A long journey

Our New Testament was never written in academic isolation with every volume carefully composed.

Rather, these New Testament books were written in the frantic life of the exploding Christian communities.

Paul’s letters, for instance, were often written to counter some error or resolve some crisis. While Mark, the first of the four gospels, was only completed in the form we recognise in our Bible around AD 65.

The gospels of Matthew and Luke were completed probably about 10 years later, and John about AD 95 to 100.

Again, like Paul’s letters, each gospel was written to help a particular Christian community.

Mark’s gospel was written to help the church in Rome.

Then why was there this delay in committing to writing the life of Jesus?

One reason was because the disciples, now the apostles, believed that Jesus would return within their own life time. Everyone expected this to happen.

We call this second coming the ‘parousia’. Paul certainly preached about the imminent return of Christ. We know this from his letters.

When some of the Christians in Thessalonica died, the other members were afraid that their dead friends had missed their chance of sharing in Jesus’return because they had died before his second coming.

Paul had to re-assure them that those who had died before Christ’s return would be gathered up with those still alive.

He wrote:“We would not have you ignorant about those who are asleep.

“We believe that Jesus died and rose again.

“God, through Jesus, will gather up those who have fallen asleep, those who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4,13-14).

As the years passed,the church realised that Jesus’second coming was not imminent.

In the Church’s jargon we call it the‘delayed return’. Or the ‘delayed parousia’. The church also realised it faced a“long haul into history”, as T W Manson once wrote.

This is where the parables come in. Near the end of Matthew’s gospel there is a group of five parables often called the‘parousia parables’.

These parables tell about the return of Christ to his church in particular and to the world in general.

Christ will come to judge the evil and wrong in the world and to vindicate his faithful people. These parables have a common theme.

That theme is vigilance. Christ’s faithful people must ever be alert and watchful for they do not know at what time or hour their Lord will return.

These parables deserve our careful study.

They are, first, the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24.32-44). Second, the careless servant who is caught unawares (Matthew 24.45-50). Third, the 10 bridesmaids when the bridegroom is delayed.

Some are prepared for a prolonged delay, while others are caught short (Matthew 25.1-13).

The fourth parable highlights how Christ’s followers are to use their time and talents in life while their Lord is absent from them.

For the day will come when they will be required to give an account of their talents (Matthew 25.14-30).

The last and final ‘parousia’ parable is that awesome lesson about the division of the sheep and the goats on the last day of judgement (Matthew 25. 31-46). That parable sends shivers down my spine

The common theme running through all five parables is the urgent call to be watchful and vigilant.

These parable lessons have a most urgent message for today’s Christian communities.

We believe the church lives and witnesses between the two events of Christ first coming in the humility of his earthly life and his second coming in glory.

We know neither the day nor the hour.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only”(Matthew 24.36).

The eternal clock keeps measuring the passing ages of time and history.

But only God the Father knows when the last hour will strike and the bells toll to mark the end of time.

These parables urge us to be vigilant in witness and earnest in worship.

Christ’s followers are encouraged to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, to retain our personal standards of behaviour, and to witness clearly and bravely for the Lord.

“Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25.13).