The Gospel for WEDNESDAY, June 1, 2005 (Justin, Martyr)
Luke 17:20-37
Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, he gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look, it is here! Look, it is there!” For look, the kingdom of God is among you.’ He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look, it is there!” or, “Look, it is here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of man when his Day comes. But first he is destined to suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation. ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of man to be revealed. ‘When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples spoke up and asked, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
Two Arrivals
The Kingdom is, as Jesus says, "Look, it is here!" But Luke's writers manage to add in the apocalyptic note that Mark's writers had started. Apocalypse was one of the favorite themes of the times, and as "popular religious" book sales go, seems to remain so, today.
A Reflection
It is difficult to wrap my head around the concept of the next coming, especially with the violence these writers give to it. The first coming, in Jesus, is the seminal example of God's grace in helping us along in our fight with evil and our Creator-designed instincts.
In the giving of the Decalog to Israel, through Moses, YHWH gave Israel the basics, but no "how-to" manual. And most importantly, the Decalog story is one in which Israel is already doomed, since there is no way that a human can live without violating the Law. Perfect obedience to the Law, required by the covenant made between YHWH and Israel, is unattainable.
But perfect forgiveness is attainable when we recall and act on Jesus' great commandments to us.
We have some mental meltdown, however, when we begin to fear that we will not have built up enough "treasures in heaven" if a next coming should occur. And then what happens to us?
The "sin scorecard" doesn't exist. Do two lustful looks at my neighbor's wife equal a single thought of lying on the witness stand? How many black stars can I have on my scorecard? How many gold stars does it take to wipe out a black star?
We need to understand that there's no answer -- except Grace. We are called to love, not to perfection. The Creator knows every hair on our heads, and is therefore fully aware of our imperfectability. Without Jesus and Jesus' demonstration of "how-to," we would be lost.
With Jesus, we have the Example, and the means to salvation. We are called to Him as His precious sisters and brothers. The only obstacle lies in our hearts and in our prideful wills that hide the Spirit from us.
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who found your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, seeking the true God, and revealed to him the sublime wisdom of your eternal Word: Grant that all who seek you, or a deeper knowledge of you, may find and be found by you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
4:49:34 PM 
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