Matthew 24:32-35

Matthew 24:32-35

And from the fig tree, learn the parable.  In the time when its branch should become tender and it should sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.  In this same way, when you should see all these things, you also know that it is near at the door.  Amen, I say to you that this generation should surely not pass away until all these things should become.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words should surely not pass away.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus gives us a fairly simple parable in this passage.  Every single one of us can relate to this parable – whether we know figs or not.  We know when summer is coming.  The trees pollinate.  The bulbs bloom.  The temperature increases.  The school year draws to a close.  The community pools open.  The days get longer.  We each have our own methods and things we look for, but we all have them.  We can know what it feels like to look around us and take a reading on what is going to happen.  That’s what Jesus is saying here.  Just like we can know summer is coming, we can know what it will look like before Christ comes back.  His people will be persecuted unlike ever before.  His people will be pushed to the end of the earth.  The world will turn against God’s ways.  People who proclaim to love God will turn on other people who proclaim to love God.  That’s what it looks like in the world before He returns.

In order to recognize the season, what do you need to know?  How well do you think you are prepared to recognize the signs?

Second Thought:

With respect to the comment that Jesus makes about “this generation passing away,” there have been many attempts at interpreting these words.  Some people take this comment to mean that Jesus’ own disciples will experience this kind of persecution in this life.  We know that they most certainly did experience horrific persecution.  Other people interpret these words to mean that the generation alive when the persecution starts will also be there to see it end.  This could certainly have a ring of truth to it as in earlier passages Jesus indicates that the end will come quickly when it comes.  Still other people interpret these words as another sign that there will always be a church present.  What this means is that the generation about which Jesus speaks is the generation of the church.  Of course, this generation didn’t come around until after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Each of these interpretations have notes of truth in them.  Unfortunately we may not even know in certainty exactly what Jesus was speaking about until after the fact.

Are you bothered by a passage that has multiple interpretations and little convergence on a single interpretation?  What do you think Jesus means in this saying?

Third Thought:

Finally, Jesus gives us a neat phrase at the end that is wrapped in a surprisingly unsuspecting sentence.  Jesus’ words will never pass away.  The heavens and the earth – all creation, even – will surely pass away.  But God’s Word will never pass away.  In other words, God’s Word is a constant in our life.  That’s a promise onto which we can hold.

What does it mean to you to know that God’s Word will never pass away?  Do you hold onto God’s Word more tightly than anything else?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 24:36-39