*Light of the World painted by Holman Hunt
The
Signs of the Times
This
past weekend, we experienced something unusual—a record-breaking warm spell for
this time of year. It felt almost like spring was coming early. But how do we
really know when spring is coming? What signs
do we look for? We recognize spring when we see the snow beginning to melt,
the days growing longer, and tiny buds appearing on the trees. We hear birds
singing again after months of silence. These signs tell us that change is near.
Jesus also spoke about signs—not of the seasons, but of the times. He urged people to be watchful, to recognize when God was calling them to repentance and renewal. Just as nature gives us clear signals of the coming spring, God gives us spiritual signs, calling us to turn back to him. Are we paying attention? Are we prepared for the season of change God is inviting us into?
Two
Signs
In
today’s passage we see two signs – two tragic events. First, some people came
to Jesus and reported the news about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while
they were offering sacrifices. Though we don’t know all the details, we can
reconstruct the event this way: This massacre likely took place in the temple
during Passover. Pilate, suspecting that these Galilean pilgrims were inciting
rebellion, sent his soldiers to suppress them without mercy. Jesus doesn’t give
us the answer why this terrible event happened. But instead, he gently but
powerfully redirects the focus. In Jesus’ time, many Jews looked down on
Galileans, considering them second-class – somewhere between true Jews and
Gentiles. When the Jews heard the news about the massacre, they assumed the
Galileans must have been less faithful and deserving of such a fate. But Jesus confronted
this mindset, saying, “Do you think that the suffering of these Galileans
proves that they were more sinful than others? No, I tell you, but unless you
change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did” (v. 3, CEB).
What about natural catastrophes – unexplainable and mysterious? Jesus continued, “What about 18 people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more guilty of wrongdoing than everyone else who lives in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did” (vv. 4-5).
Why do such tragedies happen in our lives? How can we make sense of them? The truth is, we can’t. We may understand when we get to heaven. But for now, Jesus doesn’t give us a direct answer. Instead, he urges us to consider what these events reveal: our own mortality. Life is fragile. Death is always near. Tragedies come to all. Sometimes unthinkable things befall the most godly and faithful. The real question is: Are we ready?
From today’s passage, we also learn a sobering truth – we are all sinners. Though we may compare ourselves to others, any difference between us is slight. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are all guilty. We all deserve death. We all need repentance. We all need grace. Are we ready?
The
Parable of the Fig Tree
Instead
of answering their questions about suffering, Jesus tells a story—the parable
of a fig tree. A man planted a fig tree in his garden. For three years, he
watered it, fertilized it, and cared for it, yet it bore no fruit. Finally, he
said to his gardener, “Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.”
But the gardener replied, “Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year,
and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs
next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down” (vv. 6-9, NLT).
In this story, the owner represents God’s justice. The gardener is Jesus – God’s mercy. We are the fig tree. We live today only by the grace of God, and we live for the purpose of bearing fruit. But what kind of fruit? First, personal fruit – the fruit of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Second, relational fruit – we are called to make disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). This parable calls us to examine ourselves: “Am I bearing fruit?”
One
More Chance
Jesus,
the Gardener, is merciful. He is for us, not against us. He desires us to be
fruitful and ready for that Day. So he pleads with the owner – the Father,
“Please give it one more chance. I
will dig around it, and give it fertilizer.” John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, paraphrased this
verse as follows: “Lord, I will loosen his roots; I will dig up this earth, I
will lay his roots bare. My hand shall be upon him by sickness, by
disappointments, by cross providences. I will dig about him until he stands
shaking and tottering, until he be ready to fall.”[1]
God doesn’t cause suffering, but in his great love, God allows trials to free
us from our earthly attachments. He digs around us, shakes us, and calls us
through life’s ups and downs, so that we
may turn back to him and bear fruit.
Our default reaction to suffering and pain is often to blame others or even God. But what if suffering is a wake-up call? C. S. Lewis wisely wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Fragmented
Adam
One of my Lenten practices this year is reading a poem each day. This past Saturday, I read one that resonated deeply[2]:
‘Adam, where
are you?’
…
Fragmented
Adam stares.
God’s hands
unseen, the
whirling rides
dazzle, the
lights blind him. Fragmented,
he is not
present to himself. God
suffers the
void that is his absence.
-
“On
a Theme by Thomas Merton,” Denise Levertov
Since
the fall, there has been a dark void between God and us. In this poem, our
fallenness is described as our fragmented
attention away from God. We are constantly distracted and inattentive
to God. As I was reading this poem, I saw myself in this “fragmented Adam.” I
find myself so easily distracted and not able to pay attention to God.
Henry Nouwen, a well-known spiritual director and Catholic priest, had taught at prestigious universities. But despite his academic success, he left those institutions and became a priest in residence for mentally and physically handicapped people at Daybreak community. In particular, Nouwen became a close friend of Adam, who was profoundly retarded and unable to speak, walk, or dress himself. Each day Nouwen took almost two hours to finish this task – bathing, shaving, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, helping him eat breakfast, and so on. Nouwen said it had been difficult for him to live with Adam at first. But he had learned to love Adam, truly to love him. In the process he had learned what it must be like for God to love us—spiritually uncoordinated, retarded, inarticulate, inattentive to God.[3] But Jesus, our Gardener, never gives up on us. He patiently works in our lives, shaping us, pruning us, and calling us to abide in him.
Responsible
Grace
[*Showing the painting] The
Light of the World, painted by Holman Hunt, is inspired by Revelation 3:20.
Here, Jesus says to Laodicean Christians who think themselves rich, but in
reality, they are miserable, poor, blind, and naked: “Here I am! I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and
eat with them, and they with me.” Notice that he is standing at the door, not
forcing his way in. The door has no handle on the outside—only the one inside
can open it. Christ knocks, but we must choose to let him in.
The Apostle Paul declares, “Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation!” He says this, not to unbelievers, but to Corinthian Christians. Salvation is not a one-time event – it is a lifelong journey. We don’t invite Jesus in just once; we open our hearts to him daily. Repentance is not a one-time decision; it is a way of life. Jesus is at the door, knocking and calling. He is waiting for you. Let your heart cry out:
Come
in, come in,
Come
into my heart, Lord Jesus.
Come
in today, come in to stay
Come
into my heart, Lord Jesus!
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