When will Jesus come? Hollywood would like you to believe the end of the world will be in 2012. There have been many who say they follow Christ but have gone into setting dates for the return of Christ. I have heard 1985, 1987, 1999, 2000 and many other times. The latest fad is the date May 21, 2011. Jesus said, “”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ” (Matthew 24:36–37, NIV84)
Therefore we CANNOT put a time frame on His coming. We can only observe signs, pray and be ready. Jesus talks about being ready many times. In the context of His coming, Jesus admonishes us to be ready. “”Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ” (Matthew 24:42–51, NIV84)
The first thing Jesus tells us is to “Watch”. This word means to be vigilant, to pay attention to, and to place care on. This word implies watching with prayer. It is a watching concerned for the Jesus and for the community. Jesus has given us responsibility. All of us are stewards and have responsibility. We have been entrusted with time, money and possessions. We have influence and responsibility people in our lives.
If Jesus were to come into your home tomorrow what would he find? Would he be happy with the movies you are watching? Would he watch them with you? What about the books you are reading? Would you read them to Jesus? How do you spend the money and time God has given to you?
Of even greater importance is relationships with people. The wicked servant beat his fellow servants. The wicked servant did not provide food for the others. The wicked servant placed his own desires above the needs of the people around him. Jesus called this person a hypocrite.
When we fail to value people with the same value Jesus sees in them, we run into the danger of walking in hypocrisy. Sometimes a lack of value of people is reflected by our lack of desire to serve others. Sometimes our jealousy of another’s promotion reveals our lack of value for an individual. Our refusal to work out a disagreement or to walk in forgiveness and love also removes value from people.
We are to Watch. The first place we watch is our own lives. Do we spend money in a way that pleases Jesus? Do we spend our time in a way that honors God? Do we love people and value them? The reward for faithfulness is authority given by Jesus. “I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Matthew 24:47–48, NIV84)
What we do reflects what we truly believe. Our actions reflect our hearts. Take the time to watch and examine your own life. Let your life become one of integrity as it conforms to the pattern of love and obedience to God that was demonstrated by Jesus.
