Welcome to the season of Advent. … he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
This is a season in which to live, consciously in the light of eternity. It is about the future, but is rooted in an historical occurrence.
Jesus in Mark 13 is answering questions about the future of the Temple. Far from being an impressive edifice that will last for ages, he prophesies that it will be totally destroyed. He uses the most extravagant of figures of speech, taken from Isaiah; the sun and the moon will be darkened, the earth will shake. We sometimes do the same kind of thing when we speak of a disaster of biblical proportions; we look at the current financial crisis and wonder if it’s the end of the world as we know it. It is still today a usual way of speaking in the east to talk of the mother and father of all disasters. The sky is falling on my head.
What generation would see all this? Those who were around at the truly earth shaking moment, when Jesus died and rose again. Is it true that he is the promised Messiah? Yes, he has taken over from the Temple as the focus of humankind’s relationship with God, and this was proved in AD 70 when the Temple was destroyed.
Daniel 7 talks of the coming of the Son of Man, taking his authority after a time of suffering. Jesus speaks of himself as the Son who has come into his authority, and inaugurates the period of God’s kingly rule here on earth. All of time since Jesus rose from the dead has been this new age, and we still live in it.
There is an alternative view that these prophecies of Jesus should be read with reference to current world events. This is relatively modern, going back to J N Derby in the early 19th Century, and popularised through the Schofield version of the bible; generations of readers believe the words of scripture and the copious footnotes that laid out the future history of the earth. This way of interpreting scripture had a boost in the early 1970’s with the publication Hal Lindsay’s The Late Great Planet Earth, and most recently with Tim LaHaye's Left Behind book series.
But we should always ask three questions when we read the Bible. What did it mean to the writer and first hearers? What does it mean to us today? And what should we do about it?
It seems plain that to Mark, Jesus was quite openly saying that there were some things he did know: Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed, and it would be terrible. There were some things Jesus did not know: the exact time these events would take place, although that meant they had to be ready.
All of this was recorded faithfully, and in Mark’s case almost certainly before AD 70. The Christians were able to escape before the armies of Titus arrived to besiege the city, because they had kept in mind the words of Jesus.
However, the urgency and vibrancy of Jesus’ words echo down the ages to us. Heaven and earth may pass away, but his words will not. As we live in this age between the first and second comings, so we also must heed the words to keep watch.
Paul writing to the Corinthians thanks God for the Grace he has given them. They do not lack any spiritual gift as they wait for Jesus Christ to be revealed. From the rest of the letters to them, we learn that this was a church torn by power struggles, turning a blind eye to moral lapses, and confused and casual in their approaches to worship. And yet God has called them into fellowship with his Son, and God is faithful, able to keep them strong so that they will be blameless on that day.
And so we enter this season of Advent together. It is the reminder that this world is broken, far from perfect, and that we share in that imperfection. But a seed has been planted within each of us of Christ. We can hack back the undergrowth, lift out the weeds, pour in prayer and study of the word, and allow God to do a new work in us.
Things will not stay the same. Thankfully, there will be an end, when Jesus will ensure justice and goodness for all.
As three of our number are confirmed today, it is a celebration not of them having arrived, but rather that they have joined us on the journey. Can you remember your baptism or confirmation? Whether it was last year or longer ago than we care to remember, I call each of us to revisit our vows. This is a season in which to live, consciously in the light of eternity.
May we be filled with a spirit of trust and wakefulness this Adventide.
Discussion Questions
1. How do we respond to the often confusing words of our reading?
2. What do we think that these passages have to say to us as individuals and as the community of St Michael’s today?
3. What will during Advent do that is different or extra, so that we might become more like Jesus?
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