I do not like winter. I don’t like the cold temperatures, nor the ice and snow. Where I live, in the Chicago area, winter is a long season, arriving early and usually staying well past when the calendar says it is spring. Because this is my least favorite season, I keep an active lookout for signs of coming spring and warmer weather. I eagerly look for that first robin, and for the beginnings of leaf buds on the trees. These are all signs that spring is on her way. There may still be another snowstorm, but once these signs start to appear, we know it won’t be too much longer. In our Gospel reading to close out this first week of Advent Jesus instructs us to also be on the lookout for signs of something even more desirable than the coming of spring. Let’s look into our Scripture passage from the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem, and it is only days before He will be betrayed to His enemies. During this time the disciples asked Jesus about future events, including His coming kingdom, and when this will happen. Jesus described some of the events that will occur prior to His return, and what the signs of His coming will be. Just like there are things that I look for every winter to show that the cold and snow should be leaving soon, there are things that will show that Jesus’s return will be soon. And when He returns, the world will see Him coming with power and glory (vs. 26).
People may wonder how Jesus will return to earth. Scriptures tell us that Jesus will return to earth in the same manner in which He left (Acts 1:9-11). He left in the clouds, and will return the same way. God uses the clouds as His chariots (Psalm 104:3). While Christ possesses great power and glory, His return will be accompanied with visible manifestations of that power and glory. He will redeem the believers, restore the devastated earth, and establish His rule on earth.
When Jesus returns He will send forth His angels to gather together all the saved believers (vs. 27). The believers will come “from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth”. This signifies that there are believers throughout the whole world. They come from all nations, all ethnic groups, and from all language families. There are believers from everywhere on earth, and the Lord will send His angels to gather them all to Him.
Throughout this chapter, and in other places in Scripture, the Lord gives us things that we should be looking for that indicate that His return is coming. Just as we look for signs of the coming spring after a long, hard, cold winter, we need to be alert to signs indicating Jesus’s imminent return (vs. 28-29). During these weeks of Advent, people start getting ready for the coming Christmas holiday. They decorate their homes, address Christmas cards, do shopping, and plan menus. Many of the Scripture passages from the Lectionary and read in church during Advent urge us to be ready for the coming of the Lord.
As Jesus continued His talk with the disciples, He proclaimed the infallibility and eternality of God’s Word (vs. 31). It is impossible for God’s Word to be negated, destroyed, or altered in any way. People have tried for centuries to eliminate the Bible, but they have never succeeded. They are gone, but God’s Word remains. Even if the earth passes away, the truth of God’s Word will never be changed or abolished. God and His Word are the only things that are truly stable and can be relied upon.
Another thing that Jesus instructed His disciples about is that no one knows the exact date when He will return (vs. 32). Every so often we hear about some preacher who has somehow come up with a date when Jesus will come back. However, they must not be very Biblically literate, as Jesus plainly stated that no one knows that date. The time of Christ’s return will not be revealed in advance to any man, or even the angels. We need to be spending time in preparation, and in telling our family, friends, and neighbors about Jesus, not in trying to calculate dates.
In closing, Jesus gave a warning for believers to be on guard (vs. 33-37). He told us to watch, a call to stay awake and be alert, looking for approaching signs and warnings. He tells us to be in prayer, as well, as we always need God’s assistance. Are we in eager anticipation for Christ’s return, just as a child is for Christmas, and the winter-weary are for spring? Jesus tells us to watch!
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