“Don’t Ask When”

Our kids have told us this. Are we there yet? From the back seat, a kid asks. The father says, “Not too long now…” A few minutes later, the same question comes again: Dad, are we there yet? “Almost there…” But we all know what almost means, at least another more minutes.  We smile because we know that the child and the father have different ideas about time.

But that question still sticks with us, right? When will my kid feel better? When will it eventually be my turn? And I confess, sometimes even I ask, when will this sermon be finished?

We can laugh but there are heavier whens in our life. When will this hurt stop? When will our financial hardship be over? When will the wars in the Middle East ever end? Do you remember the years of COVID? When will this pandemic be over? It seems questioning when is quite human. When we are anxious, when we suffer, we want to know the end.

Jesus was asked the same question. After a long day of furious arguments in the temple, some said, Look, Teacher! What huge stones! What beautiful architecture!  The Jerusalem Temple was stunning—rebuilt and expanded by Herod over 46 years. Some stones were twelve meters long and weighed more than a hundred tons.

For Jewish people, the temple was Israel’s pride, a symbol of national identity. The symbol of God’s presence. It felt like it would last forever.  But Jesus said: “Do you see all these things? There will come a time when not one stone will be left on top of another; they will all be thrown down.”

That’s Shocking. Unthinkable. “Those hundred-ton stones gone? That golden façade is gone? Did God destroy his temple? The disciples wondered, When will this happen? And what will be the signs that are going to happen?”

But Jesus didn’t tell them a timeline. He told them to be careful, instead. Watch out, he said. Don’t be deceived. Many will come in my name, and say, I am he, and the time is near. Do not follow them. watch out for people who say they know when.

Then Jesus warned them what will happen: Wars. Insurrections. Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom. Earthquakes. Famines. Plagues. ‘Don’t be frightened.’ He added, ‘These things have to happen first, but the end won’t come right away.’

But think about what it’s like to be them. Your nation isn’t free. Foreign soldiers guard your streets. Your sacred spaces are controlled by an occupying power. If that were to happen… and you’ve just heard that the temple — which is, the one thing that makes who you are, would be demolished…. When will this nightmare end? That’s what they were interested in.

The disciples must have been quite confused. They needed a timetable that was easy to understand. In three years? In ten years?  Something they could hang on to. Something that would help them get through.

And then he added, By your endurance you will gain your souls. Weird words. They asked, when? and he said How —how do you live faithfully when the world feels shaky. Why? Jesus knew that the real question wasn’t when.

We observed the answer in another text we read today. Isaiah 65:17: See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.” (NIV), Revelation 21:1 says same thing.

A new heaven and a new earth. When people hear this, they usually think apocalypse. When will the world end? What are the signs? Blood moons? Wars? Earthquakes? Who is the Antichrist right now? Curious, aren’t we? But the Bible speaks of something else: a new heaven and new earth rooted in God’s true dominion.

Isaiah 65 offers us a world that is different. Not an imperial world, but God’s justice—a true community where righteousness is lived out. Biblical apocalyptic is not escape, it is resistance. It doesn’t pull us out of the world but calls us to live differently right in the middle of it.

Yes. The new heaven and new earth isn’t some fantasy that drops from the sky in the distant future. It has already begun in Jesus Christ. It is how Jesus pointed to living faithfully today with endurance.

So what does God’s kingdom actually look like? Isaiah sees wolves and lambs mingling together. This is what it looks like:

A world where enemies reconcile. A world where justice is alive in the community.  A world where peace is built. A world where everyone who works has a chance. A world where workers aren’t taken advantage of. A world where no one is hungry. A world where individuals with depression and anxiety don’t feel alone and broken. A world where child abuse and sexual exploitation are stopped. This is how God rules.

Who are we, then? Who are you, sitting here today? Are we people who ask when? Or are we people who live today? Jesus said: By your endurance you will gain your souls. Endurance. This word doesn’t mean just gritting your teeth and surviving. It means staying put. Not falling down. Not running away. Standing in your spot. Not asking When will this be over? but asking What does being faithful look like today? The new heaven and new earth have already begun. In Jesus Christ. In his resurrection and through those who choose to stay strong in hope.

And that world is ready for us. Waiting for us to join in. Waiting for us to live it, today, here. We don’t have to wait for God’s new world to come to us with our hands folded. we are asked to take part in it today.

Brothers and sisters do not be weary in doing what is right, this is the foundation our church needs most today. A world where wolves and lambs may live together in harmony. People who work eating the fruit of their labour. Where does that world begin? In this church? In your workplace? In your home? God is asking, where will you be? With whom will you walk? What are you going to pick today? And when we answer those questions, the new heaven and new earth has already begun. Amen.