ODJ: the God who will come

November 27, 2015 

READ: Mark 13:24-37 

Everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory (v.26).

My wife and I have arrived at that poignant age when we can’t believe how quickly time has passed—especially while looking at one of my favourite videos of our oldest son, taken when he was just 2 years old. Miska and I had gone out for a date, and the babysitter shot a short video of our boy clinging to the bottom ledge of the living room window. He was just tall enough to peek over the edge. As he watched us get in our car and drive away, he said, “Mumma. Dadda.” There was an anxious longing in his voice. Our son was sad to see us go and eager for us to return.

Mark wrote his gospel to tell others about Jesus. The Saviour had ascended to the Father, and now some wondered if they might be left to fend for themselves. Some were anxious and uncertain of His care for them. Mark wrote words that must have helped soothe his readers’ troubled minds, stating: “You can know that [Jesus’] return is very near, right at the door” (Mark 13:29).

The precise meaning and intricate details of Jesus’ words have confused many (myself at the top of the list), but the one thing that seems most certain is this: Jesus has never abandoned His world or His people. And He never will. In Jesus, God came to the world with a brilliant display of grace and power. And this same Saviour is the One who, even now, rules “with great power and glory” (v.26). God hasn’t abandoned us. Rather, Jesus has proven that He is Lord over all.

—Winn Collier

365-day-plan: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

MORE
Read Mark 13:34-36 again. What does this short parable tell you about God’s faithfulness? What does it tell you about what we’re to do as we wait? 
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How does Jesus’ promise to come to you again speak into your fears or loneliness? How is He present with you even as you wait for Him to return?