Timing is important. If you open the oven door at the wrong time a soufflé will collapse. If you don’t stop the fermentation of wine at the right moment, the flavor will be ruined. If a baby is born too early, there can be complications, too late and mom has some extra pain ahead. If you sell your stock at just the right moment, you can make a fortune, but at the wrong time you can lose your shirt. A scandal broken after the election makes no difference in the outcome, but days before the election it can make history.
Timing really does make a difference. I always want to know the timing of the quizzes and tests when I am taking a course. I want to know the timing of appointments I have. I want to know the timing of when dinner will be ready! Spacecraft launches have countdowns because timing matters. Pulling into traffic. Timing matters.
When I was young I remember the NBC Peacock would come on right at eight o’clock, right before the primetime shows. The sound behind the animation signaled, you had better come right now, or you would miss the beginning of the program. This was long before TiVo or Netflix. You couldn’t stop and rewind if you missed something. If you missed it, it was gone.
The disciples, at least four of them, are paying attention enough to begin to wonder about timing. They have heard that Jerusalem will be destroyed, and they begin to get a little bit anxious. They want to know what to be watching for so that they don’t miss it.
How would you feel if you were told your town was going to be destroyed? Wouldn’t you want to know the timing? You would then know when to sell your house and move on to the next location. You would know when to pack up your stuff. You know if you needed to put on your running shoes and start immediately.
These disciples what to know two things: the timing and the warning signals. The warning signals or signs would confirm that the events are connected to the destruction of Jerusalem, or that they are just random events, unconnected to the fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction. They want to make sure they don’t miss it. They want some assurance for themselves and their families.
This conversation takes place on a hill opposite the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There is a deep valley between the Temple and them as they ask this question. They can look across the valley and imagine the future as Jesus paints the picture. It could be hard to imagine on September 10, 2001 that the next day the attacks would happen. The millions walking the streets, shopping, commuting, trading stocks, surfing the net, watching TV, or falling in love, had no idea what would happen the next day in their city.
The Old Testament is filled with prophecy, and often there are signs given within those prophecies to give hope and courage to those who must live through them. The virgin will be with child. Seventy years. The sun stood still. Water turned to blood. Three and a half years of drought. These signs helped get people’s focus in the right direction. It helped them know that the LORD had not abandoned them, that He was active in their community.
The Arnold Journey 