During my college years, I gathered with some friends every Saturday morning at a tea house to enjoy our morning tea and talk. One day, a friend showed up with bandages over his head, arms, and legs. He had a nearly fatal motorcycle accident. He said he wished he had died that very moment because he was sure he would have gone straight to heaven since he had been well-behaved in those days.
He had been attending church regularly, volunteering, and giving to charity. He was sure God would welcome him, saying, “Well done, my son. Welcome to heaven!” My friend was disappointed that he did not die because now he had to keep behaving as if good behavior was challenging for him.
I wasn’t sure if he was joking because we all know that our admission to heaven depends not on our deeds but on God’s grace. Thank God! However, my friend’s concern is not baseless because Jesus repeatedly says he wants to see us awake and working when he returns. The Lord said,
“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” (Mt 24:46).
If salvation does not depend on our work but on God’s grace alone, why would he expect to see us working? Shouldn’t we all goof to heaven? Does it mean grace is not free? Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that grace is free but not cheap. He said,
“The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
How do we understand grace is free but not cheap? Grace requires gratitude to complete, but how do you thank God, who doesn’t need anything from us? I’ve learned that you thank God by gracing forward.
I have discovered that Grace is like electricity with inflow and outflow to complete a circuit. A lightbulb can not lit up by only the inflow of the electric current. It needs two wires—an inflow and an outflow to complete the energy circuit. We are just like lightbulbs. Grace makes us shine when we grace it forward. Jesus said,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Mat 5:8).
That means the outflow makes the inflow possible. Jesus used several parables to teach this profound mystery, such as The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. In that parable, a man owed the king a massive amount of money, equivalent to more than a billion dollars of today’s money, which he could not repay in his lifetime, but the king forgave him out of mercy because he bagged him for more time.
However, on his way home, he met a man who owed him a small amount of money. He sent him to prison for not paying back immediately. The king heard about his mercilessness and revoked his grace.
This story reveals that grace is like electricity; the input doesn’t work without an output. If you receive grace and don’t grace it forward, the grace you receive returns to where it came from. Grace is free but not cheap because you are required to pay it forward to complete the circuit, which can be costly because grace requires letting go of your ego.
It does not mean grace has strings attached, but it’s just how it flows. On the other hand, Jesus said that the servant who is found goofing would be severely punished.
“He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 24:51).
It sounds scary. I think that’s why my friend was afraid of dying when goofing. He doesn’t want to join the hypocrites. None of us do. The word “hypocrites” comes from the Greek word with a similar pronunciation: ῠ̔ποκρῐτής (hupokritḗs), meaning “stage actor” or “pretender.”
Hypocrites are like weeds that pretend to be like wheat. They look identical until harvest time. When harvest time comes, they stand tall and light because they don’t carry the weight of the grains. They are just pretenders or hypocrites. They don’t grace it forward. They cheapen grace. Jesus said,
“At harvest time, I will tell the reapers, ‘Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Mt 13:30).
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming. It’s a season to think about the coming of Christ, particularly the second coming, which will be the harvest time. He will separate the weeds from the wheat, the hypocrites from the real Christians who grace it forward to complete the circuit of power.
When you grace it forward, your life becomes fruitful. So, today, we will explore how to maintain a fruitful state based on this week’s scripture lesson so that we will not appear as weeds or hypocrites when the Lord comes. Let’s begin!
The scripture lesson for today is from the Gospel According to Luke 21:25–36. [Listen to the Word of the Lord!]
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21:25–36).
[Blessed are those who delight in God’s Word! Thanks be to God.]
Based on the context of his entire teaching, Jesus does not want us to get fixated on the time of his second coming but focus on cultivating a fruitful life because the second coming is like a harvest time, and only the fruitful go home with him. Knowing the end time does not help us become fruitful because, without constant cultivation, we cannot just squeeze out fruit at the last moment. In God’s grace, we are not told about the time of Jesus’ second coming, or we might goof until the last moment.
However, the disciples wanted to know the time and the signs of the Lord’s second coming, just like all of us. Jesus did not tell them the time except that there would be signs indicating the time was near. Jesus said these signs are only the beginning of the birth pangs.
It means the worst is yet to come. We must develop resilience. Jesus wants us to use these signs as encouragements, warnings, and stimulations to stay fruitful by gracing forward. He said,
“Now, when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21:28).
So, for the fruitful, the end time is not to be feared but to get excited and energized as our long-expected redemption is coming. Jesus also compares him to a groom coming to the wedding. It’s time for celebration. For the believers, the Second Coming is like a wedding banquet.
Jesus also told the Parable of the Bridesmaids, in which he said that only the bridesmaids with the lamps lit could enter the banquet. Some bridesmaids are left out because they are too foolish to prepare extra oil for their lamps to last until the Groom comes. That means they were goofing off.
These bridesmaids are like the unfruitful stalks of wheat that get collected together with the weeds. They were like ungracious Christians that get lumped together with the hypocrites. I know it’s sad. It’s a shame to be left behind after a lifetime of being a card-carrying Christian? Jesus said,
“Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.” (Lk 21:32).
This verse gives us a clue. First, we must understand the word “generation” is translated from Greek, γενεά (genea), which is also a slang for “kind.” So, based on the way he used “generation” elsewhere, Jesus does not mean a “lifecycle” of people, but a “kind” of people will never run out until the end time. What kind of people? For example, Jesus said,
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Mt 12:39).
In that context, Jesus was talking to the Scribes and Pharisees because they asked for a sign to prove Jesus’ authority. In that case, Jesus used “generation” to mean “kind” or “type.” He was not talking about the nominal believers like the Scribes and Pharisees who did not have grace. Their gracelessness eventually crucified Christ.
So, when he said, “This generation will not pass away,” it meant there would be no shortage of nominal believers or hypocrites even at the eleventh hour. They don’t repent even though their pants are on fire. No catastrophe will shake them to senses. So, he is saying, “You think all these wars, pandemics, and disasters would wake people up, but don’t count on it. There will always be hypocrites to the end time.”
It’s like in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. While burning in hell, the Rich Man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his family to warn them about the impending suffering, but Abraham said,
“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Lk 16:31).
Moses and Prophets mean the Bible of Jesus’ time. That’s the “generation” or the “kind” of people Jesus talked about. Like the goofy generation in Noah’s time, they were not convinced until the door of Noah’s Ark was closed. It’s sad, but Jesus said there will always be that kind of goofy people until he comes.
Now, let us look at what Jesus advises us to do to avoid missing the boat and getting left behind. In the following three verses, Jesus gives us two simple pieces of advice to maintain our fruitful state. Like electricity, it has two parts – input and output of grace.
1. Maintain Your Grace Input
Jesus said,
“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.” (Lk 21:34-35).
“Your heart” is used in the Bible sometimes to mean “your spirit.” He wants you not to let worldly pressures weigh down your spirit. The pandemic has come and gone, but the trauma has not. As a result, dissipation, drunkenness, and drug abuse are at an all-time high around the world.
I grew up in a dysfunctional environment and had been through some serious traumas that I would not wish on my worst enemies. I understand what it could do to you–driving you to dissipation, drunkenness, and depression. Jesus wants us to guard our hearts or our spirits so that we don’t get goofy due to ending pressures or PTSD and fail to grace it forward.
Suddenly comes harvest time, and the harvester picks us up along with the weeds and hypocrites.
How do you handle it as a believer to avoid losing grace? Maintain your grace input by thinking about God’s grace. Jesus said,
“Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21:28).
Redemption is the fulfillment of grace. When you think about God’s grace, you will be able to stand up and raise your head instead of being weighed down by the worries of this life. If the worries of this world weigh you down, recharge it with grace. Apostle Peter also said,
“With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 Peter 1:13).
Stay alert, set your hope on the grace, and count the blessings! The second coming of Christ is the day of reckoning. Even though we are imperfect, we know we will be reckoned with grace. That’s the way to maintain the state of your spirit and grace it forward. That leads to the second important advice.
2. Maintain Your Grace Output
“Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21:36).
Even though this verse does not clarify how to “escape all these things and stand before Him,” Jesus has repeatedly mentioned that the way to escape from getting mistaken as hypocrites is to keep working faithfully. He has told numerous parables to emphasize this truth. Those who are found sleeping or slacking are those who would not escape these harvest separations.
He says that we must be alert. Some people think God is far away during troubled times as if God is only around in good times. No, the darker the night, the closer the light. So, you must keep alert like a rooster and ready to crow a joyful noise as soon as you see the crack of dawn.
Don’t let the dark times distract you from your grace output. The darker the night, the more light the world needs. Your grace output makes you shine brighter because it completes the circuit. The hypocrites do not glow in the dark because they are selfish. They have grace input but no output.
If you are shining bright and far, no reaper will mistake you for the weeds. That’s how you escape the end time—by being graceful and fruitful.
Again, this is not about salvation by work. We don’t work for salvation because we are saved by God’s grace. God expects us to express our gratitude by gracing forward to complete the circuit and shining the path for others to come home.
There we have it! These are the two simple tasks our Lord instructs us to get through the end times and avoid being mistaken as weeds or hypocrites:
1. Maintain Your Grace Input
2. Maintain Your Grace Output
Happy Thanksgiving! Until we meet again, keep your light shining brighter and broader, and harvest the fruit of felicity, freedom, and fulfillment.
Amen!
Bye now!
