Passion Week #7
Pastor Jimmie Suggs
Text: Matthew 24:15-51
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Consider this experience. Your close family member passed away. The time between his death and the funeral seemed like a blur. There were decisions to make, family members to contact, important papers to find, an obituary to write, funeral arrangements to make, a memorial service to plan, and other family and friends to attend. You hardly had time to even begin to process what happened. You talked about it and told the story over and over to each person who asked. But it hardly seemed real.
Then the day of the funeral came. It was a difficult and emotional time but somehow the busyness seemed to be just distracting enough to keep the most weighty thoughts and feelings at bay. After the graveside service you returned home. Most of those who had been attentive went home as well. By evening all the guests had gone and you were left alone; and there came a deadening silence. The reality began to set in. Your mind drifted some thinking about your own loss, but then it would drift to consider the darkness of the night and the grave that was now left unattended. You thought about him, his body that is, being left alone in the ground, in the night. Where was he really? How was he where he was? When had he arrived?
And, now you ask: “What was that all about?” Well, think for just a moment. It is Saturday, the day after Good Friday, the day after Jesus’ death and burial. Yesterday we gave consideration to his trials, his being mocked, the beating he received, and even his walk to Golgotha. He was alive, though in agony. Then it came. We read, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Matt. 27:50). He died. He was gone. He was placed in the grave. There was silence.
Today, Saturday, what do we reflect on? We know that tomorrow we will celebrate the Resurrection. But what about today, in the midst of the silence? Well for a moment let’s consider what Jesus said to his disciples as recorded in Matthew 24:15-51.
He was still addressing what they could expect between the time of his departure in death (his ascension after his resurrection) and his return. They already had some expectation of his return though they were unclear on what would happen. Though he doesn’t share in great detail, he doesn’t leave them wondering about the most important things. They are:
1. His word is eternal. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (vs. 35).
2. It is absolutely clear that they should expect hardship in life. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (vs. 21-22).
3. They should live expecting his return. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (vs. 42, 44).
4. The Father knows the Son’s return date. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (vs. 36).
5. His return will not go unnoticed. It will be unmistakably identifiable. “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (vs. 30).
6. The elect will be secure. “And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (vs. 31).
7. The faithless will be punished. “The master of that servant (wicked servant) will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vs. 50-51).
8. The faithful will be rewarded. “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions” (vs. 46-47).
So, on this day of silence, the day after considering Christ’s death, and as we await the great Resurrection celebration, let these words of Christ, eternal words speak to our hearts. Hear the expectation of suffering and hardship. But also listen to the words of promise and hope!
Prayer: LORD God cause me to hear Your eternal word. Cause me to hear of the coming judgement and the promise of hope. Be gracious to me in my sin and work in me that I may show myself to be faithful, enduring to the end. Be merciful to the unbeliever and grant him grace to believe in You. Break the silence of the today by speaking Your word to all who are, by Your providence, listening. Break the silence of everyday with reverberations of Your glorious gospel until the day that Your Son returns. In His name I pray. Amen.