Holy Tuesday: A Glimpse of the Second Coming
As we study the Gospel narrative of Jesus’ final week of life, Holy Tuesday is the day that we know the most about. We have over 8,000 words of historical record from this day that comprises 7+ chapters of the Bible – almost all of it is teaching from Jesus! According to scripture, on Tuesday morning Jesus once again travels from Bethany into Jerusalem, and upon entering the Temple, he begins to teach.
One of the most fascinating parts of His teaching on Holy Tuesday is what Biblical scholars call The Olivet Discourse, a discussion on the last days between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple, gives many signs of the end of the age, warns them of the “Abomination of Desolation” who will one day come, and finally, reveals that He will come again! He concludes this conversation with these powerful words:
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 24:42-51, ESV)
Three important truths that Jesus teaches his disciples here that we should hold fast to as well:
1. Jesus is coming again.
I often think about how amazing it would have been to be alive in Israel at the time of Jesus’ ministry. How incredibly blessed were the men and women who were able to see His face, witness His miracles, and hear His teaching! But as amazing as that is, we must remember – we will get to see Him again too! Jesus is not dead, and He is not gone for good. He has spoken and sealed the promise – He is coming again! Whether we get to see Him in this glorious moment or simply have to wait until heaven, we can be confident that we will see Him again! We should all live with eager longing and expectation for that day when He will return for His church, and once and for all inaugurate His eternal kingdom. Jesus is coming again!
2. He calls us to stay awake.
As we await His second coming, Jesus calls us as His people to have a particular posture through the ages – we are to stay awake. We are to not grow weary or impatient at His coming, believing that it will be far off at another time. No, instead we are to remain alert, ready, and eager – stay awake for His return that will come quickly like a thief in the night.
I think Jesus was very intentional in using that imagery of a “thief in the night” to help us be prepared for His second coming. It was as if He knew that it would not happen as quickly as we might anticipate; as if He knew that we might become tempted to forget that an eternal age is coming, putting all of our attention and focus on this temporary life now. Jesus knows us, family. He knows we are prone to wander and fall asleep. He knows we are like sheep, easily led astray by the fleeting pleasures of this world. Which is why He calls us to stay awake! We must learn to keep our eyes fixed on eternity, ready to receive Him with joy when He comes for us.
3. We are to faithfully serve Him until He returns.
Jesus instructs His disciples for how they are to live faithfully awake in this age of waiting – they are to be like faithful servants in the household of God, “giving food at the proper time.” The imagery here is of a great household, filled with servants, with a great master who has gone away but is expected home at any time. Jesus desires to find us faithfully fulfilling our duties when He returns. He longs to see His church faithfully working toward the mission He gave us – making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything that He has commanded. He desires to see us faithful to His Word in every way.
As He was preparing to go to the cross, Jesus wanted to prepare His disciples for lives of faithfulness after the resurrection and ascension. The sacrifice He would offer of His blood was not for them alone, but for a people that he had purchased and redeemed from every tribe, nation, people, and tongue. How would they believe without hearing? How would they hear without being preached to? Knowing this, Jesus taught them to live ready for His return, faithfully awake in His household, serving His people and sharing the Gospel. May we heed His words on this Holy Tuesday, and live our lives in light of His second coming as well.
Pray – Ask Jesus to open your eyes to see the people around you – friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors – who need to hear the good news of the cross. Pray for the courage to share with them and rightly order your life in light of the eternal Kingdom of Jesus that He is coming to build!
Sing – Take a few moments to listen to Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me and reflect upon the lyrics in light of this passage from Matthew 24.