“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable. It’s like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to keep watch. So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don’t want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I am saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch.” Mark 13: 32-37, MSG.
Gracious God, we thank You for being the kind of Friend that You are. You have not left us in the dark concerning how we are to wait for Your appearing. As our best Friend, You have advised us well. Please help us to take heed! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Farewells are very important occasions. They are usually very sad, but very important, nonetheless. Oftentimes it is when the most important information is exchanged; and/or, when the most endearing things are said, to each other, by those who are saying goodbye.
Yesterday, we took a look at Jesus, as a friend; and discovered, that one of the characteristics of friends, is that they share information with each other. As our best Friend, Jesus did not leave us in darkness regarding the most important upcoming event in history – His return to earth. To the contrary, He left us with complete information; and warnings! Our Scripture today, is in the form of a parable. Surely, Jesus wants us to be ready for His soon return to earth. So He chose this form of teaching so that we could think deep, and understand, the importance of living in readiness, until He comes back for us. So many times, arriving at the destination can become so important, that it opaques the milestones that we pass along the way.
Overlooking a milestone is not unimportant. It can be detrimental. Many a traveller have lost their way because of this. More importantly, many have wandered onto forbidden ground, and have died along the way, because they failed to recognize a sign. Jesus was not expecting His disciples to become so “heavenly-minded that they would be no earthly good;” They were not to sit around and gaze. To the contrary; they were to be very conscious of what was taking place all around them, so that they could be occupied in the tasks assigned them by their Master. It is important to know that He expected them to be “occupied” until He returned (Luke 19: 13)!
But there is the other side of the story. We can become so occupied, that we forget what time it is! A detail of importance in this parable is that there was a gatekeeper who was to “keep watch.” Obviously, the Master had left enough work to keep his servants busy. Perhaps occasionally, they could lose track of the time. Therefore, the only task assigned to the gatekeeper was to watch! While the task of the other servants is not mentioned, it is interesting that the task of the gatekeeper is. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrews had the following to say: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13: 17, emphasis provided). Listen to how this verse is rendered in the Message translation: “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, and not to its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them” (emphasis provided)?
How sacred is the task of the gatekeeper! How important it is for all of us, to become our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers!
We will continue with this topic.