"You Better Watch Out!" -- November 29, 2009

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

(Matthew 24:36-44)

"You didn't know? I thought you knew! You, of all people, really should know!" I can't think of many things more mystifying than someone who should know. But they don't. They don't know. "You had to of known -- but you didn't? You didn't know? How come? Shouldn't you've known?"

Of all the mysterious things Jesus says in this passage, perhaps this is the most mystifying of them all: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels, nor the Son, but only the Father." (emphasis mine) Whoa, wait a minute! "Nor the Son"!?! Jesus, You don't know!?! You don't know when the end will be?!? You don't know when that great trumpet will sound!?! You don't know the lightning will scorch across the sky and You will come in power and great glory!?! Lord, I say this with fear and trembling, Jesus, I say this reverently, but ... shouldn't You know!?!

This isn't just a fringe issue. You know that, don't you. I'll never forget, many years ago now. We've just bought a new car. I'm sitting in the business manager's office. I know what's coming. I'm steeling myself to say no to the rust-proofing and the extended warranty and all the other bells and whistles they wanna sell you. The business manager comes in. Here it comes. One of the first things out of her mouth is, "Chris, when do you think the End's going to come -- is Jesus coming soon?"

Last week, I'm not making this stuff up. I'm in the dentist's chair. The dental assistant comes in. And I'm settling in for some small talk. And then it comes. She asks, "Chris, what do you think about this 2012 thing? Is the world going to end then? When is Jesus going to come back?" And believe it or not, I quote this verse here in Matthew 24:36.

" 'Tell us,' they said, 'when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?'" The question those disciples pose back in vs.3 is an age old question. The car business manager wanted to know. The dental assistant wants to know. People want to know. And here's the deal about the End. Here's the deal about Jesus second coming again in awesome, world-transforming power and might and glory. Here's the deal: No one's gonna know! The ancient Mayans don't know. I don't know. You don't know. Nobody knows.

But here's the greatest mystery of them all. Jesus says in Matthew 24:36, Not even the Son knows. That statement of Jesus has caused not a little bit of controversy and discussion. The fact is, throughout the New Testament, Jesus is presented as One with the Father, on par with God Himself. Jesus is the One Who's in control. He's sovereign. He knows. He knows human hearts. He knows human hurts. He changes water into wine. He heals the sick. He raises the dead. He alone can forgive sins. And yet here we see a tremendous mystery. Somehow, inexplicably, Jesus humbles Himself, He limits Himself to not knowing. Only the Father knows, says Jesus.

This thought is so controversial that not every ancient scribe recorded these mysterious words of Jesus. Some ancient manuscripts actually leave them out. And yet that troubling phrase "nor the Son" that is somewhat textually weak here in Matthew 24:36 is actually rock solid in Mark 13:32. There in Mark 13 Jesus says again "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (emphasis mine)

So... we may concluded, if no one knows, not even the Son, then it must be business as usual, right? Just relax. Don't worry about living for God. Just live your life! In fact, the Lord Himself draws the exact opposite conclusion to the reality of not knowing! In the very next breath in Mark 13 Jesus goes on to say, "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." (Mark 13:33)

And here in Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus says it'll be just like in the days of Noah and the flood. What was happening? Well, people were just livin' their lives. Jesus says they were eating and drinking, throwin' parties, marrying and being given in marriage. But it's just business as usual without being ready for God. People just livin' their lives... without God. You can almost hear the music pumpin': Just live your life... whaaay, whoa, whaaaay,... just live your life, ... ho!! And Jesus is sayin, "Noooo! Don't just live your life!! But live for God!!! Be ready, get ready for God!!!!" 'Cause what happened in the days of Noah? The flood came. That's what happened. And then it was all over.

Then it gets real rapid-fire: Two men in a field; one will be taken and the other will be left. Just like that? Just like that. Two women will be minding their own business grinding corn. They do that, normally, face to face. But one'll be gone, and the other left. Just like that? Just like that. And a differentiation will be made as to who was ready for God and who wasn't. Just like that? Just ... like ... that.

And then in the next breath here in Matthew Jesus says, "Therefore keep watch, because we do not know on what day the Lord will come." We gotta be ready. It'll be like a thief that breaks in the dead of night, says Jesus. If the owner had known when the thief was coming, he'd been ready -- Alarm Force would have been installed, America's Most Wanted would've been on speed dial, a set of guard dogs, a gun, maybe, and sixteen of your biggest, toughest friends would've all been waiting -- I mean, that home owner would have been ready. But it's like a thief is coming -- not royalty. That's a theif's #1 M.O. -- surprise. A thief's not going to let you consult the day-timer on your i-phone -- he's just going to be coming -- it's your job to be ready.

So the question is -- Are you and I ready for God to come like that? Are you and I ready? Is the Son who died so that you may live #1 in your life? Or is He on the back-burner? It's fascinating, really. There are five other parables Jesus tells in Matthew 24:42-25:46, including this one about a thief coming in the night -- and every one tells about the unexpectedness of the return of "your Lord". And the parables of the wise servant in 24:45-51, the ten virgins in 25:1-13, and the ten talents in 25:14-30 all speak of a person of power and influence (a master, a boss, a bridegroom) going away, and that person's underlings being entrusted with a job or the task of waiting, then the sudden, unexpected return of that person of influence -- and then an accounting to be made; either the meting out of reward or punishment. And that Person of influence in our lives is to be Jesus -- the Lord -- a term reserved in its religious use by the Jews of that time for God Himself.

And the question is, will we be found ready? Are we about the Master's business (Matt. 24:45-51)? Are we keeping our lamps trimmed and burning (Matt. 25:1-13)? Are we using our talents for His glory (Matt. 25:14-30) Will we be found just living our lives? Or will we be found living for Him? It's a posture of expectancy, it's a posture of living vigiliantly for God -- I'd sure hate to be yellin' at some guy in traffic or cheating on my tax returns the moment He returns -- but it's also a posture of radical trust as well. Jesus, though He is sovereign, all-knowing Master of all, purposefully, faithfully places Himself in a position where even He doesn't know -- but He's content to trust His heavenly Father for the answers and for the timing. Ultimately, we need to follow His lead on this. New Testament scholar D.A. Carson once wrote, "How New Testament insistence on Jesus' deity is to be combined with New Testament insistence on his ignorance and dependence is a matter of profound importance for the church; attempts to jettison one truth for the sake of preserving the other must be avoided." Someone else put it even more positively and faithfully when they said, "... how cheerfully should we his followers rest in ignorance that cannot be removed, trusting in all things to our heavenly Father's wisdom and goodness, striving to obey his clearly revealed will, and leaning on his goodness for support." (Broadus)

Trusting but actively ready. Ready for God by actively living for Him now. I dare say, that's a winning formula for the Christian life. Why pray? Because you gotta watch. Why go to small group? You gotta watch. Why be in the Word? You gotta watch. Why be holy? Watch. Why stay close to Jesus. Watch! Why live for God? Why give? Watch. Why... why... why? You better watch out -- that's why!

I love the way Bob and Michael W. Benson put it. They said, "There are no two ways about it. You've got your eyes open or you don't. You're watching at midnight or you're not. You must be ready when it comes flying at you, skimming swiftly over the surface of time.

"The cares of the world are no excuse. Not father, mother, wife, nor children. Not burials or births or weddings. Not fixing formula, scrubbing the toilet, peddling pills or prose. Whatever the great human enterprise currently in hand, the point is to watch. All the rest is addenda." (quoted in The Book of Jesus, pg.530, C. Miller, ed. )