The Return of Jesus: A Paradoxical Arrival

1st Sunday in Advent, 11/27/16
Matthew 24:37-44


The Return of Jesus: A Paradoxical Arrival
I. Absolutely certain
II. Absolutely uncertain


We’re coming to the close of the busiest travel time of the year. I heard that travel experts predicted the number of travelers to be the highest since 2008. I imagine we’ll hear in a day or two whether or not that prediction was accurate.

Either way, millions of arrivals occurred. For some of you, yours was among them. You made your travel plans, perhaps you made a flight reservation, informed your loved ones when to expect you, and then made your way to your destination. Perhaps you prayed for a safe arrival and the Lord granted it.

As we noted at the beginning of today’s worship, we’re at the beginning of another Advent season. The season of Advent is a season of expectation—the expectation of an arrival. It’s the arrival of the single greatest person in all of history. It’s the arrival of the eternal Son of God in human flesh and blood. We’ll celebrate it in four weeks. But that God-man also promised to arrive again. Jesus speaks about that second arrival in this morning’s text from Matthew 24. And what he tells us is a divine paradox. His arrival is both absolutely certain and absolutely uncertain. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to that paradox this morning so that we can look forward to his second coming with confidence and joy!

Part I.

Arrivals aren’t certain. Even if you plan meticulously, the unexpected can occur at any time and cause you to make a change in your arrival plans. For instance, nearly 1000 people here in the State of Ohio never arrived at their destination during the first 11 months of 2016. As of last Sunday, there have been 980 traffic fatalities in the Buckeye State. Every one of those people thought they were going to arrive, but they never did. It can be an agonizing truth that arrivals aren’t certain.

Unless you’re none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks about his second coming in the word of God before us this morning. In an age when travel plans were far less certain than they are today, Jesus never even hints that he might not be able to carry out his plans. He uses no “mights” or “maybes” when he informs his hearers about the “coming of the Son of Man.” He doesn’t give himself an easy out by stating he’ll try to come back. He doesn’t preface his intention with a “if things go as planned.” Just as God promised to send a Savior into the world when the time was right and he made good on that promise, so Jesus has promised to return to this earth and there is no doubt it will occur.

The problem, as explained by Jesus here in this portion of his word, is that people simply aren’t watching for it to occur. Please don’t misunderstand. Jesus doesn’t expect us to drop everything we’re doing and sit with our heads trained on the skies, watching for his return. Some of the Christians in Thessalonica nearly 2,000 years ago did that, and Paul scolded them for it. God certainly expects us to go about our lives each day, making the most of the opportunities he places before us for doing his will. He expects us to be busy carrying out our daily responsibilities in whatever calling he has given us. He expects us to be busy serving others.

But not to be consumed by living. Jesus gives this negative example, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” Doesn’t the Lord expect us to do the very things these ancient people were doing? Indeed he does. So what was wrong with what they were doing? He had given them a warning through Noah that destruction was coming. They could see Noah and his sons preparing for it as their building of an ark progressed. The closer the ark got to being finished the more likely the end was near. But they were too busy living their lives to pay attention. They lived each day for that day and took no thought for the possibility that tomorrow could be their last. In fact, they refused to believe what Noah had told them about the impending judgment.

It’s not one bit different today, is it? That shouldn’t surprise us. Only a minority of people living on the face of the earth believe that Jesus is their Savior and that he will come again. The vast majority denies that Jesus is the Son of God and that he will appear on the Last Day. So, it’s only natural that they are busy living life and taking no thought for Jesus’ return.

What’s problematic for you and me is when that attitude rubs off on us. Our world is so busy living life and we’re living in that world too. Our world is planning and striving to accomplish great things for the next day, the next month, the next year. If we don’t do the same, we’re going to get left behind. But the truth still stands. Jesus’ return is absolutely certain.

So, what should we, the people of God, do? Live your life in a spiritually healthy balance. Plan well, work hard, play hard, enjoy life; but do so knowing and believing that you might be seeing Jesus’ arrival before the day ends. Keep one spiritual eye on the thing at hand and one spiritual eye on the sky. Include in your prayers a request that Jesus returns soon before evil overwhelms our world. That’s a God-pleasing balanced life. But realize that none of us attains it, at least not all the time. We allow our lives to get out of whack. We become engulfed by what we want to accomplish. We live as the people did in Noah’s day. But that’s why you have a Savior named Jesus Christ. His life was always perfectly in balance with his Father’s will. So, by faith in him, his holy life is your holy life. And he died for all the times we live like there will always be a tomorrow, and a next month, and a next year. He died to make our eternity with him certain. His resurrection assures us of it. It also assures us that he will return. So know and believe this: Jesus’ return is absolutely certain. Live like it!

Part II.

Modern devices have made estimated arrival times much more certain. With our smart phones, we can have our route marked out in the palm of our hands, indicating the distance and estimated time to our destination. And with that same smart phone, we can call our loved ones and let them know when to expect us. Such modern devices have taken much of the guess-work out of estimated arrival times.

Jesus will arrive here on earth again. That arrival is absolutely certain. But it’s also absolutely uncertain when he will arrive and no modern device will help us with that uncertainty. Listen to Jesus describe his arrival. “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.” Jesus states the obvious. No thief ever announces when he will arrive to steal your possessions. It’s critical to the thief’s success that the owner is completely unaware that the thief is coming.

Likewise, no one knows when Jesus will return. The Bible states that even the angels don’t know the date or time. Wouldn’t it be good for us to know that most critical date in the rest of the world’s history? Well, imagine if you did know. Imagine if you knew that Jesus would return on November, 27, 2026. How much less likely would you be to spend time in regular worship? How much less effort would we put into sharing the saving gospel of Jesus with our world? After all, we’ve got 10 years for doing that. Let’s do some things we enjoy doing right now and we’ll get around to being concerned about our spiritual lives when 2026 arrives. The urgency would be nonexistent. We’d get lulled into spiritual apathy and sleep. The truth is, spiritual apathy occurs far too often the way it is, not knowing when Jesus will return. Can you imagine the spiritual tragedy that would occur if we knew the date and time?

Jesus concludes his encouragement to us with these words, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” How can you be ready for something when you don’t know when it will occur? How can you be ready to face Jesus in all his glory on the Last Day when he arrives with all his holy angels? Better yet, what do you need to do to be ready? Rest easy, child of God. You’ve been ready for the return of Jesus since the day the name of the triune God was proclaimed over you and the water of your baptism was applied to you. You’ve had saving faith ever since that day and that saving faith in Jesus makes you prepared for your Lord’s arrival.

That arrival is absolutely certain. It will occur just as certainly as he arrived the first time. But it’s also absolutely uncertain in that no one knows when it will occur. Until it occurs, stay grounded in your faith through God’s word and sacrament. Stay busy serving your Lord and others. And keep watch. Jesus will arrive. And by faith in him you’re ready. Amen.