The Game’s On!
Mark 13:24-25 “Following those hard times,
Sun will fade out,
moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble.
26-27 “And then they’ll see the Son of Man enter in grand style, his Arrival filling the sky—no one will miss it! He’ll dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
28-31 “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
32-37 “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father. So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable. It’s like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don’t want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I’m saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch.”(Lectionary texts are the basis for lessons during Advent. Readings for today are Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; I Cor. 1:3-9; and Mark 13:24-37.)
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come (Mk. 13:33).
And the one who was seated on the throne said,
“See, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21: 5).
[Dr. John Watson says to Sherlock Holmes] “I can’t possibly leave you.” “Yes, you can, Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play the game. I am sure you will play it to the end.”(Quotation from Michael and Mollie Hardwick, The Sherlock Holmes Companion (Bramhall House, 1962),)
Introduction
Today is the first Sunday in the Advent season. This is a new day. This is a good day. This is the Lord’s Day! The Christian calendar begins with the season of Advent. It is a time of fresh beginnings, of hopes and of opportunities. This comes almost five weeks before the calendar year of 2015 makes its own appearance. Because Advent commences a new year it seems fitting to begin this morning with notice of a fairly recent publication. A novel appeared in 2011 regarding the “consulting detective,” Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is a fictional figure created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Outside the book’s content what makes Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk (Little, Brown and Company, 2011) worth mentioning is that this publication had the backing of the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate. This was the first authorized Holmes novel by the Estate.
The public was first introduced to Sherlock Holmes in a short story by Doyle in 1887. What followed were four novels and 56 short stories. All but four stories are in narrative form. Doyle creates Holmes' biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, as the literary voice to flesh out Holmes’ experiences. Holmes tells Watson the main account from his memories, while Watson becomes the narrator of the course each story takes.
What emerged from Horowitz’s book on one level was the typical portrait. Sherlock Holmes is the well-known second floor resident at 221B Baker Street, in London. He is recognized for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take on almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. Sherlock Holmes' straightforward practice is generally of the form, "If 'p', then 'q'," where 'p' is the observation of the evidence and 'q' is what the evidence indicates.(3 The letters “p” and “q” function as symbolic substitutions for ordinary language. For example, consider the claim: "If there is fire, then oxygen is present." This claim can be reduced to “If p, then q,” where p = if there is fire, then q = oxygen is present. Instead of dealing with multiple words or the vagueness of terms, the letters (p, q) are useful for dealing with the form of the claim being made.) In short, p and q represent complete sentences or claims. But there are also, as may be observed in the following example, intermediate steps. In "A Scandal in Bohemia" Holmes deduces that Watson had gotten very wet earlier and that he had met "a clumsy and careless servant girl." When Watson, in amazement, asks how Holmes knows this, Holmes answers:
It is simplicity itself ... My eyes tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting specimen of the London slavery.(4 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Scandal in Bohemia," The Complete Sherlock Holmes, vol. 1 (Doubleday & Co., 1953), 178.)
Thus for Holmes, “if p, then q.”
p = the cuts on the inside of the left shoe indicate someone carelessly scraped crusted [Assumptions: given the cultural and weather conditions of the time in London, and given the social standing of Watson, then it must be that Dr. and Mrs. Watson have someone q = a servant girl did the scrapping.
Watson says, “My dear Holmes. . . this is too much. You would certainly have been burned, had you lived a few centuries ago. . . . I fail to see how you work it out.” Something of this “if p, then q” pattern occurs in everyday life. Consider how many folk this past week thought something similar to the following: “If I get to the Best Buy store early before it opens at 5 PM Thanksgiving evening, then I can get the large screen TV on sale.” Actually, Best Buy in Mission Valley already had a few folk in pup tents camped out by Wednesday morning! Arriving at least a day early recognizes the truth in the old adage, “The early bird gets the worm,” or, in this case, gets the TV or electronic gadget of their choice. However on a broader note we all recognize the inadequacy of “if p, then q” at times. Being first in line at a Black Friday sale does not guarantee one will get the product desired. If no numbers were given out to a pre-dawn crowd, a mad rush when doors ae opened may find the person first in line the slowest
The Ways of God
The lectionary texts from Isaiah to a Psalm to Paul to a Gospel speak of the need for God to be with God’s people and for God to grace them with divine presence. Coupled with these needs is a call to be alert. There is an implied “if p, then q” in each case. If God comes near, then the nations will tremble at God’s presence:
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence--
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil--
to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence! . . . (Isaiah 64:1-2).
If God looks favorably upon God’s people, then they will be saved:
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
You have made us the derision of our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved (Psalm 80:4-7).
If God’s people are faithful, then they can endure with the aid of God’s strength:
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind. . . . He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 1:4-5, 8).
The Gospel selection (Mark 13:24-37) takes on its own role of support and encouragement within what some scholars have termed “the little apocalypse” (Mk 13). Yet, there are significant elements of apocalyptic literature lacking: no vision or heavenly rapture as occasion for the discourse, no review of human history, no commentary on how God has dealt with humankind and how the human race has gone from one sinful activity to another.(See Craig Evans, Mark 8:27-16:20, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 34B (Thomas Nelson, 2001), pp. 289-292 for an overview of different approaches to the chapter.) According to Craig Evans, the chapter’s content seems to indicate that “Jesus’ words primarily have in view the end of the sinful age that would eventually and finally give way to the kingdom of God.” The Gospel reading for today is provocative.
24But in those days, after that suffering [see 13:9-13]
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.
The text this morning from Mark can be divided into two sections. Each section is eschatological in character, meaning that the events covered in the earlier portion of the chapter are not the final word.(By themselves the earlier verses in Mark 13 foretell a troubling scene: the prediction of the destruction of the temple (13:1-2); the coming woes (13:3-13); and the great ribulation (13:14-23).) There are indeed difficulties ahead but hope and promise are the means for working through them, as seen in
The coming of the Son of Man (13:24-27)
The exhortations to be ready (13:28-37)
Drawing on Old Testament allusions to the Day of the Lord (Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:10; 3:4, 15-16) sets the stage for a dramatic contrast between earthly powers and God’s majesty:
24But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.
27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
These verses (24-27) might well be expressed in terms of “if p, then q.” Seeing ‘p’ (the sun darkened and the moon not giving its light, the stars falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens shaken), one could well anticipate ‘q’ (the Son of Man’s coming). It would make for an able sermon on repentance and to be ready for the end. However the way in which text is laid out could well be a denial of “if p, then q.” It may well be “p, then q.” The conditional factor (“if”) is not there to express itself. It is not a ‘maybe’ being spoken of here. There is the element of certainty present. No earthly powers can stand up to God as if some element or condition could prevent the coming of the Son of Man. This is God’s doing:
and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken (emphases added).
There may be rumblings and cosmic fireworks seemingly threatening God’s people, but that’s just smoke and mirrors! The real show, so to speak, is the Son of Man with his entourage coming in full majesty and glory. From the farthest extremities of heaven and earth, “from the four winds,” “from the ends of the earth to the end of heaven,” the Son of Man gathers all of the elect to constitute the new community of the faithful. There is no external restraint placed on God that can impede the Son of Man’s coming. But when will this be? The parable of the fig tree that follows suggests that the end is very near.
28From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its
leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place,
you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass
away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
From the human perspective it is “if p, then q” again. As R. Allen Culpepper says,(7 R. Allen Culpepper, Mark, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentaries (Smyth & Helwys, 2007), 467.)
The fig tree is especially suited to this parable because it not only loses its leaves in winter but blossoms late in the spring. Hence, when one sees leaves on a fig tree [p], one knows that summer is near [q] (see Song of Solomon 2:11-13).
In like fashion the disciples seeing the cosmic events mentioned earlier should be perceptive of the signs portending the end times. The Son of Man is not only near at hand, he is “at the very gates.” So important is this matter of perception that Jesus says that “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Craig Evans observes that Jesus’ language here suggests at the very least that he understood his mission and message to be of the utmost importance. But because “this generation” demands signs (8:11-12) instead of responding in faith, it will come under divine judgment (cf. Matt. 23:36 = Luke 11:51). To compound the force of what is said, Jesus adds: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Overall, the parable as Evans puts it, “serves to illustrate the need for watchfulness and provides assurance that the disciples, if watching carefully, will perceive the signs that indicate that the
end time is fast approaching” (333). Jesus then adds,
32But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Now appears the biblical reason(One is tempted to write “a reason” but it must be put stronger and affirm “the reason.” To allow other reasons would undercut the claim that this is all God’s doing.) why it cannot be “if p, then q.” One may ‘read’ the signs but that does not guarantee the Son of Man’s coming, even by the Son!(In a historical note Evans observes that the inclusion of the Son with those who do not know was an embarrassment for some early hristians. Some manuscripts omit the words in the Matthew parallel (25:13).) To repeat, “no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Since the date cannot be known, there is all the more reason to be watchful and prepared. Therefore, Jesus is clear:
33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man
going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his
work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for
you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.
37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.
A man who asks his servants to keep watch expects them to do so. Jesus expects the disciples to do just that. Instead of mentioning that “they” (i.e., the servants, v. 35) do not know when the master may return, the text says that “you do not know. . . .” And what he says to his disciples, Jesus says to us: “Keep awake” (13:37). As R. Alan Culpepper notes,
Neither tea leaves nor tarot cards, dreams nor visions, shamans nor mediums can lift the veil of our human inability to know the future. As Jesus reminded the disciples, it is not for us to know the future. Our task is to be faithful to the mission to which he has called us (473).
The Game’s On!
The Advent season plays out against the backdrop of a culture in its gaudiest and most materialistic expressions. Advertising will appeal to the least attractive values, of greed and pride and the need to affirm one’s worth by what is bought and consumed. Advent responds by reminding us that a child will be born in the midst of a world very much like today. The reconciliation and redemption that Jesus’ birth promises is not separate from the world. He will call us to follow him and to be his people in this same greedy and beautiful world. His birth, which Advent anticipates, will be a light in the darkness that, thankfully, the darkness cannot overcome.A reader of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work knows something big is up when Sherlock Holmes says to his friend: “Watson! The game’s afoot!” This morning’s text is clear: “Christians, the game’s on!” Jesus provides guidance. His word is: “Keep awake.” The ‘end’ is near. As Christians we are called upon to play it to the ‘end.’
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First Church of the Nazarene
3901 Lomaland Drive
San Diego, California 92106 United States
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