Where I live, the change in seasons is dramatic. We begin the year in the deep freeze. Trees are barren and dormant. Snow flies. And at times, the cold takes your breath away. But soon the temperatures warm, the days grow longer, and the hardy flowers of spring begin to poke their leaves out. Spring comes, and with it all the vibrant greens and colorful flowers. Moderate temperatures give way to hot days as we enter summer. Some years, the summers are green, and sometimes brownish, depending on the rain. The crops and fruit grow and mature, hinting at the harvest to come. The days grow shorter and the days cooler as autumn approaches. The harvest is here. The leaves of trees turn from green to gold, red, orange, and yellow. And soon, the north wind brings the cold and snow of winter.
Jesus begins His concluding remarks about the end times with some important reminders. “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—but only the Father. “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”” (Mark 13:28–37, CSB)
Just as there are signs to be seen as the seasons change, so too are there signs to recognize when He is at the door. But then Jesus gives us a mystery. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.” And yet here we are about 2000 years later, and many generations have passed. That first generation did see some of those things happen. The Temple was destroyed within a generation. That generation felt persecution, trials, and tribulations.
Learned folks have struggled and speculated about what Jesus meant. We are all first-generation believers; we are a part of the same generation of faith as Peter, John, and the rest. None of us inherits new life in Christ from our parents. Faith will not pass on the earth before all these things take place. However, the second part of Jesus’ statement is the most important– “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Let that sink in.
Jesus ends with “Be alert!” No one knows the hour or the day except the Father. Many have come with bold proclamations, sophisticated calculations, and dire predictions concerning the last days. Angels don’t know when it is. Jesus doesn’t even know. We can spend our time staring at fig trees waiting for the signs, or we can be about the Father’s business of making disciples and extending His kingdom.
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