Two Cats and a Monkey

Once two cats found a flatbread, tore it into halves to share, and immediately began a feud over whose portion was larger. Watching this fight, a monkey volunteered to mediate. He took each piece of the flatbread in his right and left hand and asked them which was larger. When the cats said the right one, he took a bite of it. Then the cats complained that the left one was larger, and the monkey took a bite. This shenanigan continued until the monkey ate the entire flatbread, and the cats left disappointed and hungry. The lesson: when two fight, they could lose something important.

As seen so far, the preterites and futurists see the events described in Mark 13 differently. Whereas the preterists see them as events that happened between A.D. 33 and 70, historically fulfilled events associated with the destruction of the temple, the futurists see them as events yet to happen – events that lead to the coming of the Lord a second time, in the clouds, to gather his people. In this disagreement, however, both groups could miss the climax of Jesus’s lesson.

“Watch, don’t sleep, since you don’t know the hour these will take place” (Mark 13:13)

Regardless of our theological stance, we cannot forget this lesson: watch, stay alert, and don’t sleep (spiritually). If we miss this lesson and fight over timing and season, we’ll be as disappointed as the cats that lost their flatbread to the monkey.

This, however, doesn’t mean that we must be apathetic and uncaring about times and seasons. The Lord Jesus himself gave four clues. First, watch for the signs.

“Learn the parable from the figs: when its stems are tender, and the foliage is full, you know the summer/harvest is near. Similarly, when you see these events, know that the end is at the door.” (13:28–29)

Second, know the timeline.

“Truly I say to you: this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. The heavens and the earth may pass, but not my words.” (13:30–31)

The preterites understand this literally as the first generation, and the futurists understand it figuratively as the church age. Nevertheless, God’s people will see these events fulfilled because Jesus’s words will not pass away without fulfillment.

Third, don’t be overconfident about the timing.

“Concerning that exact day or hour, no one knows when it will be – neither the angels in the heaven nor the Son; only the Father knows.” (13:32)

Pseudo-prophets have predicted when Jesus would come back. Even my grandfather predicted that Jesus would come back in 1970. Of course, he was wrong. The disciples shouldn’t be overconfident when the temple would be destroyed, or Jesus returned because not even Jesus or the angels in heaven know that day and hour. The Father alone knows this hour.

Fourth, stay alert and do our work faithfully.

“As a man, leaving his house and going on a journey while giving his servants the authority for each one to do his/her work while warning the one at the door to stay alert. Stay alert since you do not know the hour the master of the house is coming – evening, midnight, when the cockcrows, or early morning. Should he come suddenly, he shouldn’t find you asleep. What I say to you, I say to everyone: stay alert.” (13:34–37)

This is the key message of Mark 13: Stay alert and work faithfully. Let’s not miss this truth amid theological stances.