Sunday, December 3, 2023, is the First Sunday of Advent.  Each year Advent begins the same way: It

continues, as if finishing old business from the past couple of weeks, the theme of Christ's coming at the end of time. but the new emphasis is on the theme that the coming of Christ is drawing near. (Next week, John the Baptizer will announce this in so many words.) In today's gospel passage Jesus says "know that the Kingdom of God is at hand."  

The verb that is translated "is at hand", engizo, means literally “drawing near some place.” Luke begins the story of the raising of the widow’s son at Naim by saying “As he drew near (engizo) the gate of the city a man who had died was being carried out… (Lk 7:12).” Jesus was at the walls of  the town. He was there. But he never actually went inside.

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem begins, “As they drew near (engizo) Jerusalem, entering Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent off two disciples with instructions… (Mt 21:1).” They’ve drawn near Jerusalem, but haven’t entered the city. Yet most scholars consider this passage the start of the “Jerusalem” section of Matthew’s gospel, agreeing that at this point one can safely say that Christ has come to Jerusalem.

Behold, my betrayer is at hand.

This dual meaning of both “near” and “present” comes out clearly in Matthew’s version of the Agony on the Garden. Everything is coming to a head. Judas is going to show up at any second with a band of soldiers to arrest Jesus. The Lord tells his weary apostles, “Sleep on now, enjoy your rest, the hour is upon us (engizo) when the Son of Man is to be handed over. Behold my betrayer is here (engizo) (Mt 26:54).” Notice how the RSV translates our verb as "is upon us" and "is here" in two successive sentences. 

In this context our verb has a sinister sense of foreboding, of some impending evil about to break in on Jesus and his friends. 

The most instructive use of the word, though, is in those familiar Advent passages announcing the Kingdom of God. On the Second Sunday of Advent John the Baptizer will shout “Reform your lives, the Kingdom of God is at hand (engizo) (Mt 3:2).” Jesus takes up the same theme in the next chapter, “Reform your lives, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (engizo) (Mt 4:17),” and later sends out his apostles with the instruction, “As you go make this announcement, 'The reign of God is at hand (engizo)' (Mt 10:7).”

If in the story of the arrest in Gethsemane engizo carries a sense of foreboding, then in the announcements of the kingdom it carries a sense of urgency. This doesn’t come through in the translation “is at hand.’ The real power of the expression comes from the important fact that whenever it is referring to the kingdom, engizo is always used in the past tense! We aren’t waiting for some future event to break in on us, something has already happened. Salvation has already appeared in our midst. 

Today's gospel passage uses the adjective form, "engus," "nearby, as good as here, etc., arrived¨. So, then, there is no time for deliberating, for thinking things through, for getting used to the idea of committing ourselves. What's called for instead is immediate, decisive action.

In my morning meditation on this passage today, I realized that I have never really taken seriously the implications of this "past tense" dimension of the message. I concluded that it may take a jolt on God's part to wake me up, to spur me into immediate action, into acting as if I am already living in the Kingdom. So, with a certain amount pf trepidation I assured the Lord that I will begin today to live as if I were already living in the Kingdom of Love and Peace that he came to establish. "No need for a big jolt, please, Lord!"