Watch, for the Owner Is Coming
Mark 13:32-37
32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Watch! Be alert and pray, because you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
In a way, this is an easy sermon. Jesus has already simplified it with one word. He says "Watch!" And that's what we are to do. We are to watch for Jesus' return.
This fits in very well with the theme of Advent. During advent, we are watching and waiting for the infant Jesus to come. It is a time of preparation. And as we prepare, we not only prepare our hearts for Jesus' coming as a baby, but also for His second coming as the Judge of the world.
And so, dear brothers and sisters in Christ: "watch!" Watch for Jesus. He is coming.
Our sermon text today has a strong warning. We are not to be found sleeping. In order for us to understand, Jesus tells a short parable. Jesus says "It is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!" Jesus does not want to find you sleeping when He comes back.
But it's hard to stay awake. It's easy to become apathetic. Jesus' return can seem so far off in the future. How many times do you wake up in the morning, thinking that Jesus could return at any minute? How many times do you live your life in preparation for his return?
I think one of the biggest temptations in America is the temptation to become apathetic in the faith. It's easy to become bored with the church you're attending. It's easy to think church is about all the fun activities and programs it offers, instead of it being about the Word and sacrament. It's also easy to become complacent in your sin. It's easy to think that one little sin here and there doesn't matter. It's no big deal. But the truth is that sin matters deeply. Sin is dangerous. Sin leads away from the faith. Sin leads to hell. After all, in the Bible, we hear that "the wages of sin is death." This death is not only physical. It's spiritual. It's eternal suffering and torment.
The reason that our sermon text is so serious, is because when Jesus comes back, it's too late. When He comes back, there is no turning from your sin. There is no time to re-prioritize your faith. When Jesus comes back, everything is over. Those who lived their lives prepared for Jesus' return will receive heaven. But those who became sleepy, and apathetic, no longer living in the faith, will receive hell.
And so Jesus says "Watch!" Watch for His coming. For you do not know when He will appear. Jesus even says "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." According to His human nature, in the state of His humiliation, even Jesus did not know when the end of the world would be. Only the Father. Therefore, when someone claims to know the time of the end of the world, do not believe them! They don't know. Only God knows! Scripture is clear that the end of the world will come like a thief in the night. So don't fall asleep. Keep watch.
In the parable, Jesus talks about servants and a doorkeeper taking care of a house. The house that Jesus wants you to take care of is your heart. This is what being prepared means. Jesus wants you to have God first in your heart, above all other things. He wants you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. He also wants you to love your neighbor as yourself. He wants to you gladly hear and learn the Word of God. He wants you to attend a church that teaches God's Word in it's truth and purity. That's what it means to be prepared for Jesus return.
But the problem is, we don't do that perfectly. We have a sinful nature. Our lives our tainted by sin. If Jesus came back right now, how many of us could truly say we are ready? How many of us are truly awake and avoiding sin? The answer is none of us. If it was up to us, we would never be ready for Christ's return. We become complacent in the faith. We become sleepy. Repent! Repent of your sins. Jesus is coming. Keep watch!
If we are honest with ourselves, it's clear that we need a Savior. We need someone who lived a life of watchfulness in our place. We need forgiveness. The person we so desperately need is Jesus. He is the One who came as a child to live our life for us. You see, Jesus is the one who perfectly loved God and His neighbor. He always prioritized God's Word with a pure heart. He avoided sin. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus watched and prayed. He did so perfectly, even though His disciples couldn't help but sleep. Jesus prayed often, prioritizing His relationship with His Father in heaven.
And then Jesus died. Jesus came to die for all of our sins of sleepiness and apathy. In His death, God the Father has declared the whole world forgiven. By faith in Him, created through the word and baptism, His forgiveness becomes yours. You are saved! You belong in heaven.
The sinful nature sleeps. But Jesus wakes our sleepy souls up! In Him, we are awake and watchful. In Him, we want to stay in the truth of His Word. In Him, we avoid sin and live a new life of faith.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, because we have a sinful nature we can never live a perfect life of watchfulness. We will fail. At times we become apathetic, and maybe even a little sleepy. And so the way that we prepare for Jesus' return is in repentance. Repentance is turning from sin. And not only that, but also clinging to Jesus for forgiveness. That's how we prepare for Jesus return. That's also why John the Baptist called out for the people to repent. The King is coming! Rend your hearts! Acknowledge your sin, and cling to Jesus, who died for you. That's how you prepare. That's how you watch for Jesus. You are prepared for Jesus when you turn from your sin, repent, and cling to Jesus.
A natural result of repentance is living a new life of faith. If we knew when Jesus was coming back, the temptation would be to not take our life of faith seriously until just before Jesus showed up. But God doesn't want that. He wants us to take sin seriously. He wants us to repentantly cling to Jesus at all times. He wants a heart that gladly serves Him. And so during this time of waiting, do not cease in obeying God's Word. Follow His commands. Avoid sin. And seek forgiveness for the times that you have failed.
The wonderful thing, is that the person who is coming back has also forgiven you. And so you have no reason to be afraid. The One coming to judge the world is the One who died for your sins. And His forgiveness is always there for you. It's never too late to turn from your sin, repent, and receive His wonderful forgiveness.
This is what we do at the start of every service, after all. During confession and absolution, we admit our sins before God. We acknowledge that we have sinned against Him by thought, word, and deed. And then comes His gracious word of promise. You hear proclaimed that your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those sins are gone as far as the east is from the west.
That's how you live prepared for Jesus' coming. Jesus says: "Watch! Be alert and pray, because you do not know when the time will come." Repent of your sins. Turn around and live a life pleasing to God. Cling to Jesus your Savior. And also pray.
I have to admit, that I was a bit puzzled about why Jesus would include prayer in our sermon text. But think about it this way. Prayer shows faith. It shows a trust in God and a good relationship with Him. God wants us to prioritize that relationship with Him during this time of waiting. He wants us to talk to Him. We are to seek Him. And so prayer is very fitting in these verses. And so we pray. We pray that God would strengthen our faith through Word and sacrament. We pray that God's Kingdom would come, in time and in eternity. We pray that God would deliver us from evil. We pray that God would keep us watchful at all times, ready for His second coming.
Prayer is intimately connected to being alert, and watching. It shows a heart that prioritizes a relationship with its heavenly Father. It shows a heart that takes its faith in Jesus seriously. After all, the only way that we can pray to the Father is through the Son. It's through Christ's holy blood that we can approach the Father in heaven. Jesus came to give us a relationship with the Father. And we nurture that relationship by active use of the means of grace. And that in turn results in talking to God.
Jesus tells us this morning: "watch!" Watch for His second coming. We prepare for His coming by repenting of our sin, and clinging in faith to Jesus, our Savior. We don't know the day or hour that He is coming back. It could be tomorrow. Or even today. And so the most important thing for us to do is live a life of watchfulness. It's true that we don't always do this perfectly. Therefore, find comfort in Jesus, who lived a perfect life in your place. It's only by faith in Him that we are ready. May the Lord continue to direct your thoughts to Him. May the Lord continue to nurture you in the means of grace, assuring you of your forgiveness in Christ. And May the Lord ever keep you watchful and alert for the second coming of Christ. Thanks be to God that the One who is coming is also our Savior. In Him we watch and pray. In His holy name, Amen.