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READY FOR THE BIG ONE?
The Rev. Don Williamson
Jeremiah 33:14-16
I Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
Mark 11: 12-14, 20-25
12-2-12
This is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. And having
lighted the candle, our minds are already rushing ahead.
We’re ready to rub our hands together and sing songs of a
baby in Bethlehem, angels singing and wise men arriving.
But the lectionary won’t let us rush off in that direction. Not
yet. All that is yet to come. On this first Sunday of Advent
the lectionary would have us focus not on the Christmas
story, on the first coming of Christ, but on his return.
Let me summarize the lectionary texts. In the Old
Testament lesson the prophet Jeremiah tells of someone
coming from the seed of David who will bring justice and
righteousness. We like to think that was a prediction
pointing to Jesus.
In the passage from Luke, however, we’re thrown a curve
ball: Jesus tells of his return…and he does so in words that
are frightening and foreboding…whole countries in despair;
raging tides; powers in space driven from their courses – a
world in complete upheaval and disarray.
In the passage from Thessalonians Paul, writes about what
the followers of Jesus need to be doing to prepare for the
return of Jesus.
And it is that I want to focus on with you: What we need to
be doing to be prepared for the return of Christ.
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You and I live in earthquake country. We know that “the big
one” is coming. How many of you think you’re fully prepared
for that? Why is it that so few of us are prepared? Probably
because we’ve lived with that threat for a long time. And it
hasn’t happened. We don’t know when it’s coming, but we
think it’s probably not tomorrow; so we don’t worry a whole
lot about it. Maybe we should; but we don’t. We just go on
with life as usual.
It seems to me that’s very similar to our living with the
promise of Christ’s return. We’ve lived with it a long time,
heard many silly forecasts. We don’t think it’s apt to happen
tomorrow. So we don’t worry about it. Maybe we should,
but we don’t. We just go on with life as usual.
But let’s think, for a bit, about what our lives maybe ought to
look like in the meantime…so that we’re ready for the really
big one.
What I want to focus on with you is one particular episode in
the life of Jesus. It comes to us only from the Gospel of
Mark, and it is within hours of the lesson we have just heard
from the Gospel of Luke– the last days of Jesus life. It has –
again - to do with a fig tree. It immediately follows the
account of Palm Sunday in the Gospel of Mark. (And as far
as I know it is not included in any of the lectionary
passages.)
Listen with me to another portion of the Word of God:
Mark11:12-14.
After the demonstration which we call Palm Sunday was
over, Jesus and his disciples returned to the town of
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Bethany, about a mile and a half away. The next morning,
Monday, the group set out again for the city. And on the way
Jesus was hungry. So he approached a fig tree looking for a
bit of breakfast. He found no fruit on the tree. Nada. Zip.
And Mark tells us why: It was not the season for fruit to be
on a fig tree.
Then the disciples heard Jesus address some ominous
words to the tree: “No one shall ever eat figs from you
again.” And then they went on into the city…perhaps to
speak about his return in the passage we heard
earlier…returning again to Bethany on that Monday night.
On Tuesday morning they set out once again for the city.
And on the way Peter noticed that the fig tree had withered
and died.
We wonder what kind of strange power is at work here. Like
his feeding of the 5,000, like his numerous cures of the sick,
like his raising of Lazarus from death…this action of Jesus
defies explanation. It is beyond the bounds of our
understanding or comprehension or even, maybe, our belief.
But in a very obvious way, this miracle is different from all
the rest. With the others, we feel good about the results. It
is good to feed the hungry; it is good to cure the sick; and we
can imagine the joy of a man revived from death. But we
can’t see that in the destruction of an innocent fig tree…a
tree that wasn’t supposed to have fruit on it that time of year.
It looks, in fact, like a case of supernatural temper tantrum.
I am convinced, however, that Jesus, in one last symbolic
miraculous work – just before his death - was teaching
something very important to his disciples. And it is this: You,
my friends and followers…you! I expect to bear fruit out of
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season. You who are followers of mine, in whatever age or
circumstance…as you wait for my return, I expect you to
bear fruit when it’s not in season. You I expect to bear fruit
when it’s not expected. That is how you get ready for my
return…whenever it may happen.
Apparently Jesus took no time to explain this event to his
disciples. But if he had, I think he would have said, “Look,
the world is full of people who are like this fig tree…who
know how to do what comes naturally. The world is full of
people who know how to love where there is someone
around who will love them in return. That’s merely bearing
fruit in season. That’s normal. But you, my disciples, you
are to bear fruit out of season. You are to love your enemies
as well as your friends. You are to do good for those who
can never repay you. You are to pray for those who abuse
you. You are to bear fruit when it’s not normal, when it’s
least expected, when it’s not “in season.”
Now if this is indeed what Jesus meant by the incident with
the fig tree, then the teaching which follows makes sense. In
that teaching Jesus is giving us the secret of going beyond
what’s normal. He’s telling us what will enable us to bear
fruit both in and out of season. He is showing us what will
empower us to do that…as we ready ourselves for his
return. He lists three things.
The first is faith in God. “Remember this! If you have faith in
God you can say to this hill, ‘Getup and throw yourself into
the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe
what you say will happen, then it will be done for you.” (v.
22)
This is not a “tentative” faith. This is a faith in God so deep
and so wide and so confident that nothing is impossible.
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I assure you: You don’t need to remind me how hard it is to
attain that kind of faith; I know as well as you do. But our
Lord would have us work at it and work on it. And we can do
that.
The second help given us for living in the meantime and
bearing fruit both in and out of season is expectant prayer.
“For this reason I tell you, when you pray and ask for
something believe that you have received it, and everything
will be given to you.” (vs. 24)
Jesus seems to say that if we pray expectantly God will give
us everything. We can’t believe that, can we? It sounds like
too much. And because we can’t believe right, we don’t pray
right. How often our prayers are in the spirit of “if.” How
frequently the mood of our prayers is timid hope. And I
guess that’s always been a problem for disciples. But can’t
we change our patterns of prayer?! And isn’t that why Jesus
said it: “When you pray and ask for something, believe that
you have already received it.”
But a word of warning here; a disclaimer. This advice, these
keys to success are set within the context of producing the
kind of fruit Jesus is after: positive, compassionate, caring
love, when it’s not normal. This is not a promise that if you
really believe, and pray positively, you will win the lottery.
This advice is related to bearing the kind of fruit in life our
Lord wants of us before his return.
And the third help given us for going beyond the normal is
the practice of forgiveness. “And when you stand praying,
forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your
Father in heaven will forgive you.” (vs. 25)
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Forgiveness – letting go of the need to punish, to hold a
grudge or get even…all of it. And we need to be reminded
that is something we can do all by ourselves. We don’t need
someone to ask us to forgive them. Forgiveness can be a
solo trip; and it is always a healthy one. It can work miracles.
Our Lord wants us to be ready for the “Really Big One.” So
he offers us a fig-tree lesson for living “ready” in the
meantime. He wants us, his disciples to be bearing fruit in
all seasons…to love when it doesn’t seem normal…to give
when it doesn’t seem possible…and to share when no one
expects it. And in order to accomplish this not-normal life,
he gives us the keys to success: faith in God; expectant
prayer; and the practice of forgiveness.
God help us to respond…and be ready…for the “really big
one.” Amen.
Don Williamson; December 2, 2012; at Spirit of the Desert Presbyterian Fellowship, Palm Desert, CA