The Winter of Our Discontent

"Now is the winter of our discontent/made glorious summer by the sun..." (William Shakespeare, in Richard III).

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near..." (Jesus, in Matthew 24:32).

Winters can be long and severe here in Idaho. I think of C.S. Lewis' description of Narnia: "Always winter and never Christmas." I wait eagerly for the willows to "break" and to see other signs of spring. 

Jesus drew a parallel between cold climes and a world in which “the love of many has grown cold" (24:12), and told his disciples of a day when the "son of righteousness" would rise and our world's winter of discontent and disorder would be turned into glorious summer.

"When will that be?" we ask with Jesus' disciples, a question he doesn’t answer: "Concerning that day and hour no one knows…but the Father alone" (24:36). 

We don't know the day and the hour of Jesus' coming, so we “must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? (24:44)

Here Jesus defines what it means to be ready: readiness is not loitering, but loving and caring for Jesus’ children as we await his return.

Jesus urges us to set aside our preoccupation with time-lines and end-time scenarios and occupy ourselves with Kingdom business: To sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him; to show and tell others what we're learning; to feed his household; "to give them  their food" as we have opportunities to do so. 

This is where joy is found: "Happy is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he returns" (24:46).