Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to the Corona Chronicles. We're still in chapter 13, and there's loads of stuff in this chapter. And I think as Pete said in a previous session, there are Christians who take things a bit differently in this chapter, which is alright. And we're just gonna try to pull out some of the big lessons here. So We're now we're now looking at the end of the chapter and this is verse 28 where Jesus is still talking about these apocalyptic things that he's been teaching his disciples.

So verse 28 says, now learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near right at the door. I tell you the truth this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and Earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.

He's in full gardening mode, isn't he? Yeah. The big trees back Yep. Yep. Yeah.

But it's it's and I love I love how he just takes simple simple examples from everyday life and pulls the lessons from it. Mhmm. You know, and and so he says, like, when you see when you see the twigs get tender and the leaves come out, you know it's you know it's summer, And so do the same thing with the with the things that happen and around you. You know? When you see when you and I guess he's talking about all the other stuff that's just gone Yeah.

It seems to be, doesn't he? Yeah. And that's how he used the fig tree before as well. In chapter 11 is this idea that when you have when you have leaves, you expect there to be fruit -- Yeah. -- and that the the the the fruit is soon to come.

Yeah. Summer is near. And in the in the chapter, he's talked about various signs hasn't he? You know, nations rising against nation and kingdoms against kingdoms and wars and famines. He's talked about a persecution that is gonna come upon, the church, they'll be taken before rulers and authorities.

And, you know, lots of those things did actually take place in in this generation. Yeah. And, you know, you think of the way the apostles were dragged -- Yeah. -- before authorities. And there were nation rising against nations, Rome against Jerusalem, you know, these these things are happening.

Even even these these words here, you know, right at the door. Yeah. There there were there were probably times that those those those words were ringing in their ears, you know. Yeah. Yeah.

And so these signs are are indications that that the lord that the lord is coming. And although they were in the first generation. They've been in every generation since. And so I think that's the point. We're always to be on our tiptoes.

Aren't we? Yeah. We're just expecting that, you know, summer is coming, Christ is coming, you know, the end the end is coming. It's not not, you know, summer summer is nowhere near us right now, because we're doing this. But it feels like a long way away.

It. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. But in terms of, you know, the Lord's return, we're we're to expect it imminently.

Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. And then you've got inverse 30.

You know, I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until these things have happened. Yeah. And that can be a little bit confusing in this chapter, can't it? Because, you know, people wonder, was this was this all then fulfilled in this generation? Or does this point forward to something more?

And I think as with a lot of kind of prophetic literature charts. It's the answer's yes. Yeah. The answer's yes, isn't it? It is.

It's but it's both random. Yeah. It's that very famous kind of way of describing prophetic literature as looking at 2 mountains And when you're looking at it from a distance, you can see the 2 peaks, but you don't necessarily know what the the the distance is in between -- Yeah. -- in the valleys. What kind of time frame we're talking about.

Yeah. But all we can say is, you know, yes, lots of this happened in the generation that was there. You know, Jerusalem was sack and temple was destroyed, but there's a further peak -- Yeah. -- that Jesus is immediately. It's a 2000 years.

Yeah. Valley at the moment, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. As we as we're talking.

Yeah. Exactly. And, you know, who knows how long how much longer? Yeah. But but but like you say, from from when you're looking at it, it looks like you could hop from 1 to the other -- Yeah.

-- in a jump. Yeah. Yeah. And that they do. I mean, in sentences, the peaks are mingled, aren't they?

So That's that's what's going that, you know, there's probably loads more to say on that. But that's, you know, that's something of what what what we're doing here. Yeah. And so I think Jesus is wanting to teach both an alertness, isn't it? Look at what is going on around you.

See the things that are happening in the natural world, in the political world, in the spiritual world, and and be ready for the return of your lord. You know, you are to have this kind of life on tiptoes in whatever generation you find self. I think that's that's the thing, isn't it? Yeah. It can't be the case that we would read this and think, okay.

So we don't have to be ready because that was all for then. Yeah. Yeah. Jesus is wanting us always to be expecting -- Yeah. -- his return, isn't it?

Yeah. Which is kinda where he goes on to next week. Where he goes on. Yeah. The thing again, the thing to remember as well is is we're we're very tempted because I think it's in our nature to you know, to split the hair and to, you know, to sort of like strain out the net and that kind of stuff.

But actually, Focus on the clear stuff. If you're if you're worried about, you know, splitting the hair, focus on the clear stuff and that's why why I love where he finishes in verse 31. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. That that is you know, you can't there's there's nothing ambiguous about that, is it? You know?

It this world will come to an end. We we can be sure of that. So don't put your hope in this world but my words will never pass away. Yeah. So where are you gonna put your hope?

Yeah. You know, where are you gonna where are you gonna make your stand? You know, where are you gonna stand? Where's your foundation gonna be. Yeah.

Don't don't let your foundation be in this world because it will pass. Yeah. And and all these things will come to pass. Summer will come. But, actually, you know, you can stand on my words.

My words will never pass away. I think that's brilliant, mate. Yeah. It's just so helpful, isn't it? And particularly in our world where there's so much uncertainty.

Yeah. You know, and so so much fear and -- Yeah. -- you know, there's such a unpredictability isn't there about government regulations. Yeah. Yeah.

And, you know, from 1 day to a next, sometimes we don't know what's happening. Yeah. Even if the very elements that make up the universe pass away God's word is gonna be faith, you know, trustworthy. So Yeah. And and and trustworthy about his return.

So Great stuff to stop. Mhmm.