Jesus Urges His Disciples to Watch

Mark 13:3-10, 31-37

GOLDEN TEXT: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh.”—Mark 13:35

GRADUALLY the disciples began to understand that Jesus was to leave them for a while, returning later to set up His Kingdom in which they hoped to reign with Him. They didn’t understand, however, that the Kingdom was more than nineteen centuries in the future. In fact, they had no clear idea of just what was to transpire. But they were vitally interested, and questioned Jesus for further understanding.

He had spoken of the destruction of the temple, and they wanted to know more about that. (Mark 13:1,2) He had said that He was going away and would come again, and they wanted to be sure they would know of His return, so they asked about the nature of the signs that would betoken the fact of His coming. The other Gospel accounts of these questions indicate that the disciples used the Greek word parousia, meaning “presence,” showing thus that what they really wanted to know was what to look for as evidence that He had returned and was again present in the earth.

The Golden Text is to the point with respect to the inability of the Lord’s people to know in advance the time of His coming. Many sincere Christians have made themselves unnecessarily ridiculous in the eyes of the world by failing to be guided by this fact. They have announced a date upon which they believed Jesus would come, only to be disappointed when their expectations were not realized.

On the other hand, it is obvious that those who are watching will he the first to know of the Master’s presence when He has returned, for that is the purpose of their watching. If the faithful watchers could not know of the Master’s return in advance of those who did not watch, what would be accomplished by watching? But they do know of the Master’s presence in advance of the world. Concerning those who faithfully watch, Paul writes, “Ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”—I Thess. 5:1-4

But what are we to watch? Surely not the sky! In the Dark Ages, when the people believed that the earth was flat, and very small, they could have thought that, but not now. What the watchers are to look for as evidences of the Master’s presence are the “signs” He outlines in our lesson, and others mentioned elsewhere in the prophecies of the Bible. These are things for which the Lord’s people in all parts of the earth can look, and seeing them simultaneously, may know of a surety that the Master has returned.

The Scriptures make it plain that Jesus returns for the purpose of establishing a worldwide government, the function of which will be, through an equitable and righteous rule, to bless all nations with health, life and happiness. It is not inconsistent with this divine purpose of the Second Advent that the prophecies should stress the great trouble that would come upon mankind at the time of Christ’s return. So prominently is distress and trouble associated in the prophecies with the return of the Lord that many have lost sight of the real object of His coming, namely, to establish order, peace and happiness in the earth.

But the trouble must come first. The trouble is linked in the prophecies with what is styled the day of God’s wrath. This day of wrath is a day of destruction, not of that which is good, but of practices and institutions which are evil. Unrighteousness is so widespread and deep-rooted in the present world order, that its uprooting destroys the order, and thus the world, or order of things, comes to an end. Obviously, such a cataclysm involves distress and suffering for all mankind.

After telling of the wars and rumors of wars that would characterize the whole age previous to His return, Jesus mentions some of the troubles coming upon the world at the time of His second presence, and remarks that they are but the “beginning of sorrows.” (Mark 13:8) By the use of this expression He may have been alluding to the prophecy of Isaiah 13:7-13. Here the distress incidental to the day of God’s wrath is likened to the “sorrows” that come upon a woman in childbirth. Jesus is evidently pointing out the “beginnings” of these “sorrows.” In fact, the Greek word translated “sorrow” in our lesson, means the sorrows of travail. See marginal reference, Mark 13:8.

It is significant, also, that the Apostle Paul, in contrasting the difference between the watchers and the unbelieving world, shows that the latter riot only will be in darkness, but also that their institutions of selfishness will be destroyed, the destruction coming upon them as “travail upon a woman with child.”—I Thess. 5:1-3

We are not to get the thought that “sudden” destruction means instantaneous destruction. It is sudden in the sense of being unexpected. And it comes as “travail,” that is, in successive spasms. The general, yet clear lesson of these various expressions is that the Master would be present in the earth for a considerable period of time—years, in fact—during which, unprecedented social upheavals would be taking place, leveling off a world society preparatory to the establishment of His Kingdom. Undoubtedly we are living in that time now, and it is the happy privilege of the watchers to announce to all who will hear, that Christ has come.

QUESTIONS:

What are Christians to watch in connection with their hope of Christ’s second coming?

Why is it that so much trouble is associated with the Lord’s return?

Is there any reason to believe that Christ has returned?

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