“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:4040Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. (Luke 12:40). The Sunday school teacher was reading the words slowly so that his class would realize how important it is to be ready for the Lord’s coming. As usual, Scott sat back in the corner looking out the window, only half listening as the verse was again repeated. It was a lovely, warm summer day, and the thoughts of a great afternoon of baseball and fun were not allowing the words to enter his heart.
Several hours later, Scott sat on the back steps of his home, waiting for Mother to finish the dishes so she wouldn’t see him sneak off to the baseball game. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she dried her hands on the towel—a signal that the dishes were done. Coming to the back door, she said, “Scott, please don’t leave the backyard this afternoon, will you?” Scott didn’t answer because he didn’t want to lie to his mother, thinking to himself, “If I don’t promise, I won’t be lying.” Strange, though, how his mother seemed to know just what he was secretly planning.
As soon as he heard her footsteps leave the kitchen, he quickly ran down the steps, across the yard and jumped over the back fence. He was on his way to an afternoon of fun, so he thought. But that very afternoon the Lord was going to speak to Scott in a real way about what the verse meant that they’d had in Sunday school: “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”
On his way to the corner baseball game, he passed the Taylor’s house and noticed a horseshoe game being played in the backyard by Mr.
Taylor, his two sons, and a neighbor. Scott had been wanting to try to play horseshoes for some time, so he stopped to watch. Just as he had hoped, he was soon asked to join in the game. Boy, what fun it was to throw horseshoes; and he was quite good at it, too.
In an especially exciting game, Scott stooped down to pick up his horseshoes, forgetting that all the shoes were not thrown yet. “Look out, Scott!” yelled Mr. Taylor, but it was too late. Before he could move out of the way, the horseshoe hit him on the head. He felt an awful pain in his head, and as he fell to the ground these words flashed across his mind, “Be ye therefore ready.”
Mr. Taylor ran into the house to get a first aid kit and called to his wife. Mrs. Taylor hurried outside. They washed the blood from his face, cleaned the deep cut in his head, and applied some medicine and a bandage. Mrs. Taylor had Scott lie down in the shade until he felt well enough to go home.
Until now, Scott had thought he could get away with being disobedient. But now with this bandage, Mother and Dad would know what he had done. He was sorry now he had disobeyed. His head was beginning to throb painfully, and he was sure he would be punished when he got home. The afternoon that once promised so much pleasure had turned into a disaster!
When he got home, he went in as quietly as possible through the back door. As he headed toward his room, he became aware of how quiet it was in the house. In fact, he got the feeling that he was all alone. He hurried to the front of the house, but no one was there. Alarmed, he ran upstairs, searching each room, but no one was up there either. Could the Lord have come? He knew the Bible said Jesus was coming again. He looked at the clock—it was 8:00. No wonder no one was home, the family was at the gospel meeting! Coming back downstairs, he glanced out the front door.
He could hardly believe his eyes—the family car was in its usual place in front of the house! The Lord must have come, and he was left here on earth!
He thought of the Meyers family who were Christians. Their oldest son, Mark, was his best pal. Mark had told him just last year that he had accepted Jesus as his Saviour. He would go check their house. He went by the baseball game on his way to the Meyers’ home. It no longer interested him, because something was far more important to him now. When he got to the Meyers’ home, his worst fears were confirmed—there was no one at the Meyers’ house either! A very frightened Scott hurried back home, unable to shut out that verse that had once seemed unimportant: “Be ye therefore ready: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” He remembered hearing his Dad say, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the Lord will come, and then it will be too late to be saved.”
By the time he reached home, he was in a near panic, tears streaming down his face. He was sure he was lost forever! He sat on the front steps wondering what would happen to him now. He wished over and over again that he had accepted Jesus as his Saviour before it was too late. Just then a car pulled up and stopped in front of the house, and his Mother, Dad and two sisters got out. They had gone to meeting with Uncle John and Aunt Nancy. That’s why the car was still at home.
Words could not describe Scott’s relief. How thankful he was that the Lord hadn’t come yet! It wasn’t too late to be saved, but he knew now that he had better not waste any more time. Mother and Dad, not knowing his thoughts, were asking other questions—why did he have that bandage on his head, and why wasn’t he home in time to go to meeting? They had been very worried about him. When he told them the whole story, they were very sorry that he was hurt, but his father reminded him that it was the result of his disobedience. As a further punishment, he would not be allowed to go out to play after school for two weeks. Being grounded for two weeks would have seemed unbearable before today’s experience, but now he had a far greater worry. He knew he was not ready for the Lord to come.
Alone in his room, he threw himself on his bed and cried to God to save him from the punishment that his sins deserved, and to make him ready for the Lord’s coming. He told God that he wanted Jesus to be his Saviour. He thanked God for giving His only Son to die on the cross for sinners like him. Now he believed the verses he had only memorized before. His heart was filled with happiness, because now he had peace with God. Down the stairs he flew to tell Mother and Dad the good news!
That night there was joy in heaven over one sinner repenting, and there was joy in Scott’s home, a joy never known until then. Today, many years later, Scott still remembers that night and the happiness that filled his heart, happiness that has never left him.
ML-08/23/1981