Luke 21:34-36 (NIV) “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Jesus had given His followers very clear signs so that they would be able to see the destruction of Jerusalem coming and get out of the city before it got closed off by the siege. But in addition, He also warned them, and all of us through them, to say alert for the greater judgment that would come in the last days, at the time of Jesus’ return.
It is significant to note that the Greek word translated “earth” in this passage was also commonly understood by the Jewish people to mean “land,” as in “the Promised Land,” as opposed to the whole earth. Thus in this single saying, Jesus encompassed the double scope of His prophecy. In the near-term, the judgment would fall on all of those who lived in the land of Israel. In the future, it would fall on all the inhabitants of the earth.
The trap that is to be avoided by God’s people in both cases is a dull mind, occupied by distractions, sensual pleasures, indulgences, and worries. Instead, God’s people are to stay alert, because otherwise they will miss the signs and react too late. They are to remain constantly in prayer, not meaning that they are to be continually asking God for things, but that they are to constantly keep the lines of communication open between God and themselves, so that He can speak to them and have them hear Him all day, every day.
The same snares have been laid for the people of God today, threating to dull our minds, distracting us from God’s mission, and clogging our spiritual ears so that very few Christians today are in a place to be able to hear respond immediately to His call. Too many of us have allowed our minds to become dulled by the flood of information that constantly flows toward us from our technology. Too many of us are occupied by distractions and amusements, so that God’s agenda finds no place in our minds. Too many of us have lost ourselves in indulging ourselves in sensual pleasures, both real and virtual. And far too many of us are lost in a perpetual state of worry, terrified by constant news of wars and rumors of impending wars.
Even though the same snares exist, so do the same solutions. God’s people are to resist the mind-numbing effects of information overload and stay alert. And we are to pray constantly, keeping the communication lines between God and us open at all times, so that when He speaks, we are able to instantly hear and respond.
Father, this warning and these solutions really are powerful for us today. I know personally how mind-numbing (and addictive) the constant influx of information to our eyes and ears is. And I know personally how easy it is to grow distracted and fearful, keeping our eyes and our attention constantly glued to our computers and phones lest we miss anything important. And the whole time, Your work, the work of the kingdom, remains undone. Forgive us, Lord, for falling prey to these traps, and help us to refocus our minds, our hearts, our very lives, on You, Your voice, and Your agenda, so that we won’t be caught unawares when Jesus returns. Amen.