The second coming of the Bronco and the second coming of Jesus.
A week or two ago as my wife and I were planning our move to a mountain house where we’d live for the next twelve months, she casually mentioned to me that it would be nice—and fun—to have a Jeep or four-wheel drive OTR/GOAT vehicle (in case I wind up in the ditch again, if not in traction.) But she was actually thinking about the snow we’d encounter next winter and the back roads we’d have to navigate in the fall and spring. I didn’t give it a second thought, even after my wife said she and her sister were going to look around at local dealerships for possible options, now that our region was bouncing back from the Virus (praise God!) The next thing I know, she finds a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport and falls in love with it. Bronco?! Hmmm. Where has it been these past twenty-five years? No matter, it’s back. Is this a second coming of the Bronco? The faithful Ford fans who have never doubted it would return have been rewarded for their patience. A day or two later, I look at it with her, and after getting bitten by the bug myself, we decide to trade in our Honda Accord for a Bronco that has our personal styling choices and option package. Unfortunately, it is nowhere in the county–or state–to be found.
Ford Fever infects a Chevy fan
When confronted with a new reality, my personal strategy is to learn all I can about it. Whether it’s humming birds or hemorrhoids, I’m online in a New York minute. Broncos, I quickly realized, are hot commodities at the moment, for several reasons. First of all, things are getting back to normal (kinda/sorta) and people want to get out on the road again. To live a little. So, demand is high for Broncos, and at the moment, higher than almost any other vehicle. Secondly, the choice of new cars is limited because of the microchip shortage. So, supply is low, and cannot meet the demand. Finally, the Bronco has a cult-like following akin to Mustangs, Corvettes and Camaros, and after a long hiatus, it is finally back. Based on the two dozen or so reviews and road tests I poured over, it’s even better than ever!
I also discovered that it can take months for a dealer to get a Bronco in. Much longer if a customer orders one from the factory in Mexico where it is assembled to the buyer’s customized specifications. But ours is already constructed and it is on a (slow) train somewhere in New Mexico (or it was last Friday.) Of course, our salesperson promised to let us know as soon as it comes in, but I managed to find an excuse to call the dealer today (just to say “Hi!” of course. And to be sure that if it had arrived, it was not mistakenly driven off the lot by another customer.) So, now we’re sitting on the edge of our seats, checking our text messages as soon as they come in, hoping for good news. If watching for the car and wishing it was already here could expedite the delivery of the vehicle, it would have arrived last weekend—or earlier than that.
What I’m learning as I watch and wait
This whole drama has reminded me of how we are supposed to watch for the return of the Lord. After all, if I can get excited over a car with a 1.5 Ecoboost engine, eight speed transmission, fog lights, black roof racks and rain-sensing wipers, then why can’t I be equally excited (if not more) about the imminent arrival of Jesus? I wondered how many other Christians like me were out there? People who are preoccupied with earthly relationships, weddings, the Olympics, buying a new home, and things that won’t matter a century from now, yet alone for eternity. Are we all really excited about the Second Coming (the Parousia)? We talk about being “rapture ready,” but is that just a cliché and are we actively watching and waiting for His return? In the Gospels, Jesus has a parable about ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to appear. Five prepared for His return, but five did not. They just pooped out and fell asleep waiting for the groom. The other five fell asleep as well, but not until the work was done (getting oil for their lamps.) I’m just getting started with this Bronco. But are we all watching and waiting for Jesus? Am I? Maybe other people have given up waiting and now conclude that the Lord won’t return after all? What does that say about our faith and Christ’s promises? Or, our priorities?
Parousia
In the New Testament, parousia has a special significance when referring to the Second Coming. This word choice is used by Jesus, Himself, when He describes His coming (“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the parousia of the Son of Man” Matthew 24:7.) This verse is contrasted with another verse in I Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul writes “. . .you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” I don’t see a contradiction here, though some see this latter passage as a “secret coming.”
Generally, when people speak of the Second Coming, they are referring to the passage in Matthew 24:7 also referred to by John in Revelation 1:7 where he writes “Every eye will see Him.” While some believe that there are actually two future comings of Jesus based on these verses, it is also possible that Paul in the first letter to the Thessalonians is referring to people who are spiritually asleep or caught up in sin and just gave up watching for Jesus. Once again, take the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1 who were waiting for the groom of a wedding to appear. Five managed to stay get ready and were rewarded when they became part of the bridal party while the other five did absolutely nothing, and fell asleep, missing the festivities completely. That interpretation could explain how you could surprise slumbering people and still have all of the noise and commotion prophesized to occur with the Second Coming.
There are two other uses in history for the word parousia according to Barclay, and at least one is appropriate to describe the Second Coming of Christ. The word has been used in ancient history to describe an invasion, and the word was also used by people who believed they had been visited by a god, because of dreams they had or healings that occurred when they slept in certain temples, like that of Apollo’s or the one belonging to the Greek god of healing (Asclepius.)
Failure in not an option
It was a dangerous thing to ignore the coming of your king when you lived in earlier times. Many preparations needed to be made in advance, just like when our President visits a city today. The Secret Service sends out an advance team to help with site selection, routes from one venue to another, background checks on people the President might meet and consultation and coordination with local law enforcement. Today, you as a hospital worker, banker or academician might be fired for not getting ready for your reaccreditation visit or failing to prepare for a financial audit when you know an auditor is coming. Your restaurant might be closed if you fail a health inspection because you weren’t prepared for the health inspector’s arrival. But back in ancient times, you might well lose your life if you were caught unprepared. As far as kings go, it is even more dangerous to ignore the coming of Jesus (the “King of Kings”), because the stakes are so much higher. Therefore, it would be prudent to prepare.
How do Christians prepare? As we watch. As we wait. Are we supposed to be “doing” something? Looking busy? We know that our salvation is based on the unearned mercy and sheer grace of God through Christ, what Martin Luther described as sola fide (faith alone.) But it is clear that we should be watching for His return, even after two thousand years. Like a parent watches for the school bus to arrive. Like a day trader follows the market. As Luther points out, sometime in the next century or so everyone alive now will be dead. You or I might die before much sooner. And in some practical sense, our death either today or seventy years from now means that Jesus has come for us. Fini!
And how do people who are not Christians prepare? See here.
Paul speaks to the coming of Jesus in Roman 13:11-14 when he writes:
11The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So, let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
New International Version
The second coming of the Bronco and the second coming of Jesus: Parting advice
Paul calls the coming of Jesus as our “blessed hope.” I have many superlatives to describe this year’s Bronco, but the term “blessed hope” is not one of them, and while 4×4 OTR may get you from place to place across North America, a Bronco (even with a 1.5 Ecoboost engine, eight speed transmission, fog lights, black roof racks and rain-sensing wipers) won’t get you to Heaven.
P.S. Our Bronco arrived on Friday, June 25th. Meets all of our expectations. Now for the Rapture…
Citations
Barclay, William, New Testament Words, Westminster, John Know Press: Louisville. 1964. pp. 222ff.
Feature photo of Bronco by Nick Shoe (Shutterstock.)