“In your patience possess ye your souls.”

(Luke 21:19)

 

The shocking suicides of the 39 people in the “Heaven’s Gate” cult seems to have been the result of a bizarre faith they held that the end of the world was ready to occur immediately. How did they reach such a disastrous conclusion? Why, by piecing together their belief in extra-terrestrial U F O’s, the sighting in the heavens the comet, “Hale Bopp”, and certain Bible passages descriptive of “last things” — specifically, the 21st chapter of St. Luke’s gospel which we read from the Contemporary English Version.

Let us listen again to this ominous message in the familiar wording of the old King James Version, which we have heard quoted so often:

“Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars — Nation shall rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom . . and great earthquakes . . and famine and pestilence . . . and great signs shall there be from heaven . . and they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you . . and some of you shall be put to death. And not a hair of your head shall perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.” So Jesus tells His disciples how they shall act in time of strife, commotion, war and persecution: “In your patience possess ye your souls.”

It is generally agreed that this 21st chapter of St. Luke’s gospel is “eschatological,” that is, that it has reference to “last things” that Jesus is speaking prophetically of things to come. But it is not generally agreed just what Jesus meant by these “last things”, just when these things would come to pass. “Last things” may mean many things.

Thus, there have been many people who are sure that Jesus, in this passage, clearly had reference to the end of that era for the Jewish nation. For in 70 A. D., some 40 years after Jesus spoke these words, Jerusalem was besieged by Roman armies under Titus. The city was utterly destroyed, the great granite walls of the Temple cast down, and the Jewish populace either put to the sword, or taken away to Ephesus or Rome to become victims in cruel gladiatorial games. Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. Surely, Jesus is here describing what was to take place in Jerusalem just two score years to come, and telling his disciples how they should conduct themselves in those fearful times: “in your patience possess ye your souls.”

On the other hand, there are many people who believe that the last things here described, of “wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, and earthquakes and famines and pestilences and great signs from heaven and persecution and death for the faithful”, has reference to the last things of the world, the cosmic upheavals attendant upon the consummation of history. Many believe that Jesus is here speaking prophetically, not only of the last days of the Jewish state, but also of the last days of the world. He certainly may have been. If He was, His injunction to His disciples who are destined to witness the breaking up of the firmament and to endure the climax of the agony of the ages is clear: “in your patience possess ye your souls.”

“Yet, again, many people have remarked that Jesus’ description of last things fits the picture of the end of any era of history. The times have often come in world history when nation has risen against nation — when there have been wars and rumors of wars — and great political upheavals and social earthquakes and persecution and famine and pestilence. These have been the signs of the times over and over again when an epoch ended and a new one began. Such, literally, were the circumstances attendant upon the French Revolution in the last quarter of the 18th century, the Russian Revolution in the 1st quarter of the 20th century, and today in the civil war among the former states of Yugoslavia, and the present revolutions in central Africa — in Zaire, Rwanda, and the Sudan. Whenever such dire conditions arise — in any epic of human history — Jesus seems to be counseling his disciples how they shall conduct themselves: “in your patience possess ye your souls.”

And yet again, the words of our Lord describing “last things” may well apply to the end of an epic in any individual’s personal life: to the last days of a home, the last days of a marriage, the last days of life itself, as the shadows lengthen, and the sands of life run out, and we approach the inevitable end of our days in this world. What commotion and earthquakes and upheavals in our emotions and thoughts and habits of life are we forced to undergo when we come to what is an irrevocable end of an epic for us! But very plainly our Lord tells us how we shall act in such times of personal grief, sorrow, suffering and loss: “in your patience possess ye your souls.”

In all such “last days”, times of great suffering and sorrow, whether such times be the end of the world, the end of an epic in world history, the end of a period or phase in our own lives, Jesus enjoins patience. But why patience? Why does He say to His disciples: “in patience possess ye your souls?”

First of all, He counsels patience because in such dire times there is nothing that people can do to change conditions and it is fitting the dignity of the human soul to endure in patience. Whether we like to admit it or not, we proud believers in the powers of humanity, such times do come – not only in the epochs of history, not only in the consummation of history, but even in our own lives, yours and mine, and in such times the Christian virtue par excellence is patience.

Please let us not misunderstand the Master here and think that He is counseling the patient endurance of just any sort of injustice and adverse circumstance which it is within our power to challenge, oppose and change.

Throughout the year 1829, in the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the Reverend George Moore labored trying to gather together a Presbyterian congregation.  Once while he was delivering a discourse a group of drunken rowdies came into the building and noisily proclaimed that they had come to stop such silly doings as preaching. They wanted none of it in Vicksburg. They ordered the preacher to stop preaching. To their surprise, Moore did stop, pulled off his coat, stepped rapidly down the aisle, and began to pummel them right and left. The men got out of the house as quickly as possible, and the minister went calmly back, put on his coat, and began to preach the glad gospel.

You and I ought to know, as well as did this determined evangel in Vicksburg, what is expected of us as Christians when we are confronted with adverse circumstances which are of such a nature that it is within our power to oppose and change them. Then, impatience is a Christian virtue, and patient endurance would be a sin.

But in this particular passage, Jesus is talking of the coming of those awful events, which are like a tornado or earthquake in that it is not possible for human power to resist or oppose or change them. At such times let the disciples of Christ be patient, if for no other reason, because patient endurance is more noble than sniveling cowardice or rebellious cynicism. Even the ancient pagans appreciated this virtue and bowed with dignity and bravery to the harsh hand of necessity.

But Jesus enjoins His disciples in such times, “in patience possess ye your souls”, not simply because it is a noble pagan virtue, fitting the dignity of a human being, but because of the bright promises of the faith he has bequeathed them. We Christians are not as those who have no hope when the earth crumbles, and the mountains are cast into the sea. For though humanity stands helpless in such a time, there is still God. The Christian has this word from Jesus: “Though ye shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends; and though some of you be put to death, and all of you are hated — there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.”

How can we understand this Christ? What sort of talk is this: “Ye shall be put to death — and — there shall not a hair of your head perish?” He involves us in a paradox and yet surrounds us with a beautiful morning light. How can I be put to death and yet not a hair of my head perish?

Here is the exaltation of the larger life over the smaller. This is the paradoxical talk of Christ. Paul caught the same feeling: he was the victim of the same contagion; for he said: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live; yet not I live, but Christ liveth in me.” So there are those in Christ’s church who have suffered the loss of all things that they might gain all things, who have died that they might begin to live.

God has made this Jesus Christ Lord of history. He has placed all things in subjection to Him, even the last things of the epochs of history, the final judgment, even the irrevocable, tragic occurrences in our private lives.

Once David Livingstone, during his explorations in Africa, encountered a hostile tribe at the fork of the Zambesi and Loangwa Rivers. It was necessary for him to have canoes to cross. The hostile tribe would lend him only one canoe and he needed many. In other respects the natives showed an attitude of hostility and all the appearances pointed to a furious attack on the following day. Livingstone was troubled at the prospect — not that he was afraid to die, but because all his discoveries in Africa would be lost and his hopes for opening up the country to Christianity dashed. But Livingstone remembered the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples: “Go ye therefore, into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” On this promise and last command of Jesus to his disciples, Livingstone steadied his fluttering heart. “It is the word of a gentleman,” he said.  “The word of one of the most perfect honor. I will not try, as I once thought, to escape tonight, but I will wait till tomorrow, and leave before them all. Should such a man as I be afraid?” And so he did. The next morning, though the natives still appeared to be ready for battle, Livingstone’s party crossed the river a few at a time, in the one canoe, without molestation.

When your world is shattered — “in your patience possess ye your souls”, says Jesus to his own, “For I am the Lord of history.  All things are in subjection to me.”

Finally, Jesus enjoins us to be patient when confronted by the gravest personal and cosmic calamities because thus, and only thus, do we possess, or win our souls. This is clearly the meaning of this text in the Greek. “In your patience possess ye your souls”, more accurately translated is: “By your patience, or your steadfast endurance as my disciples, you will win your souls.” Hence this verse in the new Contemporary English Version reads: “You will be saved by being faithful to me.”

Is this not a strange doctrine? That only through the exercise of patience we win or gain possession of our souls? Does Jesus mean that we do not already possess our own souls? You and I have seen some star player, a champion in a sporting contest, holding a silver cup. We say to him, “Is this cup yours?” He replies, “Not yet.” And then we say, “But you have it in your possession.” And then he explains that though he has it in his possession he has not yet won it. He says: “The rules of this contest are that if I succeed in two more encounters, then it will be mine and no one can take it from me.” It is his in a sense now, but it is not finally his until all the contests are done.

That is how it is with our souls. We have them now in possession. Now we must win them. Are not our souls our own? Only partially. They are ours to fight for and win. They are ours to gain possession of by our patient endurance as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. In our patience we shall win our life.

Dallas Willard traces the impotence of the Church of Christ in the world today, and the frustrations and unhappiness of many church members to the fact that our churches are filled with what he calls “undisciplined disciples”, persons who are not faithful in everything to Jesus Christ — who call him “Lord”, but “do not the things” He has clearly commanded His disciples to do.

And Willard says that this “Non-discipleship” has cost Christ, and the Kingdom of God, and each of us dearly: “It has cost us an abiding, steadfast peace of mind. It has cost us faith in the light of God’s over-riding governance for good. It has cost us a hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances. It has cost us the power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring.”

This is the word of Jesus Christ for all of us, His disciples, if and when we are surrounded by earthquakes, whirlwinds, wars and rumors of wars — “the last things” — the ultimate, irrevocable calamities which this lost world can hurl upon us: “In your patience possess ye your souls” — “By your steadfast endurance as my faithful disciples ye shall win your souls.”

“Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”