Jesus is telling us that we need to live always looking forward to the coming of the Lord while being faithful in our day to day life.
I was born and raised in a small town in Nebraska right outside of Grand Island. All of my immediate family is there, including two of the cutest little girls ever: my nieces. Lily is 3 ½ and Piper is just about to turn 2. I don’t know if you know a lot about toddlers or child development, but this is the prime time to watch the amazing growth that happens. I have loved watching them go from rolling to crawling to walking, from gibberish to saying real words to talking in full sentences. They are real people with real personalities, and it can make for very memorable moments. This phase of childhood is a true testament to the brilliance of our Father, and witnessing it is something I will always cherish. Living in Missouri, though I love it here, has caused me to miss a lot of these important phases of growth. When the school year started, Piper was just learning to walk and still speaking gibberish. When I went home over Christmas break, she was running around and talking in a language that I could actually understand. I often receive videos that help me stay up to date with all of their new discoveries and developments, but that will never compare to being there with them. I eagerly await every time that I get to go home for the purpose of getting to see those two girls. I ensure that I have an ample amount of time with them and that I am prepared to be the best aunt that I can be.
Through the parables in Matthew 25:1-46 and Mark 12:41-44, Jesus gives instructions on how to live while waiting for his return. We are to wait expectantly for his return. Matthew 24:44 says “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” We can’t know when the Lord is coming and we don’t need to. In these parables, Jesus makes it clear that the only thing we need to worry about is being ready.
So how do we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord? What should we do while we are waiting? In verses 1-13, Jesus is explaining that we need to be ready, eagerly awaiting his return. Verses 14-30 and Mark 12:41-44 tell us that in order to be ready we need to be faithful and wise with what the Lord has given us. Whether we have been entrusted with something small or big, we need not worry about the size, we just need to worry about what we are doing with the gift. Are we waiting idly for the Lord to come back, or are we using this gift to further his kingdom? The last parable in this chapter gives even more detail about what we should be doing in order to be faithful. We are to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and care for those in need. “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ”
Jesus is telling us that we need to live always looking forward to the coming of the Lord while being faithful in our day to day life. Even when I am eagerly looking forward to seeing my nieces, I have really great and important things to do here in Missouri. I read a quote once that said: “Live as though Jesus is coming back today; plan as though he is not coming back for a hundred years.”
