Flashback Episode — Misplaced Worry: Luke 21:34-38

Tucked within the gospel of Luke is a profound challenge Jesus shares with His followers. This message isn’t just for those who lived over 2,000 years ago. However surprising this will sound, the message Jesus shares is just as relevant for us living today as it was back then. But before we get to Jesus’ challenge for us, let’s take a moment and think about how life is for those of us living today.

While I cannot speak for you, I can tell you that in recent years, my life has gotten significantly busier, and now more than ever, I have tons of things on my mind and my to-do list. Maybe you can relate. For many people, it might feel as though life is spinning out of control, and you are just trying to stay afloat.

Not to give you one additional thing to worry about, Jesus steps into the craziness we face in our lives today with a message. This message is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 21 and we will be reading out of the Contemporary English Version. Starting in verse 34, Luke tells us Jesus said:

³⁴ Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you ³⁵ like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. ³⁶ Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.

Jesus’ message in this passage might sound like one more thing to add to your to-do list, and if so, perhaps you misunderstood what He was saying.

In this passage, Jesus is actually challenging us to shift our perspective. The perspective Jesus wants us to focus on doesn’t ignore this life; instead it frames the focus of this life. Jesus isn’t callous to our crazy lives, but He does want to give our lives purpose and meaning.

The challenge Jesus gives is simple and profound. Jesus’ challenge for us is to carve out a portion of time when you intentionally will NOT worry about what you will eat, drink, or do with your life. This challenge states that during this portion of time, we must pray and prepare our hearts for His return.

Let’s read the challenge again:

³⁴ Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you ³⁵ like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. ³⁶ Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.

Tucked in this challenge is a warning as well. The warning says that if we don’t pay attention to the big picture, the final day will catch us off guard like a trap. The final day will surprise everyone on earth.

Implied in this warning is that when Jesus does return, it will surprise everyone because no one will be paying attention or looking for it. While I imagine there will be some people who are paying attention, they will be so few in number that it may simply feel like everyone on earth is surprised.

Also suggested in this statement is the idea that no one will know when the final day will be. If the final day surprises everyone, then that also says that no one will have correctly identified the day beforehand. This is a challenge to those who set dates to focus their energy and study on something else.

While date setting might seem relevant in a person’s mind, it really isn’t. To help illustrate what I mean, let me give you an example from when I was younger and in college.

During the summer between my second and third year, or my third and fourth year (I don’t remember which), one of my closer acquaintances died. While I wasn’t good friends with this girl, I had dated one of her friends, and I had worked on some projects with her over the previous years. Her death came as a surprise to everyone, and while I didn’t research into the cause, when I heard the news the cause was unknown. It was as though she went to sleep and never woke up.

There was no “accident” or event that we could say that her life was cut short by the world when it should have been longer. In some ways, this would be easier to wrestle with. Instead, it is as though her time on earth had come to an end while she was only in college. This girl was a spiritual role model at the college I attended, and had she died during the school year, it would have shook the campus more than it did with her death happening during the summer.

When we bring this event into the challenge Jesus gives all of us to be ready and to avoid setting dates, I can speak confidently that unless something crazy and out of character changed in this college-mate’s life, she was living a life that was ready for Jesus’ return.

The challenge with setting dates is that if we set a date that is far in the future, it tempts us to be lazy with our spiritual lives today, but the reverse is also true. If we set the date of tomorrow, or even at the end of next week, it could shift our decisions as that date draws closer, and that could negatively impact us when Jesus doesn’t return on the date we picked.

However, like I learned in a much more real way, date setting only works when it is 100% accurate – which according to Jesus’ words here in Luke is not possible for us – and in addition to being 100% accurate, we must also be alive to witness the second coming as well. In every other case, date setting is worthless. Since it is not possible for us to know the date Jesus will return, our energy should be spent elsewhere.

But don’t let our energy shift towards worrying about our lives here on earth. Instead, shift that energy towards watching, praying, and preparing for the day when our time on earth will end – either because we have died in this life, or because Jesus has returned to put an end to sin.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, always seek God first and place Him first in your life. Choose to carve out time each day to focus on Him and not about the craziness and busyness that we all face in our lives today.

Also, as I always challenge you to do in one way or another, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to intentionally grow your relationship with Him on a personal level. When our last day on earth comes, the only thing that will matter is the state of our relationship with God.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!