RBWords

     The language and images in both scriptures today continue to focus our attention on "last things," especially, in Luke, the second coming of Christ.  But the images also call our attention to the dominant power of the Mediterranean region, the Roman Empire with its civil religion that accorded divine status to the emperor.  The image of the "whore of Babylon" in the passage from Revelation is of the Roman empire.  The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem occurred at the hands of the Roman empire's military might and gave rise among Christians to the belief that the end of time was at hand.  The evangelist Luke, in the words of Jesus, rejects that notion, no matter how painful and devastating the loss of the temple may be.  The true sign of Christ's ultimate victory will be as the quote above describes him.

     The New Testament is filled with admonitions to "stay in shape" because the time of the second coming of Jesus is unknown to us.  We are warned about letting fatigue and secular cares erode this state of alertness.  But we know from the simple warnings we get every day about exercise, diet and lifestyle that there is a hard price to pay from ignoring those warnings and instead allowing our bodies to deteriorate.  The same is true for living as Jesus has taught us.  If we stay in shape, we don't need to worry about when the Second Coming will occur.  It will be a matter of "Of course!" and not "Surprise!!!!"  AMEN