“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”
Philippians 4:5 NKJV
The word maranatha, consists of two Aramean words, Maran’athah, which means , “our Lord comes,” or is “coming.” If the latter interpretation is adopted, then the meaning of the phrase is, “Our Lord is coming. Just like the word ‘shalom’ is used among the Jews at welcomes and goodbyes, maranatha was so used among the early Christians. They lived in earnest expectation of the Lord’s return, so brethren reminded each other at every opportunity, of this great expected event. Maranatha therefore became for them, a warning to live right, and an encouragement that the trials of the season will soon be over.
History has proven that the expected return of our King did not take place in their times, but the ardency of their expectations helped them to experience and express Christianity on a level that now seems impossible for us. They lived Holy and untainted in a world as corrupt as ours because heaven was more real to them than the glitters of the world. The irony is, that we, who are closer to the Lord’s return are not living the maranatha life.
Our text for today is ageless, but in my opinion, it’s more relevant to our generation than theirs. In this age of murderous aggression in the pursuit of wealth,power and fame, we are called to live gently and moderately. Be mindful of Heaven and our coming king in your pursuit of earthly gains and pleasure, because they all will be like trash at His coming.
Let us introduce a little maranatha into our gossips and petty gists to remind each other that we are transitory. Please tap the slumbering saint awake, for all the signs are saying He will soon be here. Let your needs and desires, not cause you to derail, because those pressing needs will no longer matter, at His appearing.
Saints, let the meaning of the word warm our hearts as we journey on, MARANATHA