Daniel Sweet - The Last Lessons of Christ: Living by Faith in an Age of Despair

Living by Faith in an Age of Despair

Daniel Sweet and Andrew Gilmore

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be aliveto breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Marcus Aurelius

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, Look, here it is! or There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

And he said to the disciples, The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, Look, there! or Look, here! Do not go out or follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lotthey were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them allso will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left. And they said to him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Luke 17:2037

E arly in Jesuss ministry, the disciples asked the Lord why he taught in parables. Jesus told them those who sought the truth would glean the knowledge he was imparting through parables, but those who were disingenuous would not understand the lesson. As he said, This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand (Matt. 13:13). In other words, they saw and heard Jesus with their own senses, but they could not perceive the truth about whom he was. Then he said something critical: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it (Matt. 13:17).

Now on the road to Jerusalem, when questioned by some Pharisees when the kingdom would arrive, Jesus answered in a similar manner. He told them the kingdom was already in their midst. Then Jesus turned to his disciples and told them that soon days were coming when they would long to see the Messiah. Whether or not these two statements occurred one right after another, Luke intentionally linked them together. Whats going on? If the kingdom was already in their presence, why would they long for the Son of Man?

With lesson one in place, in which Jesus established the importance of proper motivations for faithful kingdom-living, Jesus could impart lesson two. This lesson came in two parts. First is a reminder of the great privilege the disciples had in knowing Christ. Generation after generation longed for the Messiah to come and rescue them from their plight, but each passed without seeing the son of David promised by prophecy. Second, Jesus had to shatter some of their expectations about the Messiah. Though the kingdom indeed was in their midst, Christ would die and return at some point in the future. And when he returned, it would be as obvious as lightning. Yes, he would restore justice and make everything right, but not right away.

But before we dive in too deep, lets take a step back and establish some context first.

In Western culture, we take many things for granted. Its human nature. When something has always been a part of your reality, its easy to expect that reality will persist. We presume upon the right to freedom, clean water, and electricity. The ability to illuminate a room by toggling a switch is a luxury we all take for granted. The technology has always been a reality in our lives, so its hard to appreciate what it would be like to live without electricity and light bulbs. But artificial light and running water amount to little compared with another privilege you might not think twice about. In fact, whether you know it or not, you are one of the most privileged persons ever to have lived. Im not talking about money, medicine, or machinery. Even more than wealth or convenience, you probably take this privilege for granted much like I do. Im talking about the year in which you were born. No, the specific year isnt important other than the time period it represents: you were born after the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was born of a virgin, died a sacrificial death, and rose from the gravejust as the prophets said he would. Do you have any idea how privileged that makes you and me? Before you answer, recall the story of Simeon:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Luke 2:25

Simeon had been waiting for the Messiah. He longed to see the son of David, but he wasnt alone. All of Israel lived in expectation of the Messiah. From our AD perspective, its hard to fathom this detail. But prior to Jesuss birth, mankind had been collectively holding its breath for thousands of years in anxious desperation for salvation. Ever since Adams taste buds triggered a flood of endorphins at the bite of that forbidden fruitopening his eyes to good and evil but closing the door to that idyllic gardenmankind has had a dire need for a savior. Humanity longed for a Messiah who could take away its guilt and restore the once intimate relationship with its Creator.

And all of this came to a head with Simeon. The world had just endured four hundred years of silence when God ceased speaking through prophets. The Jews had rebuilt the temple after the Babylonian siege, but now the Romans ruled the land and the people. Yet, at long last, the Savior was coming. God told Simeon he would not die before seeing what he and the rest of the world so desperately needed: the Lords Messiah. Grasping this context is critical to understanding Simeons reaction when he spotted Jesus in the temple. Moved by the Spirit, he snatched the Son of God from his parents arms, praising the Lord all the while:

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

Luke 2:2932

Simeon could finally die in peace because he saw the Messiah with his own eyes. He wanted nothing more than the consolation of Israel. He knew the world was a dark place, but he also knew that God had promised redemption for mankind. Now that he held the child in his armsthe fulfillment of that promisehe knew everything would one day be made right.

In our twenty-first-century mind-set, we rarely think twice about the privilege of Jesus. We take for granted that he came, died, and rose from the dead. In the Western consciousness, its a given, just like electricity. Yes, the world is still messed up, but now theres a way to reconciliation. Theres a way to heaven. And his name is Jesus. But imagine living like Simeon livedin constant suspense, hope, anguish, and anticipation. When one loses electricity, he receives a reminder of what it would be like to live without light at the flip of a switch. Put yourself in Simeons shoes, and it will have the same effect. Dont take for granted the privilege you have to know Jesus and to walk in his grace. Generations before you longed to see the Messiah. As Jesus himself said, Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it (Luke 10:23b24).