Where were they taken to?

When I was in college, DC Talk recorded a cover of a Larry Norman song: I Wish We'd All Been Ready. I didn't remember the whole song until I looked it up - but the part that's always been stuck in my mind went like this:

A man and wife asleep in bed
She hears a noise and turns her head he's gone
I wish we'd all been ready
Two men walking up a hill
One disappears and one's left standing still
I wish we'd all been ready

There's no time to change your mind
The Son has come and you've been left behind

Obviously the imagery here was drawn from Luke 17:34-36, and it assumes that Jesus was talking to his disciples about some sort of Rapture - where believers were whisked away to heaven - leaving the non-believers behind. And based on this song - as well as much of the teaching I've heard over the years, that's what I assumed the Luke passage was referring to.

But as I re-read the passage this morning, I began to realize that they may be other explanations. Especially since when the disciples point blank asked Jesus "Where" will they be taken - Jesus didn't specify - but merely answered "Where there is a dead body, the vultures will gather."

So what other explanations are there to this passage? Where else could the people be taken to - if not to heaven? Well - one possibility is that the person was taken by some sort of government agency for torture because they were a Christian (insert favorite conspiracy theory here...) Another possibility is that "taken" doesn't refer to a physical snatching away - but merely to death - that one will die - and the other will be left alive. And obvisouly, the Rapture interpretation is certainly valid as well.

Personally, I cannot be sure exactly what Jesus was referring to in this passage - but what I do know - and one thing I do whole-heartedly agree with in the song - is that we should all the ready for that day - whatever happens - that we not turn away - that we not look back to our former life - but that we wait for Christ - doing his will all the time.

In the words of Larry Norman:
I hope we'll all be ready...

Who Do You Say That I Am?

In Luke 9, we read about a time that Jesus had gone off to pray - away from the crowds - with only his disciples around him. He asked his companions: "Who do the people say that I am?" All of the answers indicated that the people basically believed he was a reincarnation of a prophet who had died: John the Baptist, Elijah, or another ancient prophet.

Then Jesus asked them: "Who do you say that I am?" This was essentially his way of indicating that the crowds had it wrong - and that he expected his disciples to get it right. And Peter did... He said to Jesus: "You are the Christ (the Messiah) of God."

While Luke leaves it at that - and does not make any further comments - I believe that this question is still applicable to today - that we are still faced with that same question: Who do we say that Jesus is? Do we believe some in the world - who claim that he was merely a Good Teacher? Do we believe others who say that he was Misguided? Do we believe that he is simply a Figment of Ancient Imagination - possibly based on a real person - but not who the gospels present him to be? Each of these - and more - are reactions to Jesus that exist in our world.

But who do we say that he is? Who do you say that he is?

During this Advent season, as we prepare our hearts for Christmas, it's a good time to ask ourselves again: Who do we say that Jesus is - and what are we going to do about it?