Matthew 24:36-51
“But as for that day and hour no one knows it—not even the angels in heaven—except the Father alone. For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; one will be taken and one left.
“Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But if that evil slave should say to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
For the rest of this week, all that Jesus says will focus on this theme: Be ready for the return of Christ.
In today’s reading, Jesus contrasts His Second Coming with the fall of Jerusalem. When Jerusalem fell, there were lots of signs to show that it was about to happen. But when Jesus returns, there will be no signs.
Jesus says that a faithful servant will always be ready for the return of their master. How often do you think about the return of Jesus? If you thought about it more, do you think your life would be different?
If Jesus returned today, how comfortable would you feel how you used the opportunities that He gave you. Are there some acts of service that you want to give before you reach judgement day? Do you want to develop a better prayer life or better Bible study habits? Perhaps there is some sin in your life that you want to deal with before you stand before your Creator.
PRAYERS
Pray that we will be faithful servants, always ready for the return of Jesus
Thanks that Jesus is returning to call us into glory one day