Matthew 24:3-8

Matthew 24:3-8

And while He sat upon the Mount of Olives the disciples drew near to Him all by themselves while saying, “Speak to us.  When will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”  And after answering Jesus said to them, “Pay attention that nobody should cause you to wander off the path.  For many will come upon my name while saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and many will be lead off of the path.  And you are about to wars and reports about wars.  Pay attention while not being startled.  For it is necessary to become – but it is not yet the end.  For nation will rise upon nation and kingdom upon kingdom and there will be famine and earthquakes according to some places.  And all of these are the beginning of the birth pains.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more we see the disciples and Jesus sharing an intimate moment.  Notice that in this particular instance the disciples seek the moment out from Jesus.  This is not always the case.  But it is important to see that the disciples do seek out Jesus and value time alone with Him to ask personal questions that matter to Him.  They want greater understanding, and they are willing to do what it takes to get it.

Do you ever seek out understanding and learning from those who have it?  To whom do you go?  When do you go to them?  Is this a priority in your life?

Second Thought:

At the end of this passage, Jesus gives us a very ominous warning.  Yet, it is important that we hear and understand Jesus words.  There will be war.  Human kingdoms will rise up against one another.  That’s just the way of humanity.  Those are not the end but rather the beginning.  The end begins with a display of human violence.  The reason that this is important is because many people look to a time of war and think that it will be the end.  No, human violence against one another is but the beginning.  There is more that will come after human beings are violent to one another.  We’ll get to that tomorrow.

Do you find it reasonable that the end begins with human violence?  Is this in any way ironic or is it fraught with meaning?  Why is it important to remember that the end begins with human violence?

Third Thought:

In the middle of this passage, Jesus gives the disciples some instruction that I don’t want to get lost.  That’s why I saved it for the last thought today.  Jesus tells the disciples to pay attention but not in a way that causes them to be startled.  They need to pay attention so that they are not led off the path.  But there is no reason to be startled.  If our lives rest in God’s hands and we assert this to be true, then there is no reason to let human violence startle us.  What can humans do to us that God cannot undo in the life eternal to come?  There is no reason to fear so long as we have the promise of eternal life.  We do need to pay attention.  But we don’t need to react out of fear.

Why is it easy for people to become afraid in times of violence?  Why do we as Christians have no reason to fear?  How is our ability to refrain from being afraid connected to our ability to pay attention and take notice of what is happening?  How does all of this relate to refraining from being led off the path?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 24:9-14