(Text and Audio)
Title: The Near and The Far
(Give out 5 bible verses.)
(Show 3 images with far focus and near focus.)
Sometimes we can be looking at the exact same thing but, depending on where our focus is, we will interpret only a small portion of it.
How you see something depends largely on where your focus is fixed.
(read/pray)
- The Far
Verse 27 centers around one word. That word is “reward.” As we looked at in great detail last week, Jesus asks two questions that center around this concept.
If you remember, first he asks,
“What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul?”
(In other words: What good is that? Where is the reward?)
Secondly, Jesus asks,
“What will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
(In other words: Is there anything more valuable to a man than how he spends eternity? What reward awaits him in the next life?)
What Jesus is telling his disciples in verse 27 is that the reward IS indeed coming. The Kingdom is being ushered in. Most of us will see the finality of that ushering in of the Kingdom after we have died physically and gone to be with Jesus. Perhaps a select few will witness this from the ground up at the end times.
Jesus is speaking in terms of distance in verse 27. The phrase “and then” denotes a period of time some ways off from that present moment when Jesus speaks these words.
He is telling them to take heart, be patient, God is never not in control, His plan never fails, is never frustrated, and is always perfect.
How can these reminders serve as a comfort to us in times of doubt, worry, need, or trial? (Take answers)
- It reminds us that we are not in control, but loved by the ONE who is.
- It reminds us that many things are a mystery to us, but none are a mystery to HIM.
- It reminds us to be patient, because many aspects of his plan take place over time.
- The Near
In verse 28, the last verse of chapter 16, Jesus’s focus shifts to the near, or the immediate. He tells his disciples:
“…there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
He is speaking in practical terms and tells these men that, some of them, before they physically die, will indeed see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
Scholars have debated for years over what, exactly Jesus is referring to when he says this. Some of the answers they have come up with are pretty straight forward, others are bit more complex, but no one doubts that Jesus is telling them about something that will, indeed happen during their lifetimes.
This reward he speaks of is immediate, it happens in the present, in the near, if you will.
3 Possible Explanations:
- Jesus is referring to the transfiguration, which happens one week after he speaks these words. The only problem with this is that many scholars believe the Greek language here implies a time period longer than just a week.
- Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, an event that happens in the lifetime of the disciples. The problem here is that what Jesus is talking about seems to be more about a reward than about a judgment.
- Another possibility is that what Jesus is talking about is not a single event, but a string of events: Transfiguration, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, all of which happen in their lifetimes and usher in the Kingdom.
POINT: The ultimate reward is in the next life…BUT…there are plenty of rewards that we get to witness in this lifetime.
Like what? What do you get to see as a believer, in this lifetime, that you wouldn’t otherwise see if you weren’t saved? As a regenerate, illuminated Christian, you have the ability to “shift the focus” of your mind’s lens and see things that you otherwise would miss. I think it’s appropriate to talk about some of those things, those rewards that God gives us in this life that we wouldn’t have without Him.
(Take answers)
- We get to witness our own growth in Christ. (Col. 1:9-10)
- We get to have REAL HOPE for the future. (Titus 1:1-2)
- We are optimistic. (Psalm 56:4)
- We get to take part in something so much greater than ourselves. (1 Pet. 2:9)
- We are not burdened by the things of this world. (Heb. 12:1)
What a great and loving God we serve! We get so much we don’t deserve in this lifetime from the bounty of His blessing…and then we die…and it gets even better.