28"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "
BACKGROUND READING:
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 24:36-44
Dig Deeper
Two chapters earlier, Jesus gave a living parable concerning a fig tree. In that passage the fig tree had leaves but no fruit, now Jesus uses the image of a fig tree with its leaves coming out. In this instance the metaphor is using the fig tree more as a time marker than a direct symbol for Jerusalem. The point of this story as well as the next is for his disciples to remain on guard.
Not too many houses in our day have guards or watchmen but this would have been a common occurrence in the first century in the great houses of the wealthy. These gatekeepers would have been responsible to stay awake and check everyone who comes into the house. The job itself was not so difficult, the key was to stay awake and alert. This is the warning that Jesus is giving in both of these passages.
The primary, meaning of course has to do with his fledgling church and their reaction to the destruction of the Temple. If one is alert and watches the fig tree, its budding leaves are a sure sign of summer. The leaves are a sign that point to the fact that summer is near. In the same way, Jesus’ disciples need to watch for the type of events that Jesus has described, especially pagans taking over Jerusalem and the holy Temple. That will be the end and they need to be ready for it.
Jesus is extremely clear that the generation that he is addressing will not pass away before these things come to pass. This is the same point made by the parable of the wicked tenants. Jesus is the last of the prophets, in fact he is the son of the land owner. He is the last possible messenger; there will be no more after him. The generation that rejected the message of the son would be the one on whom the end would fall. This is backed up by Jesus’ solemn promise that heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away, which is a hyperbolic way of saying that his words will stand as true, no matter what.
Jesus follows that up with some of the more confusing words, for most people, of his entire life. He says that not even he knows about that day or hour when all of this would take place. This knowledge is strictly for the Father to know, which demonstrates that there is a distinction between the persons of the Father and the Son. In Philippians 2, we are told that Jesus made himself nothing or emptied himself at his incarnation. This is called kenosis, and means that Jesus gave up the independent use of his divine powers. They would only be accessed through the work of the Spirit, which is why Jesus apparently never performs any miracles or signs until after his baptism. This is an instance where the Spirit has not enabled Jesus to know this information. The issue is left up to the Father who, like everything else, has planned the exact timing for these events. This means that there would be no point in sitting down and trying to determine when these things would happen. They should, rather, do the much more difficult and painstaking work of remaining alert and on guard. Working out prophetic timetables is more exciting but that is not the point of Jesus giving signs. The signs are given as a means to be able to be alert and at the ready. The key word is for them to watch.
Passages like this teach us something about God. Jesus is not simply the 21st century version of love and tolerance. God very much engages in righteous judgment. He has and will come in judgment. Unless we can understand what he did in the first century, we will hardly be able to understand what he will do in the future. The judgment that befell the Temple and Jerusalem is but a taste and shadow of the judgment that will one day, according to the New Testament, befall the world. The difference is that the final return and judgment of Christ will come without signs and warnings, despite the best efforts of many to manufacture a timetable by taking passages out of context. The message for us, then, is that we must be at watch every bit as much as the first-century disciples needed to be at the ready.
Devotional Thought
Jesus warned his followers to be ready. The message is the same for us. Are you prepared if Jesus was to return today? Have you done your best to prepare those around you for his immanent return? What do you need to do yet to prepare yourself or others around you for Jesus’ Second Coming?
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