Alert

Series: Matthew- ETB 2025

Jesus is coming back.

Scripture: Matthew 24:36-51

An Unknown Hour (v.36-41)

Be Alert (v.42-44)

Be Faithful (v.45-51)

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Many people are curious—and perhaps fearful—about the end of the world. Everyone from the preppers and survivalists to the general skeptic finds the prospect of the end of the world to be a fascinating subject. We read books and watch movies that portray the final days of the planet. Doomsday theories abound. People in general want to know the when, how, who, and what regarding the end of the age. In that, we are not too far removed from Jesus’s first disciples.

What is it about the end of the world that most fascinates or frightens you?

Matthew 24:1–8 KJV 1900

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:15–28 KJV 1900

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Daniel 9:24–27 KJV 1900

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Every person can be prepared for future things by committing to these three principles.

Principle #1- Be Informed. (v.36-41)

Matthew 24:36–41 KJV 1900

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

(v. 36)The words but of mark a transition to a different topic. In Matthew 24:4-35, Jesus had shared signs for recognizing the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the end time events (v. 3). But in verse 36, He told them something that knoweth no man. This included both God’s angelsand, presumably, the Son. Only my Father knows the day and hourwhen these things would come to pass. Jesus now spoke of that day in the singular, referring to “the day of the Lord.” Hour is also in the singular. He used the same expression in 24:50 and in 25:13.

Jesus now was clearly talking about His future return, sometimes called His parousia (after the Greek word for “coming”). The words must have shocked His disciples. Since no one knows when Jesus will return, it is impossible to set a date for it. As Jesus was about to point out, believers should devote their energy to preparing for His return rather than predicting it.

(vv. 37-39)Because the date and time of Jesus’s return cannot be known, it will catch people unaware, like the flood in the days of Noah. Jesus made the comparison twice (vv. 37,39). Leading up to the flood, people went about their normal business: eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The idea of eating and drinking covers both normal meals and banquets. It also could suggest a crudeness that marked sinful humanity in the pre-flood era. Marrying and giving in marriage are the common verbs used in relation to a wedding ceremony.

In this passage, Jesus emphasized the need for preparation. Before the flood, people were oblivious to the danger until the waters came, and took them all away. Since Noah was a “preacher of righteousness,” they heard the warnings of judgment (2 Pet. 2:5). They simply gave no attention to God in their lives. As a result, they did not anticipate the coming judgment. They rejected Noah’s calls to repent; and, eventually, it was too late. The sudden and unexpected event was catastrophic! Only those who had obeyed God’s words and prepared properly (Noah and his family) were spared on the ark.

(vv. 40-41)Jesus then used two short examples drawn from the first century: two men . . . in the field and two women . . . grinding at the mill. Perhaps the men were coworkers or a father and a son. Perhaps the women were neighbors or a mother and daughter. Regardless, they were participating in the normal activities of life. In both cases Jesus said, one shall be taken, and the other left. Again, the event will occur suddenly, without warning.

Scholars, depending on their prophetic views, debate whether it is better to be taken or to be left behind in Jesus’s example. Some believe that taken refers to the rapture or the gathering of God’s elect. Thus, the person is taken to be with the Lord, and the other person is left for judgment.

Others point to the previous example from the days of Noah, where those swept away by the flood were taken away in judgment, while those left behind (Noah and his family) were saved. Either way, Jesus’s emphasis was on the unexpected nature of His return, leading into His command to be prepared when the time comes.

Object Lesson: Phone Notifications

Invite adults to take out their phones and consider any unaddressed notifications. Ask: How much attention do you pay to the notifications on your phone? How quickly do you respond to them? Point out that we might choose to ignore a notification—we know it has come and that more will follow. Explain that the same is true of Jesus’s return. Note that we don’t know when He will come back, but we can be sure that it’s going to happen. 

Imperative #2- Be Alert. (v.42- 44)

Matthew 24:42–44 KJV 1900

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

(v. 42)As pointed out, many will be caught by surprise by Jesus’s return because no one can know the time or date (vv. 36-41). Therefore Jesus told His disciples to be ready always—to watch. We are called to maintain constant vigilance.

Jesus’s use of thereforeindicates a conclusion of an idea or lesson point from His twin illustrations in verses 36-41. Watch is written as a present tense active imperative. This means the phrase stresses both the authority of a command and the warning of an ongoing need for active watchfulness.

Again, the reason for vigilance on the part of Christ followers is ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Again Jesus emphasized that ye know not. If neither He nor the angels of God know the timing of His return, it is foolish for any human to speculate (v. 36). However, Jesus did note that it is “your Lord” who will come for His followers. The term does not illuminate any details about the second coming, but it does remind readers that Jesus has an intimate and personal relationship with His people.

Since the phrase also suggests a measure of ownership or belonging, it should remind us of our responsibility to live out our faith (and our belief in Jesus’s return) until He comes back. Because we do not know what day it will arrive, we must live with a consistent spiritual tension that produces constant readiness. We have to act like His return could happen at any time because that is the only way to be found faithful when He actually comes back.

(v. 43)To illustrate the need for constant vigilance until His return, Jesus shared a short parable about a goodman of the house and a thief (see also Luke 12:39). This image comparing Jesus’s return to a thief striking without warning was later repeated by Paul (1 Thess. 5:2-4), Peter (2 Pet. 3:10), and John (Rev. 3:3; 16:15) in their writings to first-century churches.

Of course, in proper context, the image does not suggest dishonesty or a lack of integrity on the part of Jesus. It is not implying that He shares those qualities with a common thief. Rather, it underscores the sudden and unexpected nature of the His second coming—and the catastrophic consequences for those who are not prepared. Again, the focus is on vigilance.

Jesus noted that if an owner knew in what watch the thief would come, he would not be caught with his guard down. Given this information, he would have watched and taken precautions. For example, he might have set guards to protect his property. But since he didn’t know, he slept.

What watch literally is “which time.” Both the Jews and the Romans divided the night into “watches.” The Jews recognized three watches, while the Romans observed four. Each watch lasted several hours.

Jesus’s description of the burglar’s action is based on the construction of the houses in the first century. Walls were made of sun-dried mud bricks, so a house literally was broken up. The verb means “to dig through.” Jesus used the same word in the Sermon on the Mount when He encouraged people not to treasure temporal things that could be destroyed or stolen by thieves breaking in (Matt. 6:19-20).

(v. 44)Jesus repeated His call to readiness but shifted the motivation. In addition to the uncertainty of the time, He added the certainty of the event. He noted that, date and hour aside, the Son of man cometh. Jesus’s return is a sure thing, even though it is yet to take place.

Ye think not is emphatic and presses home each disciple’s personal responsibility to be ready for Jesus’s return. That Jesus compared His return to the coming of a thief emphasizes its unexpectedness, as well as its unpleasantness for those who are not prepared.

Imperative #3- Be Faithful. (v.45-51)

Matthew 24:45–51 KJV 1900

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(vv. 45-47)After illustrating the sudden nature of His return, Jesus told a series of parables stressing responsibility and accountability. The parable of the servants is similar to that in Luke 12:42-48. Bible students debate whether Jesus pictured two different servants—a faithful and wise servant (vv. 45-47) and an evil servant (vv. 48-51)—or whether the same servant debated the consequences of two courses of action. In keeping with His reference to two men (v. 40) and two women (v. 41), it seems reasonable that Jesus referred to two servants.

Assuming Jesus was referring to two different servants, both were put into the same set of circumstances. In language reminiscent of Joseph being appointed over Potiphar’s house (Gen. 39:4) and all of Egypt (41:39-41), the faithful servant was made ruler overhis master’s household. The word lord literally is “master” (kyrios) and recalls verse 42.

This is the only time this term for a household (oiketeia) is used in the New Testament. It refers to control over the master’s property, along with the supervision of his fellow servants. For example, he was responsible for getting them meat (or food rations) in due season.

Jesus highlighted the trust this servant had earned. He also called the man wise, which suggests “prudent” or “discerning.” It is the same word Jesus used for those who build their lives on the solid foundation of His teachings (Matt. 7:24).

For whatever reason, the master went away with no indication of when he would get back. But he expected to find the servant doing his job upon his return. If so, the servant would take responsibility for all his goods. The servant would be blessed, indicating God’s favor.

(vv. 48-50)As noted, Jesus contrasted the faithful worker with one who was evil. More emphasis falls on the wicked servant as his thoughts, actions, and punishment are given in more detail. The wicked servant’s internal conversation—in his heart—focused on his master’s absence. The word rendered delayeth can refer to a failure to return in a timely manner. Confident the master wouldn’t return for a long time, the evil man began to smite his fellowservants. In addition, he neglected his duties by carousing with the drunken (see 1 Thess. 5:5-7).

Once again, Jesus used the singular words day and hour (see v. 36) to refer to what the servant looketh not for or was not aware of. Obviously the master’s return pictures Jesus’s own return, as He explained in verses 36-44.

(v. 51)Punishment awaited the wicked servant. Jesus said the master would appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. In other words, he would suffer the same punishment as those Jesus condemned (see Matt. 23:13-29). In Luke’s parallel passage, these hypocrites are labeled “the unbelievers” (Luke 12:46).

The punishment will be severe: He shall cut him asunder. This terminology is only used elsewhere in Scripture to describe the dismemberment of sacrificial animals. Possibly then the wording means “cut off” (that is, being cast out or excommunicated); but, given the context, it likely refers to literal torture and suffering.

Further, the place of confinement would involve weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus identified this place of anguish as the eternal destination of the wicked. It seems reasonable to assume that the evil servant’s suffering on earth provides a hint to the intensity of eternal suffering for those who reject Christ.