These words of exhortation and warning which Jesus uttered on the Mount of Olives are in the minds of brethren and sisters today, perhaps to an extent never known before. The Scriptures teem with similar words of warning. “Watch! Hold Fast! Be diligent! Strengthen the things that remain!”
These words of exhortation and warning are sometimes interpreted in such a way as to suggest that an expectation of the Lord’s appearing should be marked by a sudden setting of our spiritual house in order: a kind of general tidying-up such as we may undertake upon the sudden arrival of an unexpected guest—unless, of course, it should happen that we are habitually tidy people. Certainly we are exhorted to be sure that the day does not come upon us unawares; but that needs not a day nor a night of preparation. It needs a life-time, and will not be completed even then.
The writer to the Hebrews urges mutual exhortation, “and so much the more as ye see the day approaching”; but ever since our Lord foretold that coming day of redemption, the day has been approaching. However near or distant may be the date of our Lord’s return, that day has, for every brother and sister now alive, been rapidly approaching. In striving to interpret what we call “the signs of the times”, there are signs we cannot mistake, and do well to heed: the signs of our growth to maturity, the signs of our greying hair, and our steadily failing powers. “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
Those words are found towards the end of Peter’s second letter, where he speaks of the Lord coming as a thief in the night, and the last chapter contains some telling words of appealing exhortation, indicating the sort of preparation we ought to be making against our Lord’s return. This is what Peter says: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” So: that is what the Scriptures command: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
Do those words suggest to us a disciple who indulges in a sudden spate of “special efforts”, a sudden devotion to the ecclesial meetings, a sudden application to Scripture study, just when there has been a fresh flare-up in the Middle East, or some other political development that may possibly herald our Lord’s return? Is that what the words suggest?
No, they do not suggest any sudden activity, any sudden change at all. They suggest, in fact, something quite different. They suggest a calm, serene, although by no means inactive life. A life permeated by the spirit of Jesus. A life of such settled faith and hope as to be unaffected by the changes that surely come. But a life which may, none-the-less, feel a quickened pulse at some fresh evidence of the coming dawn of earth’s redemption. The words of Peter suggest, in fact, one who has accepted the real challenge of Christ: the challenge to become a faithful servant of the living God.
Those encouraging, challenging, warning words Jesus uttered from the Mount of Olives have their stimulating power, and how well we know our need of them: but the challenge of Jesus issues forth not only from the Mount of Olives: it issues from his whole being; from the example of his whole life. It comes from the highways and byways of Judea and Galilee, from the lakeside and market-place where this same man “went about doing good”, where he spake as never yeti man spake, with authority, and not as the Scribes: where he called for a standard of righteousness that should exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and where he himself displayed a righteousness altogether perfect: so much so that he could claim with truth that he did always those things which pleased his heavenly Father. That is where words show us the direction our response the challenge to us really lies, and Peter’s should take: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour”. The same idea of steady, consistent growth is found at 2 Cor. 3. 18. “But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.”
“Beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord.- Maybe we can liken that vision to a shining, snow-capped, glistening mountain peak we see before us on some holiday pilgrimage: a vision of pure, radiant beauty, remote may be, but supreme. We are travelling towards it on our pilgrimage, endeavouring to keep it always in view. Sometimes it may be hidden from us, as we change our direction for a while, or maybe mists or clouds for a time obscure the vision splendid. But even then we know the direction in which it lies, though we may not have it in view all the time. That shining peak of glistening purity is always there.
I think that is a reasonably close analogy of our experiences, as we try to respond to those challenging words: “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That means surely, carrying about with us hour by hour, day by day, and year by year, a vision of the Christ: a vision of the perfect life.
That is the standard that God has set before us, and in a world that is ever changing, that is a standard that does not change. We may lose sight of it sometimes: we may lose our direction for a while. Clouds and mists of doubt, distraction, discouragement or despair may sometimes obscure the view, but it is always there, pure, high above us, radiant, unchanging and eternal. A particularly significant aspect of the vision at the present time is the unchanging character of that vision. Of course, this world of ours has always been changing, although never so extensively or rapidly as today. In almost every sphere of knowledge, old standards are giving way to new. Old ideals are largely giving way to new. Principles and truths for many long years accepted without cavil are now being constantly called into question. Then again, the world has become so complex a place, so full of problems, troubles and crises, so dominated by the craze for speed, for excitement, for adventure, for things that are new. The universe itself is becoming increasingly vast, increasingly beyond our conception, and now men, having made a pretty bad mess of things on their own globe, are beginning to plan visits to another.
Brethren and sisters, do not let us pretend that we cannot be affected by these changes. They impinge upon us too closely for that to be so. Compared with these trends and movements we have mentioned, our own lives, and the things we most cherish, may seem to be getting smaller and smaller, and if we are not careful, they can become less and less significant in our own thoughts. It is not easy to persuade people to listen to our own thoughts. It is not easy to persuade people to listen to our own distinctive message. Among the clanging, vibrant sounds of today, the voice of our community is indeed a still, small voice. Sometimes it can hardly be heard at all.
As we think along these lines, it is possible that we may be given to fits of depression and frustration, that may well impair our work in the Lord’s vineyard. If we should feel that way, there is certainly a remedy. But before we apply the remedy, we want to prepare ourselves to receive it. We prepare ourselves by the cultivation, within ourselves, of a humble spirit, that shall realise our smallness, our finite nature, and the essential limitations that go with it. Let us confess quite frankly, that we do not know all the answers to all the problems of today. We ought not to expect to know all the answers. We do not altogether know the Word that has been entrusted to us, and not one of us “lives it” to perfection. Then, having that humble, receptive state of mind, we raise our sights to that vision splendid, to that radiant, shining peak, beckoning, calling, challenging, uplifting us.
Yes, uplifting us. One thing about keeping a mountain-peak in view is that we have constantly to look up at it! And if we are to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord, we have to keep our sights raised. Jesus and his teaching is, after all, the only answer to those problems we have mentioned. He is entirely free from the world and its problems, for he has overcome the world, and among all the truly wonderful things of this wonderful creation of God, it is only in Christ that we see that creation manifested to perfection, for he never sinned. In that sense, he is the completion of God’s handiwork, and it is he who calls us and challenges us with a record of his life and teaching.
But we do not need to travel to lands of high mountains to gain the inspiration we need. “The word is nigh thee”, and in that word, which is nigh us all, the things we need to preserve our mental and spiritual balance, stare us in the face, for we have in that word, a record of his life and teaching: a record we can trust. We have depicted there for us, the real Christ, the standard of life we are really challenged to strive for, and as we read those records, and think deeply about them, we shall realise how far short we fall of the standard they set. But a counterfeit standard will lead only to our comfort: it is the real standard, and that alone, which can lead to our redemption. So do not let us use the Scriptures merely as a battle-ground when instructing our friends and neighbours: let us use them as a cleansing and a training ground when instructing our own selves, for the challenge of these days is the cultivation of a character and a behaviour and a disposition firmly based upon the example of Jesus. If our religion, and all the knowledge we may possess, does not do that for us, it will have failed.
There will always be forces at work within us tempting us to be satisfied with a lower, more comfortable standard, and we may sometimes deceive even ourselves into thinking that that is the standard of Christ. So, back to the vision splendid, to that shining, dazzling peak of purity. And as we lift up our heads, let us lift up our eyes, and follow steadfastly the Christ that really lived, the way of life he truly taught. For only then will it ever be truly said of us, “Your redemption draweth nigh”.
Being Compassionate