Knowing and Not Knowing

Psalm 20, 21:1-7 (8-14) • Psalm 110:1-5 (6-7), 116, 117
Deut. 34:1-12 • Rom. 10:14-21 • Matt. 24:32-51

The Gospel reading for today seems contradictory. The first section describes that like the leaves of a fig tree signal the coming of spring, the disciples will see signs of Jesus’s return. Yet, the second section is focused on the fact that no one knows the time of the second coming of Christ except the Father. This is the mystery of the Trinity. The idea that all parts are God, yet very real divisions exist between each piece. Paradoxically, God both knows and doesn’t know the time of the return of the Son of Man. The Trinity allows both of these contradictory ideas to be true.

I think like many of us, I am terrified of the rapture. Reading this passage evokes fear that I could be left behind to weeping and gnashing of teeth. We are warned to be prepared for the second coming at any moment, no matter the inconvenience or our unpreparedness. It’s the ultimate test anxiety.

Luckily God doesn’t make us face this alone. Only a third of God knows when that time will come, the other two thirds are just as clueless as we are. Not knowing forces us to choose to live for God because of our true faith and belief in Him. With no deadline, we can’t cram a God-centered life in at the last possible moment. The signs we are given don’t specify a time, but they let us know God is near. Like the leaves of a fig tree, God foreshadows events to come in our own life. We just have to pay attention. In these heavenly moments we build a relationship with God. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word and our relationship with those words will remain.

Written by Hadley Thomas

Hadley is currently a biochemistry student at Colorado School of Mines and hopes to attend medical school to become a Navy physician. She is passionate about her faith and is excited to share her perspective and interpretations with the amazing congregation of Saint Paul’s.