reader, pay attention!

Today we read in our selection from the One Year Bible about the abomination of desolation. And the writer, Mark (13:14-37), tells us "reader, pay attention!" But it's a rather confusing verse. What is Jesus talking about exactly?

It's interesting when we think about it, because it's easy for us to make fun of the disciples when they pondered what Jesus meant when He said He would "be put to death, and then rise from the dead." We now know it meant exactly that. But at the time, the disciples were scratching their heads.

We scratch our heads today, too. What did Jesus mean about these signs and wonders? Did they happen already, or are they still coming? Or both? Neither? He tells us to pay attention, but then He says that even He doesn't know when it will happen. Only the Father knows.

So the take home message, it seems, is to live in readiness. To always be prepared for the end to come. And to trust God to know what's best for us in the meantime.

God, thanks for helping us pay attention, and to trust You with the details.