Chapter 12d

vs 35 – 48

Many of my atheist friends find the concept of Jesus’ second coming one of the hardest parts of the Gospel to swallow – perhaps even harder than the concept of the very resurrection itself!

The idea that there is an end coming – within this age, perhaps even today! – is simply ridiculous to people who don’t understand Christ. Yet it is a keystone of the concept of the Gospel.

The idea that we don’t have forever, that one day Jesus will return (this time in Glory) is critical for several reasons.

1) It is a motivator. In the parable we read in Luke tonight, there are servants who are ready for the Master’s return. They continue to do his work and keep the house shipshape until he arrives. And when he gets back, the master does what is amazing within this culture – he waits on THEM and allows them to share the party!

In the same way, we can be motivated by knowledge of the Master’s return. We should be working to prepare, because we don’t know when He will be back. And we know that when He returns, we will share in our Master’s joy.

2) It is a comfort. Sometimes life gets hard, and keeping on with our work as Christians can get really burdensome. It’s good to know that this work doesn’t continue forever, and that there is an end.

3) It is a warning. As for the servants in the parable who DIDN’T pay heed to the warning of the Master’s return, well, it didn’t go well with them! And in the same way, we should pay heed lest we find ourselves goofing off when the Master gets back.