The Work and Not The Waiting
All Christians everywhere are waiting in breathless anticipation of the second coming of Christ. It gives hope and bolsters us. It holds us up and presses us forward toward growth. It comforts us when we lose a loved one, because we will meet them again on the Last Day or when we go to Heaven, whichever comes first. It helps us remember what Jesus did for us. I firmly believe Jesus' death and what people call his Resurrection is the single most important event in human history. It overturned the rule of the world. It made the last the first, the least of these the greatest, as well as the first the last. It made death bearable, because it lost its sting. It inspired a movement that has lasted more than two centuries and brought countless good to the poor and underprivileged and outsiders of this world. But what if we are waiting for an event and missing the point?
What if the second coming of the Christ is not an event measured by the definitive date markers of history? What if it is not an event in the future that we must wait for? Jesus made a statement during his ministry that really got me thinking. In Matthew 25, Jesus lays out a series of parables describing the Kingdom of God. He talks about the sheep and the goats, the parable of the master and the bags of gold, and the coming of "The Son of Man." But what if what he meant wasn't referring to some cataclysmic event some time in the future when he would come down from the clouds and all Christians would be sucked up into Heaven? I think there is some room for interpretation here. And I don't get the interpretation that is popular in Christianity, a popularity demonstrated by the sales of the "Left Behind" books. Jesus said, in the same parable that whatever we do for the poor or hurting or imprisoned, we do for him. In Matthew 25, Jesus says, 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
What if Jesus IS every poor person we take in, every sick or hungry person we care for? What if his second coming is happening every day on our street corners were the beggars beg for change? What if they are Jesus? He is alive and he is here as long as people are in need. Now is not the time to be sucked up to heaven. Now is the time to demonstrate God's love to those who are in need.
Now it might be distressing and disappointing for my fellow Christians to consider that there is not some doomsday event in the future from which we will be saved. It may be upsetting that there is not some divine reprieve from this messy life and deliverance to a divine vacation. But think about it. What if the Kingdom of God is here now? What if Jesus is here now? He is the body of believers. He is the head of the living church. Shouldn't we take the church outside the building and live in the Kingdom with Him on the street corners, in the hospitals and in prisons? Jesus' brand of God chasing was not meant to be done in a vacuum. It was very practical. It was very person-centered. It was all about relationships. It focused on relief for those imprisoned by the circumstances of their lives. The disciples went out in the way he taught them and brought the Good News to people. They brought help and relief in practical ways like Jesus did. And we are to do the same. Here. Now.
I think Christians will be sorely disappointed if they are waiting for the end times from Revelation. Revelation is not a prophecy. It is a special type of literature called Apocalyptic literature. There was a long tradition in Jewish history of these types of writings. But uneducated Christians read them as literal predictions. They, like all apocalyptic literature, were meant to be read much like Jesus's parables with a nod to events in history. They were there to solidify concepts with broad strokes and colorful imagery. They are not a road map of the future. In fact, most biblical scholars agree that the events in Revelation were inspired by actual events in Isreal's history.
I think Christians need to bring the Kingdom to Earth through acts of service. I don't think it is coming to us down out of the clouds. I think it is already here now to the extent that we are bringing it to reality. Let's get busy and do the work. As soon as we do, and every time we do, the Kingdom is here.
What if the second coming of the Christ is not an event measured by the definitive date markers of history? What if it is not an event in the future that we must wait for? Jesus made a statement during his ministry that really got me thinking. In Matthew 25, Jesus lays out a series of parables describing the Kingdom of God. He talks about the sheep and the goats, the parable of the master and the bags of gold, and the coming of "The Son of Man." But what if what he meant wasn't referring to some cataclysmic event some time in the future when he would come down from the clouds and all Christians would be sucked up into Heaven? I think there is some room for interpretation here. And I don't get the interpretation that is popular in Christianity, a popularity demonstrated by the sales of the "Left Behind" books. Jesus said, in the same parable that whatever we do for the poor or hurting or imprisoned, we do for him. In Matthew 25, Jesus says, 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
What if Jesus IS every poor person we take in, every sick or hungry person we care for? What if his second coming is happening every day on our street corners were the beggars beg for change? What if they are Jesus? He is alive and he is here as long as people are in need. Now is not the time to be sucked up to heaven. Now is the time to demonstrate God's love to those who are in need.
Now it might be distressing and disappointing for my fellow Christians to consider that there is not some doomsday event in the future from which we will be saved. It may be upsetting that there is not some divine reprieve from this messy life and deliverance to a divine vacation. But think about it. What if the Kingdom of God is here now? What if Jesus is here now? He is the body of believers. He is the head of the living church. Shouldn't we take the church outside the building and live in the Kingdom with Him on the street corners, in the hospitals and in prisons? Jesus' brand of God chasing was not meant to be done in a vacuum. It was very practical. It was very person-centered. It was all about relationships. It focused on relief for those imprisoned by the circumstances of their lives. The disciples went out in the way he taught them and brought the Good News to people. They brought help and relief in practical ways like Jesus did. And we are to do the same. Here. Now.
I think Christians will be sorely disappointed if they are waiting for the end times from Revelation. Revelation is not a prophecy. It is a special type of literature called Apocalyptic literature. There was a long tradition in Jewish history of these types of writings. But uneducated Christians read them as literal predictions. They, like all apocalyptic literature, were meant to be read much like Jesus's parables with a nod to events in history. They were there to solidify concepts with broad strokes and colorful imagery. They are not a road map of the future. In fact, most biblical scholars agree that the events in Revelation were inspired by actual events in Isreal's history.
I think Christians need to bring the Kingdom to Earth through acts of service. I don't think it is coming to us down out of the clouds. I think it is already here now to the extent that we are bringing it to reality. Let's get busy and do the work. As soon as we do, and every time we do, the Kingdom is here.
