GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 24:37-4437 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 2:1-51 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Meditation: Why did Jesus compare "the coming of the Son of
Man" with the "days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37)? Scripture describes
both events as a day of judgment and the separation of the just
from the unjust. It is a time when the Lord of heaven and earth
gathers to himself those who are his own. Separation is an
inevitable consequence of the fundamental choices people have made
- whether for God or against God. The fundamental choices we make
can either lead us towards God and his will for us or they can
lead us in a direction that is opposed to God or contrary to his
wisdom and plan for our lives and well-being.
The days of Noah
The Book of Genesis describes why God chose to separate Noah and
his family who were faithful to God from those who had utterly
rejected God and corrupted the earth with violence and evil:
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5), "with corruption and violence spreading everywhere" (Genesis 6:11-12).
Why did so many perish when the day of judgment came? They were
caught completely unaware and unprepared for the disaster that
swept them away. The Lord Jesus warned his disciples and he issues
the same warning to us today - be alert and be prepared to meet
the Lord today and every day - and when he comes again to judge
the living and the dead.
The ark of refuge
Just as God provided a safe haven and place of refuge
for Noah and his family in the ark which spared them from
destruction (Genesis 7), the Lord provides for us today a place of
refuge in the ark of his people - the body of Christ - who listen
to his word and obey his voice. God made a covenant of peace with
Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:8-17). Noah's ark was a
prophetic sign and beacon of hope which prefigured the new
covenant of everlasting peace which the Lord Jesus would
accomplish through his atoning death on the cross, resurrection,
and outpouring of the Holy Spirit on his disciples.
Jesus came to fulfill all the promises of God, including the
covenant of peace which God made with Noah. Jesus' first coming
was a rescue mission to set us free from sin and condemnation and
to give us new life in his Holy Spirit. Jesus died for our sins,
rose to everlasting life, and is now seated in glory at the right
hand of the Father in heaven. He now reigns over the heavens and
the earth as the exalted Lord of creation. The Lord Jesus promised
that he would return again in glory to complete the work of
redemption which he began at his first coming.
Our merciful Savior is also our Judge and Vindicator
God fulfills all his promises to us in Jesus, our
merciful Savior, who will come again as our Judge and Vindicator.
Jesus told his disciples that the Father has given him all
authority to execute judgments on the earth "because he is the Son
of man" (John 5:27). The "Son of man" is a Messianic title for
God's anointed one who will overthrow God's enemies and establish
an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace. The "Son of
man" is described in the Book of Daniel as the one who is given
supreme authority to judge and execute justice on the earth
(Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus came the first time to lay down his life
as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. He promises to
return again at the "end of the age" to complete the work of
restoration and final judgment. While we do not know the time of
his return, we will not mistake it when it happens. It will be
apparent to all, both to the followers of the Lord Jesus and to
every inhabitant on the earth as well.
One is taken away and the other is left
How are we to live our lives now in light of Jesus' promise to
return again as our Lord and Judge on the final day of judgment?
Jesus gives two striking images to illustrate the urgency of the
need to not be caught off guard and unprepared when we are
suddenly summoned to appear before the Lord on the day of judgment
(Matthew 24:40-41). The first image Jesus used is a description of
two men working together in the field - very likely close family
members or close co-workers. One is suddenly taken away and the
other is left. The image of two women who are working closely
together repeats the theme of the sudden rupture and separation
Hilary of Poitiers (315-367) an early church father, Scripture
scholar and writer, explains the meaning of this short parable.
"Christ shows that a judgment is coming, since between two people in a field, one is taken up and one left behind. Between two grinding at the mill, one is chosen and one rejected. Between two lying in bed, one departs and one remains. This teaching means that the separation of the faithful from the unfaithful will consist in one being accepted and the other abandoned. For, like the prophet says, when the wrath of God rises, the saints will be hidden in God's chambers but the faithless will be left exposed to celestial fire. The two in the field therefore represent the faithful and the unfaithful, both of whom will be surprised by the day of the Lord in the midst of the world, in the course of their life's work. They will be separated, one taken and the other left. It will be the same for the two grinding at the mill, which represents the work of the law. For only some of the Jews, like Elijah, believed through the apostles that they must be justified by faith. One group will be taken up through the faith that produces good works, and the other group will be abandoned in the fruitless works of the law, grinding in vain at a mill that will never produce heavenly food. (commentary ON MATTHEW 26.5)
What is striking about Jesus' parable is the sudden and unexpected
turn of events - a summons to appear before the Judge to hear his
verdict on the day of reckoning when he acts to separate the just
from the unjust. All who had faith in Jesus Christ receive the
just reward of everlasting joy and friendship in his kingdom of
righteousness and peace.
The thief in the night
Jesus' second story of the thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44)
brings home the necessity for constant watchfulness and being on
guard to avert the danger of plunder and destruction, especially
under the cover of darkness and secrecy! While no thief would
announce his intention in advance, nor the time when he would
strike, lack of vigilance would nonetheless invite disaster for
those who do not keep a watchful eye and guard against the thief
who would try to break in and steal. Satan tries to rob us of our
faith in Jesus Christ and the treasure of the kingdom which Christ
has won for us.
Advent people - watching with expectant faith and yearning for
Christ's coming
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Day when the Lord would judge
between the nations and establish peace over the earth. In that day
the righteous - all peoples who believed in him and who listened to
his teaching and instruction - would come to his holy mountain and
house to worship him and dwell with him in everlasting peace (Isaiah
2:3-5). The Advent season reminds us that we are living in the time
between the first coming and second coming of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus calls us to be alert and watchful for his coming. He
comes to us each and every day and he knocks on the door of our
heart and home. Do you listen for his voice and welcome him into
your life? Let his word in the Scriptures and the work of the Holy
Spirit who dwells in you draw you to a deeper faith, hope, and
yearning for his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Those who
wait upon the Lord today and listen to his word will not be
disappointed. The Lord will come and bring you to his banquet table
to feast with him.
Lord Jesus, you have captured my heart for you. Make me strong in faith, steadfast in hope, and generous in love that I may seek to please you in all things and bring you glory and praise. Keep me ever watchful for the coming of your kingdom today and every day of my life.
Psalm 122:1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!"
8 For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!"
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Finding the pearl of great price, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"All who listen to the depths of the gospel and
live it so completely that none of it remains veiled from them care
very little about whether the end of the world will come suddenly
and all at once or gradually and little by little. Instead, they
bear in mind only that each individual's end or death will arrive on
a day and hour unknown to him and that upon each one of us 'the day
of the Lord will come like a thief' (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It is
important therefore to be vigilant, whether in the evening (that is,
in one's youth) or in the middle of the night (that is, at human
life's darkest hour) or when the cock crows (at full maturity) or in
the morning (when one is well advanced in old age).
"When God the Word comes and brings an end to the
progress of this life, he will gather up the one who gave 'no sleep
to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids' (Psalm 132:4) and kept the
commandment of the One who said, 'Be vigilant at all times' (Luke
21:36). ...But I know another kind of end for the righteous person
who is able to say along with the apostle, 'Far be it from me to
glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the
world is crucified to me and I to the world' (Galatians 6:14). In a
certain sense, the end of the world has already come for the person
to whom the world is crucified. And to one who is dead to worldly
things the day of the Lord has already arrived, for the Son of man
comes to the soul of the one who no longer lives for sin or for the
world." (excerpt Commentary on Matthew56)
