WE DO NOT KNOW THE DAY OR THE HOUR WHEN HE WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH

WE DO NOT KNOW THE DAY OR THE HOUR WHEN HE WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH

(A biblical reflection on THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Year B], 3 Deeember 2017) 

Gospel Reading: Mark 13:33-37 

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17,19;64:1,3-8; Psalms: Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 

The Scripture Text

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.” (Mark 13:33-37 RSV) 

As the Advent season begins, Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that we must always be ready because we do not know the day or the hour when He will return to the earth. In Greek, the original language of the Gospels, parousia is the word for the second coming of Jesus.

The early Christians believed that parousia would occur within their own lifetime. Jesus would return to conquer the world and the world as we know it would end. With Jesus in complete control, the reign of God would begin and there would be no more wars, hunger, or suffering. God would then transform the earth into a new garden of Eden, just as it was before the first sin.

This belief in Jesus’ imminent return caused a problem for the early Church. Some Christians who concluded there wasn’t much sense in working if the world was going to end some time soon, relied on others to support them while they spent their time praying and waiting for the parousia. This led the author of the second letter to the Thessalonians to lay down the rule that anyone who would not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

The belief in Jesus’ quick return also delayed the writing of the Gospel stories. Instead of recording what Jesus said and did, the early Christians verbally passed on stories about Jesus. They were not afraid that Jesus’ teachings would get distorted because they expected the parousia to occur before the apostles and other eyewitnesses were all dead. One of them would always be around to insure the accuracy of what was being said.

Only after it was clear that the parousia was not going to occur as soon as they first thought, did the early Christians finally begin writing the Gospels. Because of this, the first Gospel (Mark) was not written until about 65-70 A.D. That’s thirty-five to forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus!d

The early Christians went to an extreme by believing the parousia would occur at any minute but most modern Christians act as if the world cannot  end in our own lifetime. Today’s Gospel reading warns that this isn’t necessarily true. 

Source: Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 120-121.) 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, especially for this Advent send Your Holy Spirit to help us prepare our hearts by welcoming Jesus into our lives as we begin each day during this holy season. By knowing and experiencing Jesus and His love for us more closely, we can know the joy of awaiting His second coming (parousia). Amen. 

Jakarta, 1 December 2017 

A Christian Pilgrim