Keep Watch, the Kingdom Is Close at Hand—Lectionary Reflection for Advent 1C (Luke 21:25-36)

Luke 21:25-36 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

**********

                We start the journey anew in our continuing cycles of the church year with the Gospel of Luke, the primary Gospel for Year C. While the previous year ended with a reading from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this earth. It is a kingdom founded upon truth, something that Pilate was unsure about (John 18:33-37). As we face another period of uncertainty as a planet, with a new President in the United States, while war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East, we hear this word from Jesus that has deep apocalyptic dimensions, a word that speaks of redemption and judgment. This passage from the Gospel of Luke reminds us that the season of Advent doesn’t just serve as a time of preparation for Christmas. More importantly, it points us to a future that includes a time of divine judgment. This might not be the kind of message we want to hear as a church on a Sunday when many congregations are decorating the sanctuary in preparation for Christmas.

                The message we hear in Luke 21 is apocalyptic. Jesus is in the Temple, or thereabouts. What we read here has parallels to the reading from Mark 13 from two weeks prior. In the earlier passage from Mark 13, Jesus speaks of the coming destruction of the Temple (Mk 13:1-8). Now he’s pointing to the aftermath of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem itself. Using apocalyptic language, he calls attention to the future arrival of the Son of Man (Second Coming). He speaks of signs in the heavens and on earth, such that the nations will experience confusion and distress. When the time comes, “people will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken: (Lk 21:26). It will be at that point that the Son of Man will come in a cloud “with power and great glory.” The question of the day is: Will we be ready when that day comes to greet the Son of Man when he comes in glory? Just to be sure, you need to keep track of the signs of the times because when one sees these signs, they will know that the time of redemption is drawing near.

                To illustrate this need to be awake to the possibility that the Son of Man would return in glory, Jesus offered a parable of a fig tree. He told his followers that when you see the fig tree begin to sprout leaves, you know that summer is on the way. In the same way, when you see signs in the sky and distress among the nations, as well as storms on the seas, you will know that the Kingdom of God is close at hand. He then adds a cryptic message that has caught the attention of Christians down through the ages: “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Now, is Jesus speaking here of the generation hearing his voice, or the generation that is alive when these apocalyptic signs emerge? That is the question that many have asked. People like Hal Lindsey and others like him have suggested that we are living in that generation. For more on that subject, see the book I co-authored with Ronald J. Allen—Second Thoughts About the Second Coming, (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023).

                We know that the first generations of Jesus’ followers expected Jesus to return to gather them up. We see this throughout the Synoptic Gospels. Over time, that expectation began to wane as the years dragged on and Jesus didn’t appear. We see that play out here in Luke who tells his readers that they should be on their guard, so they’re not caught up in dissipation and drunkenness, or the worries of life, and therefore caught unawares when the time comes. As Larry Norman put it: “I wish we’d all been ready.” The warning includes a word about getting caught in the trials and tribulations of the moment. Pray Jesus says that you will have the strength to escape the things that will take place, so you can stand before the Son of Man.

                This last word, about escaping the things that will take place suggests that the followers of Jesus will be around for these times of trouble. There isn’t a rapture of the saints revealed here. The Son of Man will come in the clouds, but it doesn’t appear here that he will rescue his followers from these difficult times. What Jesus (Luke) offers here is a call to be prepared for that moment.

                Ron and I detail the various ways that Christians have approached the idea of the Second Coming. History reveals that with some regularity, often when wars and famines and plagues break out, people begin to wonder whether this is the time when the Son of Man will come and bring to a close. We see this happening at the time of World War I, a moment in history when the great powers went to war. That war led to the fall of the Ottoman Empire, which had control of the Holy Land. With British sovereignty (and American support), Jews began to move to Palestine in large numbers. Added to that was the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. We saw something similar take place after World War II, with the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, allowing even greater numbers of Jews to return to their homeland. Since then, every war in the region has stirred apocalyptic imaginations. People wonder, is this the time? We are witnessing something similar at this moment, with Israel at war in Gaza and Lebanon, a war that is spilling over into the West Bank. The world does appear to be in turmoil. So, is this the time?

                While you, the reader of this reflection, may not embrace the apocalyptic visions embraced by many modern Christians, visions that have been stirred by passages like this, the fact that the creators of the Revised Common Lectionary have chosen this passage, serves as a reminder that Advent has an eschatological dimension. It also serves as a reminder that Jesus proclaimed the coming of God’s realm. That realm is different from that of Rome and even ancient Israel. Jesus will be king, but he won’t be commanding armies or throwing out Rome (or its successor empires including the United States). What this passage does, however, is call on us to be on the alert for signs that God’s realm is breaking into this world. We may have to wait for the full revealing, but could it be that we will see signs that God is at work in the world?

                Since Advent has a dual role in calling on believers to prepare for Christmas (the first advent) and the coming of the Son of Man, together with the Kingdom of God (the second advent), might we ponder what it means to be on the alert so that when the time comes, we won’t be caught unawares? Although discussing eschatology (last things) and apocalyptic ideas is often uncomfortable, perhaps Advent is a good time to begin the conversation. Inquiring minds want to know what to make of the signs of the times. They wonder whether the Hal Lindseys might be on to something. These may or may not be the end times, but the signs of the times require our attention.

                While we are just beginning a new cycle in the church year, with the celebration of the birth of Jesus on the near horizon, the passage from Luke that kicks off this cycle takes us to the very end of Jesus’ ministry. According to Luke’s account, Jesus is just days away from his execution by Roman authorities in collaboration with Jewish leaders (Rome chose who got to lead the people). When Luke wrote his Gospel Rome had already destroyed the city of Jerusalem along with the Temple. Going back to the days before the destruction of the Temple was not possible. The only hope for the people would be found in the coming of God’s realm, the realm Jesus proclaimed.

                As we begin this new liturgical year, which will parallel a change in the government of the United States, what might we take from Luke 21? What might God say to us as we ponder this passage at a time when many who read it are anxious about the future?

Claudia Highbaugh writes a response that is helpful here:

The shape of our faith in times of crisis and change and confusion carries us from uncertainty to becoming persons of reliable faith. Watching for signs and being on guard and attentive to the natural world around us—the world of wonders and change—inform the ability to live through difficult circumstances. Jesus models this!  . . . The only adequate, informed source of meeting the crises to come is to be prepared, prayerful, and attentive to the signs of the natural world and warned that the kingdom of God is always near (vs. 31).  [Feasting on the Gospels—Luke, Volume 2: 246].     

So, let us keep watch together, and stay strong so that we might experience God’s peace amid uncertain times. As we do so we can be messengers of God’s realm. Let us remember that this passage appears on a Sunday when churches light the candle of hope. This should be our focus. No matter what the world looks like, we live with the promise of hope. That is because God is faithful.