Watch!

Good afternoon, everyone! Nice to be here with everyone. Hopefully you've enjoyed some wonderful spring to summer weather this week. It's a fantastic time of year around here. It's always wonderful to see the sun shining, even with the rain forecast today. Looks like we're having a nice evening to look forward to as well.

We're probably familiar with the Olivet Prophecy. It's a fairly common section of Scripture where Jesus discusses with a group of his disciples the Tribulation. There are three parallel accounts of that discussion in what's commonly referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. The Synoptic Gospels are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They're named that because they present similar accounts of what it is that Jesus did. A lot of the similar language and also a lot of similar chronology or story flow. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are the three passages that cover the Olivet Prophecy. At the end of that section, there's a familiar passage where Jesus tells his followers to watch and to pray to escape the calamities to come. Let's turn to Mark 13 and like to go to Mark because Mark's account is actually a bit unique. It mentions some different elements here in this part of the story than the other two Synoptics do. We'll turn to Mark 13. We'll start in verse 32 to read this account. There Jesus, talking at this time to four of his disciples, says, of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. It's like a man going to a far country who left his house, gave authority to his servants and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you don't know when the master of the house is coming. In the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch.

I'd like to take a little bit of time today unpacking this passage, and specifically this passage as we read it here, recounted by Mark, because like I said, his story here, what he recorded, is somewhat different than what the other two synoptic gospels record. A couple things just about Mark before we dive a little deeper. Mark is someone who's mentioned several other times in the Bible. You might remember passages and Acts that talks about him as John Mark, the traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas. He actually became the source of a falling out between them, because things got tough on the journey and he decided he needed to to get back home, and it took some time for him to be kind of rehabilitated after that.

He was later, though, found to be an extremely valued co-worker, both of Paul and of Peter. Mark's gospel is traditionally understood to reflect Peter's recollection of the time with Jesus Christ. So Mark spent extensive time with Peter as Peter was traveling and carrying on his ministry, and Mark is believed to have written down Peter's recollections, actually, rather than things that he would have known himself firsthand, of Jesus Christ. And these parallel passages, like we talked about before, contain different details, in this case, in Mark's account, than we see in the other Gospels.

I'd like to spend just a few minutes today, then, going through this section of Scripture and drawing out a few lessons, a few things for us to think about and understand as we consider our Christian lives. The first section is verses 32 and 33, where Mark records Jesus Christ talking about no one knowing the day or the hour.

And let's just read back through those two verses to get context again. But of that day and that hour, verse 32, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch, and pray, for you do not know when the time is. Now, you might remember, if you look a little bit earlier, in your Bible, you see that the preceding paragraph or so talks about the fig tree. And you probably remember the fig tree, where Jesus gave the parable and said, look, you can tell the seasons.

You know something's approaching because you can sort of tell the general overall conditions that are going on. At the same time, this section cautions us that the day and the hour cannot be known. So there's a bit of a contrast being set up here, where Jesus talks about the fact that we can see the direction that the world is going, we can see the direction things are moving, like we might know that spring is coming, or at this time of year that summer is coming.

But knowing with the exact nature of days and hours and exact events that are going to happen, here Jesus says no one knows, not even the angels of heaven. So I'm going to avoid the rabbit hole of trying to separate the season from the day and the hour, and we'll just go with the fact that in this passage Jesus says both that we can see indications that are happening going on in our world and at the same time we cannot know with exact certainty, unless it's directly revealed from God, when things are going to happen. And this section of Scripture pivots, therefore, very quickly to our behavior as Christians.

As we heard about in the good sermon, first split sermon that we heard, how we behave as Christians, what we do as Christians is critical to our Christian life for having a faithful walk with God. There's a clear way that we're supposed to react to this idea that we don't know the day nor the hour, even though we understand fully the fact that Jesus Christ will return will come a second time.

Now along with the proper reaction comes a couple of reactions that are not proper. And so I'd like to spend a few minutes on those first because the proper reaction is laid out later in this passage. So one possible response, which is not a proper response, to not understanding the exact time when Jesus will return, is to simply assume it's not going to happen anytime soon.

And I think we understand that that's not something that we should fall into. It's something we rely on often as human beings, isn't it?

When there's something that's unknowable, it's easier sometimes to just ignore it and forget about it because we'd love to delve into it and figure it out. We know we can't, and so sometimes it's easier just to put it on the shelf and just pretend it doesn't exist. Now we're warned in a number of places in the Scriptures that that's not the right way that we should react to the uncertainty about the exact time when Jesus returns. Matthew 24, let's turn there.

This is one of the two parallel accounts of the Olivet Prophecy. Matthew 24 will read verses 48 through 50. Here we're given a short parable about an evil servant, and it leads off right away with this mindset that we are to avoid. Matthew 24, starting verse 48, if that evil servant says in his heart, my master is delaying his coming, and then begins to beat his fellow servants to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he's not looking for him and an hour that he's not aware of.

And so we're warned here through this parallel that when there's a servant whose master has gone away, and this was not uncommon at all in those days because people dealt with commerce a lot, they might go for a long trip, source goods, find things to bring back and to sell, and they would leave their trusted servants behind to run their business. And in this case, when a servant who's been entrusted with things says, you know what, it's gonna be a long time till he comes back, I'm just gonna relax and have a good time, it's got a great storehouse of wine there, we're gonna dig into that for a while, and you know, we'll figure it out later.

And we're warned, of course, that that's not something that we should do. Assuming that unknowable, an unknowable day means no time soon, causes bad behavior. And that's really the lesson that's drawn here, is just because we don't know doesn't mean we can assume it's not going to be soon.

And of course we know in our own Christian lives that we have to be cognizant of our own mortality. For many people, for most who've lived the Christian life over the ages, Jesus Christ's return did not come during their lifetime, but they had to be very cognizant of the end of their days, of the fact that the promises of life are not everlasting physically, and therefore the Christian walk has to be taken seriously. And so we're warned here in this passage that this idea that some of us can humanly take on of, well, I don't know when it is exactly, so I'm just going to ignore it and we'll figure it out when it happens, leads to behavior that we should not exhibit as Christians.

It lets us take our eyes off the ball in a way that we really shouldn't do. Matthew 25, going to the next chapter of Matthew's account, is another example of the same thing. Matthew 25, we'll start here, we'll start a little bit later in the account, but if you recall, Matthew 25, starting verse 1, lays out the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins. And so it's using a very familiar thing, a wedding, that happened back at that time. And when a wedding happened, we've had a few messages on this over the years past. In that culture, the groom would go, would prepare his house, usually it would be an add-on to the family home, and it wasn't known exactly the day or the hour when that would be finished.

And it wasn't until the preparations were completely finished that the groom would come and to get his bride and to be married. And so the wedding party, the women who accompanied the bride, would be waiting. And that's the event, the cultural event, that this parable really capitalizes on. It talks about five wise and five foolish virgins, five of whom were in it for the long haul. They realized they had to be prepared, and they had plenty of oil for their lamps. Of course, at that time, you didn't just flick on a light bulb, you had an oil-burning lamp, and you had to fill that lamp from time to time to keep the fuel level where it needed to be.

And of course, the five foolish did not take enough oil with them. Maybe they thought it wasn't going to be that long, maybe they just didn't think about it at all, for whatever reason. They didn't consider it, and they didn't have the oil with them. And in verses 8 through 10, then, the foolish asked the wise if they can borrow some of their oil. And we probably remember the answer of that is, we don't have enough for everybody. Go find your own. And so they had to go out, head out to the shops, and try to find some oil of their own.

And in verse 10, when we pick up the story, while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. And afterward, the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. So some pretty harsh words coming out in this parable, and I think we know that this refers to people who are taken by surprise by the return of Jesus Christ, pictured by the bridegroom, coming for the bride, and aren't prepared. And that oil stands for preparedness, whether we liken it directly to the Holy Spirit, or in other ways, being spiritually prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.

And so this brings home, in this additional passage, the same idea, the fact that just because we don't know when it's going to happen is not an excuse for being unprepared. And that's one of the challenges of the Christian life, is that we have to live our lives prepared for an event that we don't necessarily know when it's going to take place, whether it's our own mortality, whether it's the return of Jesus Christ. There's another possible and not desirable response to not knowing the day or hour when Jesus is going to return, and that is to try to figure it out anyway.

How many have heard of the Great Disappointment? And no, I'm not talking about how everyone reacts when they hear I'm speaking. The Great Disappointment was an event that happened in the early 1800s, and I used a chat GPT prompt to put this summary of it together just for full disclosure, but I've also read some of the source documents on it as well. William Miller was a New York farmer and a Baptist lay preacher who, after studying Bible prophecy in the 1820s and 1830s, concluded that the books of Daniel and Revelation contained a timetable pointing to Christ's return.

Miller calculated that 1843 to 1844 was the likely window for the Second Coming. His plain-spoken, systematic approach and conviction gave his conclusions the force of certainty for many listeners. Miller began preaching publicly in the early 1830s, traveling across New England and the northeastern United States. His message that the world's end was imminent struck a chord in a region already stirred by revivalism and moral reform. Camp meetings, pamphlets, and local lectures spread his claims.

Estimates suggest tens of thousands were attracted to Millerite meetings by the early 1840s. The movement's enthusiasm was visible in booming attendance, widespread discussion in newspapers and homes, and a network of lay preachers and converts who carried the message into new communities. As the predicted period approached, many followers made sweeping life changes. People sold farms, homes, and businesses to fund itinerant preaching or to join communal gatherings. Others quit jobs, halted apprenticeships, postponed or canceled marriages, and stopped plans for children. Children were sometimes withdrawn from school and households simplified. Some burned or discarded items deemed worldly and adopted stricter dress and behavior.

Large numbers traveled long distances to join waiting gatherings. Some accrued debt or relied on donations after giving up livelihoods, while many left established churches to form Millerite congregations and organize continuous prayer meetings and camp meetings. On the day that had been fixed for the event, October 22, 1844, nearly 100,000 estimated people gathered at meeting grounds, private homes, and hilltops watching the skies and praying through the hours. Families and communities assembled with expectancy, bonfires, hymn singing, and solemn vigil mixed with anxious waiting. When no visible return occurred, bewilderment and grief set in. The empty skies and untouched altars turned a moment of triumph into what became known as the Great Disappointment, leaving many followers devastated, some disillusioned, and others to reinterpret the meaning of the prophecy. And some of you might know there's a fairly well-known Christian denomination that came out of that Great Disappointment. It was really the seed of LNG White and the modern Seventh-day Adventist movement, as we know it, that came from some reinterpretation of those Millerite prophecies in order to try to make sense of what didn't happen. Now, that's a pretty stark example. We've seen a few in our lifetimes. I think we had the Mayan calendar thing. I don't even remember when that was. Ten, twelve years ago, something like that, where the Mayan calendar supposedly predicted. And there's, you know, these things recur over and over from time to time. What's amazing, though, is how drawn we can be as human beings to knowing something that's unknowable. And that's one of the reactions to this unknowable event that we have to be careful not to fall into a trap for. Let's turn to Acts 1. We read these scriptures not long ago as we were approaching Pentecost, but let's read these same scriptures through a slightly different lens here today. Acts 1. We'll start in verse 4 and then read verses 6 and 7. This is the very end of the time of Jesus Christ on the earth after he had already been resurrected and was spirit, and he was with his disciples just before ascending into heaven.

And being assembled together with them in verse 4 of Acts 1, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said you have heard from me. And look what he said next in verse 6. When they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. I think we're well served to pay heed to those words, and while we do need to be prepared and not ignore, as we saw in the first part of what I was speaking about, we also need to make sure that we don't take upon ourselves this idea of trying to know something that Jesus Christ very plainly again here said the Father has put into his own authority.

So while we should not assume that God's return is far off, we should also not attempt to do what the Bible says is unachievable, predict what the Father has put in his own authority. And that leaves us with the third possible response to not knowing the exact day or hour that Jesus Christ is going to return. And that, interestingly enough, is to do exactly what he told us to do. If all else fails, follow the directions. Something that we males of the species are not always so good at, right? As our wives will often remind us. So this next portion of the parable will clue us in a little bit more on this. And this is the parable of the man going to a far country. This picks up in verse 23 of this section, Mark 13, starting in verse 23. I'm sorry, verse 34. That was a typo.

Wrong two keys. Verse 34, Mark 13. It's like a man going to a far country. Left his house, gave authority to his servants, and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. Doesn't sound too different from the parable of the talents that we were reading just a few minutes ago. Watch therefore, verse 35, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming.

In the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning.

Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. So let's look at this section a little bit more and understand a little bit more about it. And if anyone's looking for extra credit, since we're on a school theme here today, if you want to take a look at some additional details, look into doorkeepers. This section mentions doorkeepers, and they're actually, there's more to a doorkeeper than you might think. They're mentioned several times in the Old Testament and had actually very important jobs manning the gates, the entryways into the temple, and in the ancient world, even the entryways into cities. And you might find that an interesting thing to learn more about. But let's consider in verse 34 what was left to the servants. So in the parable of the talents, there are different amounts of talents that are left to each of the servants. Here, it's very, it's quick and easy to read over it, but there are actually three different things that are left to the servants. And we're not going to spend a lot of time on it, but I find the parallels interesting because of what it mentions. The first is that when he left, he left his house to the servants. And we know that the house in the New Testament, the church, is referred to as a house. First Peter 2 verse 5.

First Peter 2 verse 5, we read what Peter writes. He says, you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. One of the things we are left as a church is this spiritual house of the church, something that we're to tend to while Jesus Christ is gone. The second thing that's mentioned here in verse 34 is the fact that the master gave authority to his servants. What do we think about when we think about that parallel to Jesus Christ? We think of a scripture where he talks about all authority being given to him and what should happen as a result of that. Matthew 28 we'll read verses 18 through 20. There's a result that happens from the authority that Jesus Christ was given by God and what he therefore asked the disciples to do and that carries on to us. Matthew 28 starting in verse 18, Jesus came and spoke to them, the disciples, saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you and lo, I'm with you always even to the end of this age. So in this parallel, in terms of what's given to us as our masters left as servants, authority. In this parable it says when the master left he gave authority and here we read in Matthew that we're to use that authority to go out to make disciples, to teach people to follow the ways of God. And the last thing that's mentioned here in verse 34 was to each his work. To each his work. And of course this harkens back to the different spiritual gifts that God gives through his Holy Spirit to each of us. We'll read one example of this in 1 Corinthians 12.

1 Corinthians 12 will start in verse 4. We know all of us are empowered in unique ways by God's Holy Spirit as we receive that after baptism and laying on of hands. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 4. There are diversities of gifts, Paul writes to Corinthians, but the same spirit. There are differences of ministries but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities but the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the prophet of all. So we again we read in this parable the fact that the master left left each servant to his work. Likewise we're given specific ability by God through his Spirit and we're to use them for the prophet of all. The next place I'd like to look here is verse 35. It seems a little odd when it talks about evening, midnight, crowing of the rooster in the morning.

Any thoughts on what that means? Why would those things be referred to by Mark? If you read in commentaries, it actually tells us that those four words refer to the four watches that the Roman soldiers had over the course of the night. There was the evening watch, midnight watch, the watch that went till basically crowing of the rooster, which would have been around the time of dawn, and then the morning watch as light is coming up into the earliest part of the morning. And so this is a military analogy and this idea of watching has to do with a likeness to a military watch, as we see here with the four watches of the Romans, that they would have to be on. Now what is it that a soldier has to do on watch? Stay awake. Rule number one, stay awake. Rule number two, if you read out there in all of these universal codes of military justice, don't be drunk.

The two things that can get you in the biggest trouble when you're on watch, being asleep and being drunk. And most military codes will at least have a theoretical death penalty that goes along with it, although most of what I've written indicates that it's very seldom that a soldier has actually been put to death for falling asleep on watch. I did read a story about Abraham Lincoln actually commuted a death sentence on a soldier who was potentially going to be put to death for falling asleep on watch. But falling asleep or being drunk in the military can cause severe discipline. The Romans, of course, would have had strong discipline within their ranks. They were the most disciplined fighting force of their time and probably one of the most disciplined of all time as well. The other thing I think of as an example when I consider, you know, military watch and being on duty all the time is the idea of service animals.

I remember when I was a little kid we had a guy who came to services. He was a man who was blind and he had a service dog with him. We called him Seeing Eye Dogs back in those days. And he would come and what's the first thing you do as, you know, however old I was, seven or eight years old when this beautiful looking German Shepherd comes in with the harness? You want to pet the dog. And what did this man Bill say to me when I wanted to pet his dog? Don't pet the dog.

This is a different dog. This is not a dog that comes and jumps on your lap and rolls on the floor and sticks his tongue out and plays with you. It's a dog that's specially trained. Why? In this case, to be literally on watch. To be the eyes for this individual who cannot see. We see the same thing whether it's at the airports or sporting events when there may be bomb sniffing dogs or dogs that are trained to sniff out drugs. And sometimes you'll see whether it's little kids or others sort of reach their hands out because they want to pet the animal and they're told, nope, that's not what this dog is here for. It's here for a purpose. It's here to do a job. I think it's a fitting analogy to how we think about our lives and things that we do. We consider it to this idea of being on watch, being on duty. We're not there, figuratively speaking, to go roll around on the carpet and have somebody scratch our belly every minute. It doesn't mean we're not allowed to have fun. We're to be joyful as Christians, of course. But we also recognize in all of the moments of our lives that we're here for a purpose.

That we've been called for a reason, that we have a job that we're to perform.

That we were given something of great value through the Holy Spirit and that we're supposed to do things exactly like we heard in those practical examples in the first message. That we're to do things and be on watch in the way that we live our lives. Let's go to Matthew 26. This concept comes out when Jesus Christ is in the garden with his disciples shortly before he was going to be crucified. I think these passages will be quite familiar as we get into the Matthew 26 verse 38. Jesus said to the disciples, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death. Stay here and watch with me. Stay here and watch. He had something very specific in mind. Stay alert. Be here with me. Be present. He went a little farther in verse 39. Fell on his face and prayed saying, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me but not as I will but as you will. And in verse 40, he came to the disciples and what did he find them doing? Probably what all of us would have done. Not understanding the gravity of the moment, having it be late at night, they fell asleep. So Jesus said to Peter, Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. And that last sentence, watch and pray lest you fall into temptation, clearly refers to more than just the situation there in the garden. There wasn't a lot of temptation there in the next five minutes in the garden of Gethsemane, but he was teaching a much broader lesson about the way that they needed to approach their lives and what they needed to do. Like a soldier on watch to be alert. And the idea that not being alert in that way opens the door to potentially entering into temptation.

This idea of watchfulness and wakefulness continues if we read Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15 will read verse 34. Here Paul writes to Corinth, Awake to righteousness and do not sin. So look at again that same parallel, that same contrast, if you will, coming together. The difference between being awake to righteousness and being drowsy or sleepy and sinning. For some do not have the knowledge of God and I speak this to your shame. So again, watchfulness and wakefulness being together. And lastly, we'll read Paul's words again this time to the Romans talking about being awake. Romans 13 will read verses 11 through 14. Watchfulness and wakefulness tied together.

Romans 13, sorry, starting in verse 11. And do this, Paul says, knowing the time that now it's high time to awaken out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. So let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. So we see the same things being tied together.

The works of darkness, the works of light, the fact that it's morning, it's day, we need to act differently, not like people who come out at night and are drunk and caroused and do the other things that they do. And tying those things into being vigilant of our spiritual condition and making sure that we're not giving in to temptations and to our lusts. So the key here is this idea that watchfulness and wakefulness and avoiding temptation and being on duty are things that all tie together in the way that we're supposed to react as we watch and pray, cognizant of the fact that Jesus Christ will return.

So finally, we'll go to the very last part of the scripture. We just left one short verse to read again. That's Mark 13, verse 37. And the background for this is, if we look much earlier in the chapter in verse 3, we'll see that there were just four disciples here that Jesus was speaking to when he spoke these words. That was Peter, James, John, and Andrew. And Jesus was speaking with the four of them. This passage makes it clear that the words that were speaking were spoken in case there's any doubt. Do not apply just to them. Because he says in verse 37, What I say to you, I say to all. Watch. Jesus clearly saying in this area that he wasn't speaking just to those four. He wasn't speaking just to the 12 disciples, but he was speaking to all who would follow. And the fact this is idea of watchfulness, of wakefulness, being on duty, was something that everyone who would follow him would have to be responsible for.

So as we wrap up for today, Mark 13, verses 32 through 37 provides documentation of some of Jesus's final words, certainly before he was on that road to being crucified. Because it was right after this that all the events start to happen of that last Passover and then when he's taken captive. But Mark captures words and teachings that the other synoptic gospels don't include in the same detail. The lesson was not just for the four disciples he was speaking with, but as we saw clearly in that last passage in verse 37 for everyone. We're reminded that while we can see the overall direction of the world around us, like the seasons and the fig tree, we cannot know the day or the hour that Jesus will return. How we react to that fact is something that's critical in our spiritual lives. We have to tend to what he has left us to do. Remember in the parable, it talks about his house, his authority, and each of us having our work.

Talking about the fact that we have to tend to the church, we have to be active within our congregations within the church, and adding to the body in the unique way that each one of us can do in the work that he's left us to do. And most of all, whether it's like a military sentry or a service dog, we need to watch. We're in place for a duty that's different than what everyone else has, and we are on duty. We have to live our lives in a state of alertness that's different as we really consider all of the things that we do and think of all the things that we read in the Bible that talks about how we have to be cognizant of our words, our deeds, our actions, of asking for forgiveness, of considering what it is that Jesus Christ wants of us, how the Holy Spirit is working in us, things that are different than everyone else around us. So let's keep these additional details in mind that Mark brings out in his account of the Olivet prophecy so we can focus on being watchful as true servants of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.