Keep Watching!

There is a picture on the wall of our family room. It shows two children, a girl of about seven and a boy of about six, standing at the edge of a marsh. By the looks of the trees in the background, it must be mid-springtime. The children are peering intently at something, as the girl points. I can remember it even yet, in my mind’s eye, twenty some years later, although I can’t recall what it was that had their total attention. Probably a big bullfrog. In any case, there they were, standing stock still, hardly daring to move or breathe, watching, watching....

That same boy has been visiting us this past week. He and his girlfriend took a drive up into the high country of extreme western North Carolina yesterday afternoon. It was late when they left home, and already threatening to rain on the lawn I’d just mowed. As time passed the rain came, as did the lightning and thunder. Of course, my wife and I couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive about the “kids” (mid-twenties) out driving and hiking on Huckleberry Bald (the name correctly implies the absence of trees at the top) in this kind of weather. But you have to let them go.

Around nine o’clock, the two of us began to exchange glances, sharing little questions of concern. Around ten-thirty, we started taking turns standing at the window or the front door, straining to see headlights coming up the street. I tried to call his cell phone a little before midnight, but there was no response. Watching. Watching. Finally, about 12:15, our son called. They were only about 25 minutes from home. But even then, we kept watching.

I came across a book the other day that I enjoyed reading (It’s not large, and I read it in less than two days). It is by Jon Paulien, and is entitled What the Bible Says About The End Time. While there was a lot to think about as I read, the part that really caught my attention dealt with “watching.” It’s an idea that comes across my mind frequently as I see that picture on the wall. The book’s context of “watching” is Matthew 24, where the disciples have asked Christ when He would return, and what the signs of His return would be. Paulien suggests that the entire crux of Christ’s response is “Keep Watch!” As he says on page 87, “The purpose of Jesus’ sermon of Matthew 24 is not to satisfy our curiosity about the end, but to remind us that we need to “keep watch.”

In fact, in verse 42, where He says “keep watch”, He begins with “Therefore…” A preacher I enjoy listening to will always stop when he comes to that word, and say, “When you come to the word “therefore”, ask yourself, what is that “therefore”, there for? And if we go back and look, we find that a number of times in the Chapter 24 prior to verse 42 Christ has said, in effect, “It isn’t yet”, and “You won’t know the time.” Therefore, keep watch.

As Paulien illustrates, the rest of the chapter consists of four parables in which Christ demonstrates what he means by keeping watch. The first parable is of the unfaithful steward. The lesson of the parable, according to Paulien, is that “Keeping watch means that if we believe Jesus is coming back, it will be reflected in how we treat people.”

The second parable is that of the ten virgins with their lamps. They all heard the invitation, but only five did what was necessary in preparation for a possible delay. Paulien summarizes keeping watch here by saying, “Keeping watch means developing the kind of relationship with Jesus that is sustained even though hopes for His return are not realized as soon as some expect. ‘Watchers’ will not grow weary in well-doing.”

The third parable is of the use of the talent(s) one is given. What's the summary? “Keeping watch means to use the abilities God has given to one to the fullest while awaiting the end.”

Finally, the fourth parable is of the sheep and the goats: those who served the Lord without knowing it and those who, unawares, failed to serve the Lord. Paulien summarizes watching in this case thusly:”Jesus said, 'Those who are keeping watch for the end will be found treating others as though they were I. They will learn to see Me in every person they meet.'”

So, keeping watch doesn’t consist of standing stock still, staring at something, afraid to breathe or move, like two children of years ago. Keeping watch doesn’t consist of reading in the papers about all the commotion in the world, wringing our hands with worry, and looking out the door or window for a light shining in the east, as my wife and I did last night. As Paulien concludes the few pages dealing with the subject, “According to Jesus, the essence of keeping watch for His coming is how we treat our brothers and sisters. The purpose of the Bible’s teaching about the end is not to satisfy our curiosity about the future but to teach us how to live as we await the end.”

Happy watching!

Dr. G