On Sunday evening we were continuing to consider Jesus’ return from Matthew 24. We saw from v36:
“No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
God the Son willingly took on human flesh and was made like us. He humbled Himself as Philippians 2 reminds us, limited Himself, so the He could go to the cross and save us. In His humanity Jesus could say that He did not know the hour of His return. It is, therefore, futile and wrong for us to try and work it out as many before have done.
Instead, Jesus calls us to “keep watch” and “be ready” for when he does come again. For many the fact that Jesus has not returned for ~2000 years is a sign that perhaps he is not coming. It would be very easy to slip into believing this too and to live without regard to the 2nd coming of Jesus. But we can be certain that Jesus is returning because He has promised it.
What does it mean to watch and be ready? First and foremost, we all must examine again whether we have placed our trust in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. For those of us who are Christians, the idea of watching blows away any thought that our Christianity is limited to a Sunday. Jesus may return on a Tuesday morning or Thursday evening. What will he find us doing? Our watching and being ready means seeking to live for Christ wherever He has placed us. Are we seeking to be a faithful employee and to live and speak for Jesus at work? Are we seeking to be the most faithful parents/grandparents we can possibly be day by day?
James Howlett