Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today's Gospel lesson comes from Jesus' long discussion of end times in Matthew 24. Of course, this passage receives much discussion among Christians interested in understanding when all of these things will happen. But it seems that the primary point of Jesus' discourse lies in a different direction. In fact, he clearly tells the disciples that nobody, 'not even the angels of heaven' know the hour or the day of his coming. Rather, the primary message is that of preparation. This is born out in the next chapter, in the parable of the ten virgins and an account of the final judgement.

These two chapters bring us squarely into contact with a major problem facing Christians today. That problem is that, in essence, our faith traditionally teaches us that our fundamental orientation is not 'of this world' but rather toward the age to come, while the surrounding culture teaches us to live for the moment. Indeed, the sheer level of wealth we enjoy already makes it difficult for us to hear this message because it removes any condition of necessity. If we're honest, we may not look to our faith to provide actual relief from our physical problems: too often we put our trust in instruments like insurance, hospitals, investments, and high-paying jobs to solve our immediate needs. But if abundance blurs our vision, our society's materialistic orientation makes it even more difficult to live with our spiritual eyes focused on the goal: an endpoint which, in a sense, is only achieved when we die and continue into the fullness of life, a life which we have received from God.

How then, are we to live counter to to the cultural influence of our time and place and hear the message of Christ anew? Perhaps the answer lies in the form of this parable itself, in which we want to identify with the faithful servant. Simply because of who we are, our lives (and possessions) are not our own; we live in order to serve our Master and to look out for the needs of others. This is the context for Jesus' injunction to 'be ready' for his return. We are not supposed to be 'in charge' of our own lives -- or to mistakenly believe that our lives consist in the accumulation of things or experiences. Rather, as faithful servants we should give ourselves to spiritual preparation and to service, with the hope that we will be fully present and ready to meet Christ, whether in death or at his coming.

'Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.' Matthew 24:44

Yours in Christ,
Justin