Sunday 29 November 2009
- Bible Book:
- Luke
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth." (v.34-35)
Background
In speaking of what Christians call Judgement Day, Jesus tellsthe disciples about signs that will precede the event. Some believethat those signs will happen immediately, a few days or hoursbefore the return of the Son of Man, and thus prepare the world forthis final, ultimate catastrophe. But that does not seem to agreewith what Jesus states in verse 34. He likens the arrival ofJudgement Day to the sudden, unexpected operation of a snare.
In all three versions of end of time (eschatological) discourse (
In verses 34-36 Luke's concern is to instruct the disciples aboutwhat their proper concern should be. Much as in
To Ponder
How can natural events which we can explainscientifically and/or predict (like eclipses, the appearances anddisappearances of stars, earthquakes and comets) be divinesigns?
What do you understand by Jesus saying, "Truly Itell you, this generation will not pass away until all things havetaken place" (verse 32)?
Is the credit crunch, which has caused globalrecession, a divine sign in our time? If so, what would be themessage?