This one has been a conundrum since the day Jesus spoke it. At times he is clearly speaking about the fall of Jerusalem:

 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.  For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.  They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

At other times it seems like he is talking about His Second Coming.

At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

But then it seems like he goes back to talking about the Fall of Jerusalem again.

“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Here’s the reality. Jesus was likely speaking of both the temple and his second coming. We see this a bit more in Matthew 24. He is weaving the two themes together and as much as we would like to draw a line and say this is about this and this is about that, that particularly level of concreteness is likely more of a 21st century construct.

Whether this is true or not can be debated all day, all year, tens of years and hundreds of years. Because it has.

But what is often missed is the point Jesus makes as conclusion.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.  For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

This theme of being careful and watchful as the Lord is coming back has been ongoing

• Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24)
• The Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
• In the teaching on the coming of God and two will be taken and one left (Luke 17:20-37)
• Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-27)

What’s interesting is this theme of being alert and ready. And it’s not just sins like carousing and drunkenness that can numb our sense, it is also things like the anxieties of life. We find this also in the parable of the sower where seeds were sown and chocked out. For one seed, it was the anxieties of life.

 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Mt 13:22).

Let’s pause a minute and say that some people really struggle with anxiety that is next level. As in, it is a physical response that courses through their veins. For this there are reasons the Lord put anti-anxiety medicines that come from plants.

But there’s the other anxiety that can deaden the senses of all of us and that is the day to day worries. These worries choke out all of our relationships, including with each other. We are distracted. Concerned. And our faith can be diminished.

Jesus says we must keep sharp. Alert. And avoid the things that dull our senses.

We need to pray that the Lord will help us in the our of tribulations, be they the ones that already happened in AD 70, and the ones to come.

It takes faith to overcome such battles.

And keeping the faith comes with alertness.