The Chosen
(Matthew 24: 36-44)
Teresa and I have been binge watching a mini-series on Prime over the last couple of weeks, sometimes watching two episodes a night. It’s called: The Chosen and is based upon the life of Jesus Christ, so as they say it’s based on a true story. I say that because they do take some artistic license in fleshing out some of the characters to make them more relatable and interesting. We have really enjoyed watching the supporting cast develop and we each have our favorites. I like Nicodemus, Gaius, and Matthew. What really impressed me was how the writers focused upon the Old Testament knowledge of the characters as they would recite what the Torah said or what a prophet wrote to support what had just occurred or about to occur. The Jews had long awaited the coming of the Messiah who would set them free from their bondage and restore God’s kingdom. The problem was that there was a lot of debate over who would be the Messiah, what he would do, and how the kingdom would be restored. The prevailing hope of the day was that the Messiah would be a warrior king who would raise an army and vanquish the despised Romans who were currently occupying Israel. They didn’t know when the Messiah would come but they were watching for the signs in hopes that it would happen sooner than later. In the meantime, they would continue on in their daily lives worshipping God and obeying his commandments and laws as they struggled under the yoke of Roman occupation and oppression without much help from their religious leaders.
They were fortunate as they got to see the Messiah’s first coming, and to hear his promise to return when they least expected it. And we’re fortunate that we are alive at a time when the Messiah could come back again but the lingering question is whether or not we’ll be ready or be caught off guard busily chasing those things that truly do not matter in our daily existence or to the kingdom of God. We know when Jesus was born, we know when he was crucified, and how many days there are before Christmas, but we don’t know when he will return. And that’s what Matthew is recording for us in our gospel reading for this morning.
Matthew records that Jesus said: But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. This was a hard concept for the disciples to grasp as they had been with Jesus during his three-year ministry and there was no doubt by this time that he was truly the Chosen One, the Son of Man, God’s beloved Son come to save the world and set them free. So why wouldn’t he know the exact date of his return and, by the way, where he was going? Weren’t they all in this together? Jesus describes the unexpected suddenness of his return by comparing it to how it was during the time of Noah. He says: In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One will be like that. Jesus then gives the example of two men in the field with one being taken up and the other remaining, and two women grinding in the mill with one being taken and the other being left behind, which, according to my Study Bible is a reference to what Jesus preached upon in the following chapter, the separation of the sheep from the goats. Those taken up were the ones who tended to the needs of the least of these, and the ones left behind were the ones who ignored the plight of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, those in captivity, and the stranger among them. Both groups believed in God, and each awaited the coming of the Messiah but only one group put their faith into action and worked towards the restoration of God’s creation. So, Jesus says: Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. To put it into layman’s terms he describes it as if a homeowner knew when a thief was going to break into their home and that he would be alerted and ready to confront the thief and thwart the burglary. Jesus says: Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One will come at a time you don’t know.
Yeah, I know, it doesn’t seem fair to those of us who are committed believers and followers. Because of our abiding faith, faith we have put into action, we should at least be privy to an approximate date, give or take a week or two, but for those of us who live and die by to-do lists there is always something that pops up that causes us to put off what we really need to get done. It reminds me of my maternal grandfather. He was a great procrastinator, and his grandsons would joke that he wanted to start a group for procrastinators but kept putting it off. That’s why Jesus used the analogy of Noah and the ensuing flood to emphasize the suddenness of his return right along with the ensuing judgment. Life, he warns, will be rocking along just like it does every day with people getting married, going to work, getting sick, getting healthier, passing away, babies being born, kids going off to college, and all of the many things that take precedence in people’s lives and then, just when you least expect it, there’s Jesus Christ!
So, in a way, it really is a good thing that we don’t know the day, the week, the month, or even the year of his return, because if we did, humans that we are, we might be tempted to be lazy in our work for Christ. I mean after all, didn’t Jesus himself say that we would always have the poor? Putting off that planned mission trip, that outreach project, that ministry for the marginalized can wait just a little longer, can’t it? Or worse yet, our plan might be to keep right on sinning and then just before the appointed hour we could repent of our sins, profess Christ as Lord, and seek his forgiveness. I mean, isn’t that what one of those thieves who was crucified with Jesus did? He sinned right up until he got caught and nailed to the cross and Jesus told him that that very day, he would be with him in paradise. Jesus is always ready to give salvation to anyone who genuinely seeks it and I seriously doubt that was the thief’s plan. He accepted his punishment as he should have, he just wanted to be forgiven when he realized he was hanging next to the Messiah and had wasted so much of his life living for the day with no thought of his future.
The underlying point that I think Jesus is trying to make to his disciples and anyone who reads Matthew’s gospel is that heaven is not our only goal. We have work to do right here as Jesus has taught us and shown us by his example. We must keep on doing it until our mortal deaths or we see the unmistakable return of our savior.
So yes, for those of us by our confessions of faith, who consider ourselves the Chosen of God to be adopted into the family of God, to be brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the second coming will be swift and sudden. There will be no opportunity for any last-minute repentance or bargaining. The choices we have already made will determine our eternal destiny and the choices we made or didn’t make to bring others to Christ will be sealed. I don’t know about you, but that is a burden I don’t want to bear, that I could have done something, that I should have done something, but I didn’t, that I put it off until tomorrow. It all begs the question: When the day unexpectedly comes, will you be ready? The only safe choice is to obey him today, to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life, thereby guaranteeing your future as one of the Chosen.
Let us pray.
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Yes, gracious and all-loving God, how we pray for the return of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ so that he may continue your work in restoring your creation. We pray that, by your Holy Spirit, that we may use our time, or talents, and our tithes wisely and we seize upon every opportunity to do the things that Jeus taught us by his words and example. And, as we do your work and your will may we rejoice firmly in the knowledge that your Chosen One is waiting for the right time to return and finish what he started. This we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Chosen
We have work to do right here as Jesus has taught us and shown us by his example.