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Gospel: Matthew 24: 37-44
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I was at the airport recently, and as I was walking through the parking garage I noticed graffiti spray painted on the wall, which said, “Jesus is coming soon!”
I paused, then mumbled to myself, “Not if he’s flying on American Airlines.”
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus assures us that he is, in fact, coming again, but we know neither the day nor the hour. We must live in a state of readiness, or in his words, “stay awake.”
Advent is the appointed time for us to awaken our souls. It’s the time to consider, “Are we ready for the Lord’s return?”
Jesus gives three examples, describing those who are ready versus those who are not.
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The first is Noah’s Ark.
Noah started building the ark while it was still bright and sunny. Once the darkness fell and the floods came, those who were saved were the ones already inside the boat. They prepared for the flood, even when it was nowhere in sight.
We should do the same – prepare to meet the Lord now. We’re all one diagnosis, one unexpected turn, one phone call away, from flood waters.
Still, the temptation is to put our readiness off until tomorrow. “I’ll consider the Lord’s return tomorrow.” … “I’ll give up my favorite vice tomorrow.” … “I’ll work on my prayer life tomorrow.”
Why not today?
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Notice what happens to those who put these things off until “tomorrow.”
Two men are out in a field. Two women are grinding at the mill. In each case, one is taken and the other is left behind.
What separates them is not where they are or what they’re doing, but what’s inside their heart.
Two are living with faith and two are living for themselves. When the flood waters come, those who are ready enter the kingdom of God.
What prevents me from feeling ready to see the Lord? Or where does my faith seem weak?
Advent is the time for us to bring these things before the Lord.
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At the end of this Gospel passage, Jesus describes himself as a thief.
“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake.”
Why would Jesus liken himself to a thief?
Thieves are threatening figures. They try to take away what we perceive to be ours. Is the Lord really a thief?
Think of the rich young man. He approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus said to him, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor. Then, come follow me.”
The rich young man walked away sad. He was afraid to follow the Lord. He felt like Jesus was taking away his freedom, his wealth, his future, his plans, all of his possessions.
For him, Jesus felt like a thief.
Those who are not in a loving relationship with God see him the way the rich young man did, as a threat to their freedom; a threat to their self-expression; a threat to their desire to live life on their own terms, to make their own decisions, to chart their own destiny.
We know the Lord is not a thief. Jesus has come to give us life, not to take it away. But he uses this image of a “thief” in an ironic way, to reveal, at times, the motives of our own hearts.
Have I ever seen God as thief? Have I ever felt that fear inside, that if I follow Jesus – if I put my heart into his hands – then he’ll take something away from me? He’ll direct me on another path? He’ll make me change some of my behavior? Or leave a favored sin behind?
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“Jesus is coming soon!”
“Not if he’s flying American Airlines,” I thought.
No. He’s coming, in his words, “like the floods of Noah, or a thief in the night.”
Advent is the time for us to be ready.
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Image credits: (1) cathfamily.org, WOJ Advent Week 1 (2) Jesus, Erokism, Flickr (3) herviewfromhome.com, A Beginner’s Guide to Observing Advent