It's About Trust

"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." - Mark 13:32

In the Bible, only one person has known the exact date life on earth was to be destroyed. Noah, who was told by God to build a really big boat, eventually listened and did as God asked him to do. By trusting in God, Noah was able to save his family - and humanity - by riding out the storm in an ark filled with animals. While this isn't quite the same as Armageddon, the people of that time would have surely thought the world was coming to an end. At least, their world was.

But the kind of destruction Jesus is preaching about isn't the same as what the people of Noah's time would have experienced. Jesus is talking about the complete, unequivocal end of the world. Not just the death of humans, but a complete upheaval and change to what we consider "our world". And while Jesus gives us clues as to how to recognize it and what it may be like, in the end we're still left wondering how and when it will happen.

Like Noah, we need to put our trust in God on this one. Jesus makes it clear that even he doesn't know when it'll happen. It's purely God's show, just as creation was. And while it may be scary, as long as we believe in God and his son, Jesus Christ, we have nothing to worry about. Whether the end times are today, tomorrow, next year or in ten thousand years, we need not worry. God loves us, will protect us, and will be with us always - whether the earth is being destroyed or not.

The world is temporary, but God is not!

End

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.' " - Mark 13:24-25

End times. Tribulation. Armageddon. They're words that invoke a very basic, primal response in our minds. The thought that everything around us could soon be gone. That, as with all things, there is a beginning and an end. It's been envisoned as earthquakes, meteor showers, war, famine and everything in between. And Jesus isn't changing that bright image for any of us - it'll be dark and scary. 

I'm one of those people that floats in my belief - sometimes it's positive reinforcement (a beautiful sunset, a prayer being answered), and sometimes it's negative reinforcement (often brought about after considering my own mortality). And while Jesus's warning is a very useful testament for reinforcing belief, I don't think he's saying it to scare people into believing what he's preaching. I think it's something different.

He's saying, in no uncertain terms, that God has ultimate control because God has had this planned from the beginning. That our lives - while individually unique - fit into an overall plan for humanity. A plan that eventually comes to an end (at least, an end of what we're used to). A plan that's been in place before we existed, and one that goes well past our existence.

The good news is, God love us, and wants us to be a part of the new plan - the new Kingdom of Heaven. And Jesus is how we get there. It's not hard, but it is so important that Jesus spends time talking about it. 

If only if we'd listen...

Simplistic Complexity

"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?' " - Mark 12:28

"You shall not have other gods beside me. " - Exodus 20:3

For a Jew in the time of Jesus, the answer to the scribe's question should have been second nature. Even for Jews, Christians and others of our time, the first commandment (as in the first rule on the first tablet brought down by Moses from Mount Sinai) is pretty easy to remember - "You shall not have other gods beside me". If the Ten Commandments deal with fundamental truths, this would no doubt be the first - if not the most important - because it establishes God as our God - our ultimate leader, example and who we strive to please.

So how does Jesus respond? Does he respond as the typical Jew of his time would? Yes - but with additions. He certainly reiterates that God is our "Lord alone" - but instead of ending it there, he continues, describing how we live that commandment: by loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. In short, we dedicate ourselves to loving God completely. It's a very human explanation to a very God-like commandment.

But Jesus doesn't stop there - he continues, pointing out the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. And by doing so, he summarizes the remaining nine commandments - in all their complexity - into one single instruction - love take from them. You respect them. You share in their successes, and help them through their failures.

It's a commandment that, despite it's simplicity, takes away any complexities in trying to understand what God wants us to do. If you love someone, you're doing what God is asking you to do.

Simple!