“We prepare the way…We prepare the way…We prepare the way of the Lord”
~ This is the chorus of a song we sing at church that has been playing over and over in my head, and I’ve been singing it for days
But what does it mean to “prepare the way?’
Let’s look at what Jesus says: “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:37-39
The point Jesus was trying to make is… we can’t try to calculate or predict the date of His return. He is warning us to be prepared. The only safe choice is to obey Him today. We need to remain watchful. Jesus likens being watchful to a servant; his master can give him the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. Let’s pick up on verse 46…
“If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth; the master will put that servant in charge of all that he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ’My master won’t be back for a while, and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
By saying this, Jesus expects us to spend this time of waiting taking care of others, both within the church and outside it. It’s the best way to prepare. There are two parables Jesus tells to help us truly understand, and really drives home the message of how we need to live and be ready for His return. I encourage you to read them for yourselves; they are both in Matthew chapter 25.
The first one is the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids ~ here we are taught that every person is responsible for his or her own spiritual condition. The parable is about a wedding, where ten bridesmaids were waiting for the groom, and were hoping to take part in the marriage feast. But the groom didn’t come at the expected time. You see, five bridesmaids didn’t have enough oil for their lamps, and the other five had enough oil. While the five who didn’t have enough oil were out purchasing extra oil, the groom came and left… taking only the five bridesmaids who were prepared with enough oil. By the time the other five came back, it was too late to join the feast.
~ So the meaning of this parable is… when Jesus returns to take His people to Heaven, we must be ready. Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed at the last minute.
The second parable Jesus tells is the Parable of the Loaned money., which I’ll go over next time….