Qick! Look Busy!

Luke 21:5-19

5When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6“As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” 7They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. 9“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your souls. 

25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Jesus is coming. Quick, look busy!

This are apocalyptic texts. They are concerned with the end of the world, earthquakes, firestorms, wars and insurrections – hang on, sounds a bit familiar. These things have been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years – what’s going on here?

Where is the good news?

By the time the Gospel of Luke was being written, Jerusalem and the temple are already destroyed. When Luke has Jesus say

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven..."

he is repeating history. Jesus is dead. Jerusalem is destroyed. Vesuvius has erupted and buried Pompeii, wars and massacres have multiplied, and the horrified tales have spread across the world with the travellers and soldiers of the empire.  People’s horror driven narratives have been honed around campfires into the remembered rhythms of tradition. Luke is telling a restrained history of a world often on the border of unbearable suffering.

We are among the privileged, as Christians go. We are safe to worship without fear, gather and seek fellowship without suspicion, and actively share our love of God and God’s people expecting nothing worse than a little rudeness. There are many others living in situations far more like that presented by the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts – those where fear and threat is a constant part of their life. Reports from North Korea tell of Christians being pulverized with steamrollers. In North Africa, believers are beheaded, bombed, and beaten. In Iran, pastors are imprisoned and church members are lashed for taking communion. In Eritrea, Christians disappear without a trace. In Indonesia, Christian women are forced from government roles. In Egypt and Syria, followers of Christ are massacred. Now, as then, Christians are far from safe. There has been betrayal within, “even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends.” When we hear of the very real suffering of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, it is hard to not become overwhelmed. It can feel like there is no way we can possibly effect the lives of those so far away, both geographically and culturally. Even within our own country, it is easy to feel helpless as we watch our elected leaders stray so far from the path we expected them to take. 

Yet in his own time of death and destruction, Luke says, not as untested promise, and in the face of hysterical and frightening hatred,

“not a hair of your head will perish. In your endurance, you will possess your lives.”

He bears witness to the experience of the church. The text is hyperbole honed by reality and truth, not religious bravado. It is not untried foretelling, but truth tried by fire. It remains yet our truth.

We have a tendency to hear bad news, but these texts are really about good news, about the Gospel. Jesus isn’t preaching gloom and doom; Jesus is preaching an ongoing reality. Jesus was not predicting some far off day of ultimate battle; he was talking about the reality of life in Israel, which was an occupied country and had been buffeted about by war during its entire existence.

As we accept the suffering of our world, refusing to give up because it is all too hard, continuing to love and hope and pray and make the small differences that we can make to further the kingdom of God in our own lives, then we are able to lift our heads and look for redemption. It is how we live in the midst of suffering that shows our soul. Within this time and place, our redemption draws near.