the apocalyptic nature of the passage is the reference to the Son of Man, which reflects a word of revelation in Daniel 7:13, which introduces us to the title taken on by Jesus (or applied to him). Whereas Matthew 25 talks of judgment, Mark 13 focuses on rescue. Consider that Jesus speaks of the angels gathering the elect from the four winds, that is all the nations of the world. While rescue or redemption is the result of this advent of the Son of Man, which is a word of hope, the phenomena that accompany the arrival of the Son of Man suggest that we should approach this arrival with a bit of fear and trembling. Why else would we want to stay awake and prepare for his coming? The description of the coming of the Son of Man reminds us that the one we prepare for is not the guy in the red suit who comes bearing gifts in his sleigh pulled through the air by eight tiny reindeer.

                It is worth considering the context in which Mark wrote this Gospel. It is believed that Mark wrote shortly before or after the Great Jewish War, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem. That event was understood in apocalyptic terms, and thus the word about the time of suffering that begins our reading. When we experience suffering or tragedy, especially on a national or international stage, we can easily begin thinking that the end is near. Every time there is a major flair-up of violence in the Middle East (as we’re seeing at this moment), many begin wondering if this is the time spoken of here and elsewhere in Scripture. Perhaps the word we hear in this apocalyptic vision is one of hope. That word of hope is rooted in the promise that heaven and earth might pass away, but not the word of God will not pass away.

                The message here revolves around the coming of the Son of Man, an image as noted above that was drawn from Daniel 7:13-14. The NRSVue uses the more inclusive human being for the Son of Man. While I understand the usage, I’m not sure it catches the same nuances as Son of Man. In any case, note the imagery here:

 I saw one like a human being

    coming with the clouds of heaven.

And he came to the Ancient One

    and was presented before him.

¹⁴ To him was given dominion

    and glory and kingship,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

    should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

    that shall not pass away,

and his kingship is one

    that shall never be destroyed.

When Jesus speaks here of the coming of the Son of Man (human being), it is this word about dominion over all peoples, nations, and languages that is in view. It is according to Daniel an “everlasting dominion that will not pass away.” Thus, Jesus speaks here of the inbreaking of the Realm of God that is yet to come, at least in its fullness.

                In keeping with this message of everlasting dominion, we hear the word that the Son of Man, the Messiah, will gather up the elect and draw them into the realm. So, be prepared. Stay awake. That’s because no one knows the hour or the day. So, as you prepare and stay on the alert, consider the fig tree. When the tree begins to put forth leaves you know that summer is at hand. When you see signs, such as the persecution and the Desolating Sacrilege spoken of earlier in the chapter, you will know that the Son of Man will be coming soon. As William Placher points out the “focus is not on the tough times but on the divine blessings that lie beyond them. It will happen soon: ‘This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place’” [Belief: Mark, p. 191]. That phrase, about this generation not passing away reminds us that the early Christians took an apocalyptic view of their situation, believing the future coming of the realm would take place sooner than later. The timing might not be clear, but the belief was strong.

                So, was Jesus mistaken? In one sense yes. We’re still here two millennia later. What began as a reform movement within Judaism that spread into Gentile communities, offering a message of a new creation would before too long evolve into an institutionalized religion. That institution was never fully unified. There was then, as there is now, a diversity of beliefs and practices. We see the roots in the New Testament.  

                Since this is a reading for Advent, in fact, the first Gospel reading of the season, what might we take from it? There is the apocalyptic element that is designed to keep us on our toes. As Advent is a season of preparation, where the message is one of being awake to the realities of our situation, as we watch for signs of the coming of the realm, what word do we hear? There is a word that has garnered much backlash. That word is “Woke.” It has become in some circles a pejorative, but in its origins within the African American community, and as the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the term, to be “Woke” is to be “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” Should we not, as followers of Jesus, be “aware of and actively attentive” to issues of social justice? Is that not the message we hear in the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25? If we are not “Woke,” that is awake, might we miss the sign of the fig tree? Might we miss what Jesus has in store for us?

                The reason we must stay awake is that we don’t know when the Son of Man will come in his glory. In fact, according to Mark’s Jesus, no one, including the Son of Man knows when this will take place. Only the Father knows. Of course, as William Placher points out, with the development of the doctrine Trinity, suggesting that only the Father knows for sure became increasingly untenable. Thus, Athanasius admitted that he did know, and “Augustine said that it means not that the Son himself does not know, but that he is using a ‘kind of figurative language’ to say that he is not enabling us to know” [Belief: Mark, p. 192-193]. Whatever Jesus may or may not have known at that moment, as for us, it is important that we not become complacent when it comes to the things of God and our place as God’s people in the world. So, let us live as if the end is close at hand because we don’t know what the future holds. That is true whether we believe, as I do, that the future is open or not.

                Just a word of caution to my friends who seek to see in the current world situation signs that we have entered the last days. Predicting the end is a fool’s errand, as history has shown. The predictors have been wrong too many times. William Miller tried to set a date and it didn’t pan out. Hal Lindsey seemed to suggest that the end would come somewhere around 1988, but we’re still here. That doesn’t mean we don’t stay alert. For those who seek to better understand how all this works, I suggest reading the book Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope, which I coauthored with Ronald J. Allen (WJK Press, 2023). I would recommend paying special attention to the historical section.

                As we begin this Advent season, may we hear a word of hope and guidance. Stay awake, be aware of the signs, and be about the work of God in the world by seeking justice and showing compassion to those who suffer. We have been gifted for this work through the Holy Spirit. The end may come tomorrow or in a billion years or more. No one knows for sure. So again, stay awake! As we light the Candle of Hope on this First Sunday of Advent, might we sing:

                Blessed be the God of Israel, who comes to set us free,

                Who visits and redeems us, and grants us liberty.

                The prophets spoke of mercy, of freedom, and release;

                God shall fulfill the promise to bring our people peace.

                                —Michael Perry (to Merle’s Tune).