Jesus’ Return

I read a book last month titled Simply Jesus. The last two chapters really had me thinking. One part was in the context of Jesus’ return, and the prideful attitude we can have about it.

What?
Here’s the excerpt (italics mine):

“Jesus is the truly human being who will, in the end, take the properly human role (as in Genesis) of reflecting the creator’s image of wise and fruitful order into the whole creation. That is what his “coming” and his “judgment” will mean. God will do for the whole cosmos, in the end, what he did for Jesus at Easter; the risen Jesus, remember, is the prototype of the new creation. God will do this through Jesus himself; the ascended Jesus, remember, is the ruler within the new creation as it burst in upon the old. And God will do it through the presence of the risen and ascended Jesus when he comes to heal, to save, and also to judge.

That is why it’s not arrogant to believe in the second coming. There are arrogant ways of thinking and speaking about it, of course, as though when Jesus returns we, his people, will be able to put our noses in the air and look down smugly on everyone else. A moment’s reflection will show how silly this would be. Think back over the last 24 hours or the last 7 Days. Suppose Jesus had been there, physically present beside you, throughout that time. Would you have been happy to have him see what you did? Hear what you said? Know what you thought? When he comes as the New Testament insists, he will bring to light all the hidden things that are now in darkness and expose the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He comes, of course, as the one who died for us; there is no doubting his love. But his love is the love that wants the very best for us and from us, not the sentimental kind that doesn’t want to make a fuss and so refuses to confront the thing that’s actually wrong. He loves in the way a doctor or a surgeon loves, wanting the best, working for life, dealing powerfully and drastically with the cancer or the blocked artery. The only proper way to think of the second coming is, as I said, with humility and patience.”

Now answer the questions the author posed.

Jesus was with you all day yesterday, walking beside you, in the car with you, eating with you. He saw everything, heard everything, and knew what you were thinking. Would he have been disappointed?

Looking back at the previous day’s journal entry, it wasn’t that bad.
Now, what if Jesus had been there for the last seven days? Not so much. There was anger, frustration, struggling to forgive. How would he have handled those situations?

When he returns, all darkness will be exposed. Continuing the author’s analogy, Jesus will confront the cancer in our lives. He won’t let it be ignored and will deal with it.