Matthew 24:36-44 is a collection of sayings of Jesus around the theme of what theologians call eschatology. Chapter 24:1-36 is the “little apocalypse” that we also find in Mark 13. 24:37-51 is a collection of sayings from the material he shares with Luke. Matthew's counsel to Christians in between the time of the coming of Jesus and the coming of the end is that they are to focus upon acts of faithfulness, remaining obedient to all of Jesus' commands so that when that end-time finally arrives, the Christian will have no fear.
One might boil down the theme of this passage to the relationship between eschatology and ethics, or the question of how to live in the present considering the uncertainties of the future. The imperative that the passage promotes in regard to this relationship is the need for persistent watchfulness. The motifs of watching and knowing figure prominently in this passage such that a lack of knowledge provides even more reason for remaining attentive. The motif of knowledge is one that we can see throughout the passage.
In Matthew 24:36, a passage that began in verse 32 containing lessons from a fig tree, a passage whose source is Mark 13, we have a saying that limits human knowledge of the end-time. 36 “But about that day and hour no one knows (οἶδεν). Such a saying reaffirms the eschatological nature of the reign of God as an act of God in the future. Yet, the saying has an odd character in the context of Mark, since the point of the entire discourse is to tell the disciples when the end will happen. The passage reminds us that Jesus and his followers lived with the expectation of the end. Yet, it also reminds us that they the timing of the end was never as significant as it was in some circles. They lived with the hope contained in the notion of the end of all things, but reflection on the time of its occurrence was not central. The saying flies in the face of all those who, throughout Christian history, have declared they have deciphered exactly when the Messiah will return. The saying indicates that the end does have a specific day and hour. The saying is eschatological in referring to the last judgment and Parousia. The Parousia is near while the precise timing remains unknown. Such an attitude is not typical of Jewish apocalyptic. The New Testament expectation is always an imminent one. The expectation in which Jesus lived and died is what he saw as the goal of his life and death. No one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. The verse reminds us that “the Son” has limits to his knowledge. With the rise of the Docetic controversy, which denied that Jesus was completely human, this verse was important in showing that he was fully human. Such lack of knowledge by the Son shows that we are not to see in the Incarnation a mere transfer of the divine attributes to the human nature of Jesus as possible.[1] In it, we can see the distinction between the rule of God and the church as well. Johannes Weiss brought all of this to the attention of biblical and theological circles.[2] Obviously, the church and individual Christians would show some wisdom in not claiming to possess more knowledge than does the Son or the angels![3] Jesus shares the human uncertainty of not knowing the moment. Yet, the revelation of the rule of God has a close link with the consummation of the life Jesus in his death and resurrection.[4] In fact, an analogy would be our experience of the importance of purpose or goal to determine meaning. The meaning of individual words or sentences has their meaning in the context of the novel that has a beginning and end. In the same way, historical beings have a purpose and goal only if the fulfillment of their history is an historical event.[5]
Matthew 24:37-42 contains sayings on the Son of Man. Verses 37-41 emphasize the unexpected nature of the Son of Man's coming. People will be carrying on their normal occupations, unaware that the decisive messianic moment had arrived. Typical of apocalyptic literature, it warns of the surprising suddenness of the Parousia.
Verse 37-39, contain a saying on like Noah, is from the material Matthew shares with Luke 17:26-27. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew (ἔγνωσαν) nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus reminds his listeners of another predicted, but not precisely timed, event - the cataclysmic flood. The flood, sent by God to wipe out the wicked, caught an entire generation unawares, unprepared for judgment. The text makes a comparison between the coming of the Son of Man and the biblical stories of great destruction. "Eating, drinking, and marrying" without a thought to God's judgment was typical of Noah's day according to rabbis. Jesus admonishes his listeners to watch and be ready for the unexpected and unpredictable return of the Son of Man, to prepare for the tumultuous events about to unfold in Jerusalem.
Verse 40-41, taken or left, has a source in in the material Matthew shares with Luke 17:31, 34. It belongs to common lore in that we cannot know when death will strike.[6] 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. The saying is about people separated during routine activity, such as while they are eating and drinking or at work. The version in Thomas makes death the agent of separation, while in Matthew and Luke the agent is the Son of Man. It warns of the division that will ensue at the Parousia. Neither warning refers to the person of Jesus. Matthew stresses the unexpected and sudden character of this end. The outcome of those caught unprepared is that they are going about their everyday tasks when one is taken and the other is left behind. For one, the dream of a redeemed life finds fulfillment. For another, separation from the divine and the nightmare is just beginning. Jesus is making the case a perpetual state of readiness for those who follow him.
Verse 42 is a reminder to keep awake precisely because you do not know when the end will come. 42 Keep awake (Γρηγορεῖτε) therefore, for you do not know (οἴδατε) on what day your Lord is coming.
Here are some important reasons to say awake spiritually.
First, do not go through life like a sleepwalker, without seeing or noticing what is going on all around us. Jesus is warning against being "asleep at the switch," an expression that originated in the railroad industry. It refers to someone who has missed something important, has not noticed some critical detail or who might be placing themselves or others in danger because of a lack of attention. If an engineer dozes off while tending the switches (controls) that guide the train, it could easily cause a crash. It is vital to "stay awake."
Second, Jesus calls us to give attention with his urgent message, "Stay awake!" so that we will be ready to respond to the needs around us. You may see a need in your church, at work, or in the community. Stay awake with a generous response of time, talent, and treasure.
We need to stay alert, third, so that we can notice God at work in our midst.
Fourth, we need to wake up our spirits so that we can be aware of God's presence in our lives.
Maybe Jesus is not so much telling us never to shut our eyes as, fifth, to avoid closing down our spirits. We can easily move through our day as though in a dream. We could stare at a screen or move from one device to another, fillings eyes and mind with images, while never leaving room for the whisper of the Spirit. We can lose time by clicking our way through portions of the day, and then wondering where they time went. Wake up! What did we miss while watching television endlessly or playing yet another favorite internet or Facebook game? In an age when it is possible to have your eyes glued to some screen or another almost 24/7, it may be time to wake up to other possibilities.
Jesus commands us to be watchful and, sixth, to expect the unexpected. Jesus talks about a God who will surprise us by coming when we are not looking or arriving in a guise that we do not expect. This powerful passage reminds us to be aware that the God who came into the world in such a surprising way still wishes to enter our lives today. Too often, we find ourselves with the innkeepers who turn away the Christ with the words, "no room." Our minds are full, our calendars are packed, our expectations are low, and so we are not actively looking and seeking for the living Christ in our midst. We are too busy, and our minds are too occupied; without even noticing we push Jesus away. And Jesus cries, "Wake up!"
Every moment contains the possibility that we will hear the invitation, seventh, to open our hearts and minds to the arrival of the Christ. If Jesus knocks on the door of our lives, we want to be awake enough to invite him inside. Churches often allow circumstances to lull them into the complacency of "we have always done it that way." Are we going through life the same way? Are we actively looking for the Christ in the person that we greet at the store or on the street or even in our home? Will we be alert enough to recognize the surprising Christ who arrived not in a palace but in a tucked-away manger? How will the Christ come to us, and will we recognize him when he does? What can we do to be more intentional about welcoming the Christ into our lives?
Just as employers implore their workers to make changes in their lives so that they can be more alert during office hours, Jesus calls us to be aware of the changes we need to make in our lives.
What miracles are we missing simply because we are too distracted to notice? What blessings are we passing by because endless details consume our minds? Are we blindly stumbling through our lives unaware of God's presence all around us?
Matthew 24:43-44 is a saying on the homeowner and burglar. The source is material Matthew and Luke 12:39-40 share. The emphasis is not the joyful nature of the coming of Christ, but his coming in judgment. 43But understand (γινώσκετε) this: if the owner of the house had known (ᾔδει) in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake (ἐγρηγόρησεν) and would not have let his house be broken into.Rather than the owner assigning slaves to guard their master’s house, which one might expect, the owner of the house must remain on duty. If he fails to stay awake and watch, a thief will come and break into his house. Jesus says that the promised day of the Lord, that cataclysmic ending of the old world, and beginning of the new, will take place like "a thief in the night." He does not say that God is a thief, or that he is a thief. Yet he uses an evocative, even offensive, metaphor for describing how the reign of God steals in among us. It is like a thief. The nature of a burglar is not to prepare those whom he is planning to burglarize. Surprise, unexpectedness, and shock typify burglaries. Jesus returning like a thief became a common theme in the New Testament.
I Thessalonians 5:2
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
I Thessalonians 5:4
But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;
II Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Revelation 3:3
Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
Revelation 16:15
("See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame."
A woman in the church of William Willimon called him one day crying so hard he could hardly understand her. He eventually made out her tragic words, "I have been robbed! Someone has come in and stolen all of my family heirlooms! The silver! The china! All the things that my mother accumulated and gave to me, gone!" He rushed over to her house, to find someone overcome with grief. He knew how much these things meant to her, how she treasured them, was proud of them, lovingly recalled them as an inheritance from her parents. "This thing could kill her," said one of the people in the congregation who knew her. He was worried about her future. And yet, about six months later, they were talking, and he was shocked to hear her say, "In one sense, the burglary was one of the best things that has happened to me. I didn't realize it, but I had become tied down to those things. I was afraid to leave the house for fear this might happen. I spent half my day polishing that silver, keeping up all that old china. That was really stupid when you think about it. Life ought to be more. I thought I would die after the burglary. But I've come to the conclusion that I may be better off without all that stuff."
We ought to make this a parable for how a thief may rip off just that aspect of ourselves that needs ripping off. We cling so tightly to so much stuff. Sometimes, we think of ourselves as collecting things, when the reality is our things are busy controlling us. When things are torn away from us, perhaps it may be possible for us to think of our lives as having improved. We have not so much lost our possessions as regained our lives!
If we stay awake, the hope is that God will steal into our lives in an unexpected way.
44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Therefore, you are to be ready, for the Son of Man will come just as unexpectedly as a thief will.
Some human professions and agencies must maintain a state of readiness. Doctors, for example, often wear pagers or carry charged cell phones so that if they are needed in the ER, they are ready and available to leave at a moment’s notice. The call will come; they just do not know when. Likewise, our military has strategic plans for maintaining a state of readiness in the event of an emergency. Police agencies, the Red Cross, lawyers, detectives, even pastors operate in a state of readiness. They are ready to jump into action as a situation develops or unfolds. Jesus calls upon his followers to be ready. What does that mean for those of us who live with day-to-day responsibilities, earning a living, providing for families, living in relationships and so on?
Yes, if you get into the study of what the Bible says about “the end,” it can become complicated. I have made the passage far more complicated than it needed to be. Yet, we find in this passage some simple advice. Do not be afraid. Adopt the perspective of eternity. Dress yourselves for action.
I sometimes marvel at the work of those medieval stonemasons, the ones who labored on the great cathedrals of Europe. They would spend their entire lives, some of them, carving some small section of the edifice. It may have been the face of a gargoyle up in the rafters. Or the ornate corner of a vaulted ceiling - an intricately crafted piece hidden from the view of all but the most observant spectator. They would work for years and years. Of course, they would never see the cathedral finished. A job like that took centuries to complete. What must it have felt like? I suspect they had a sense of pride in their work rarely matched by others. They knew that what they did was part of a larger whole. They had bound their lives up with something big and glorious, the results of which they might never experience in their lifetime. It did not matter that no one saw their work, or no one remembered their name. Because God saw, and God remembered. Every little shape and corner was important. Now would that not be something? To think that even the trivial things mattered. Even if no one ever noticed? Even if you yourself never lived to see the results? How many times have you asked yourself if what you did really made any difference?
We can accomplish in our lifetimes only a tiny fraction of the enterprise that we think of as the work of God. Nothing we do is complete. No program accomplishes the mission of the church. We may never see the result. We are anticipations of a future we do not own.[7]
[1] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 388.
[2] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 621.
[3] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 621.
[4] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.2 [47.1] 498-9.
[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 587.
[6] Jesus Seminar
[7] Inspired by Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero.
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