SSL 7 - Matthew 24:36-51 - What About the Future?
LAST WEEK: We studies Jesus' third and final parable in Chap. 22, The Parable of the Wedding Feast, which foretold what would happen to the religious leaders and, indded, to all others who rejected Christ. What were the principal points of application?
- In the parable, Jesus affirmed that God invites everyone to a personal relationship with Him, but only those who respond with obedient faith in Jesus Christ will be "chosen."
- Like the first group of guests, many people today demonstrate the same misplaced priorities.
The invitation goes out to them, but they are too preoccupied with their worldly lives. Living only for themselves, they disregard the messengers and Jesus, the One who sent them. Others, like the improperly dressed man, want to go to heaven but are unwilling to come to God on His terms (i.e., repent and accept Christ as Lord and Savior). They seek some other way, but there is no other way! Thus, all are invited, but not all are chosen.
THIS WEEK: Taking place on the Tuesday of Jesus' final week on earth, the lesson covers the second part of Jesus' Olivet Discourse to His disciples on the end times when He responded to their question, "When will these things be?" We humans seem to have an instinctive curiosity about what the future will hold, and Jesus' disciples were no exception to this.
SKIPPED CHAPTERS AND VERSES:
Summary-Matthew 23:1-39 - Jesus Denounces the Scribes and Pharisees: In a series of denunciations, each beginning with the formulaic "woe to you," Jesus chastises the leaders who fail to follow the teaching of the Messiah-that greatness means to be a servant and that it is those who humble themselves who will be exalted. In this lengthy series we hear Jesus' criticism of leaders who in their actions fail to live up to what they teach. As such, the "woes" pronounced are negative mirror images of the "blessings" of the Sermon on the Mount and the actions described are a failure to exhibit the coming together of "hearing" and "doing" which it calls for. This segment ends with the "Lament over Jerusalem," like a mourner at a funeral, just before He give His discourse on the "End of the Age" in the next chapter.
Summary-Matthew 24:1-35 - The Signs of the End of the Age: In regard to concerns about the "end times" Jesus cautions the disciple community not to be mislead by false promises about the Messiah, but rather to be encouraged by the promise that there will be clear signs when the Son of Man comes to gather his chosen ones. The disciples' notice of the temple buildings calls for Jesus to remark on their future destruction (a remark that many readers see as a clue to the dating of Matthew as post destruction of the temple). The disciples immediately turn this to reflection on Jesus' coming and ask "when" it will be and "what sign" will accompany it. Jesus warns that there will be catastrophic events and persecution because of his name, but cautions them not to be led astray by false messianic claims about the end. Instead they are to focus on the need for endurance and the promise that the good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to all nations before the end (24:13-14; see also 28:18-20). There will be suffering, but they are not to be misled by false promises about the Messiah (24:15-28). Instead they should be encouraged by the promise that when the Son of Man comes he will gather his chosen ones (24:29-31), that the signs will be so clear as not to be missed (24:32-33), and that Gods' words will abide firm and will never pass away (24:35).
Read Matt. 24:36-41 - Be Reminded
36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, 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 when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
- "concerning that day" (v.36) - Here, Jesus refers back to the disciples' original question in v.3 about the timing of his return.
- "no one knows...but the Father only" (v.36) - The disciples were probably perplexed by this answer. Jesus Himself did not know at that time because He willingly limited His divine nature while on earth.
- "days of Noah" (v.37) - Jesus compares the time of his second coming to the great evil and corruption that characterized humankind at the time of Noah.
- "as in those days" (v.38) - referred to life centered on normal things like eating, drinking, marrying, in other words, though sinful and degenerate, life went on as usual, as if nothing were going to happen, a sign of both arrogance and rebellion against God.
- "and they were unaware until the flood came" (v.39) - Jesus compares His second coming to the timing of Noah's flood. Though the people in the days of Noah had been warned (i.e., the building and boarding of Noah's ark was in of itself a prophetic statement), judgment eventually came, suddenly and quite unexpectedly. The people, in their arrogance, were unaware of both the imminence and the severity of a judgment the swept them all away. Jesus will come the same way, and like the people of Noah's day, many will be unprepared.
- "two men...one taken and one left...two women..." (v.40-41) - Again, as in vv.38-89, Jesus depicts people doing ordinary things when He comes. There is some scholarly debate on the terms "one taken and one left," some arguing that it denotes the rapture, but a majority say that those "taken" were like those swept away in the flood, and those "left" were like those saved in the ark, i.e., the righteous believers in Christ who will be left on the earth. In either case, the main point emphasizes there will be a major division of people at Jesus' second coming.
Read Matthew 24:42-44 - Be Alert
42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
- "Therefore, stay awake" (v. 42a) - Since the timing of Jesus second coming is a mystery, we must constantly remain alert for His coming. The Greek verb Jesus used for "stay awake" is the same one He used in the garden of Gethsemane when he asked Peter and John to "watch" with Him. In practical terms, we demonstrate spiritual alertness by faithful living in our day-to-day lives rather than trying to speculate on the timing of His return. We also do this by opposing those who deny He is in fact coming ( see, 2 Pet. 3:3-4).
- "you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (v.42b) - Jesus makes it abundantly clear that rather than worry about the exact day and time of His coming, we should instead trust His perfect timing of events. We need to remind ourselves that God is never early or late in carrying out His plans of salvation. We need leave it up to Him as a matter of faith and trust. Finally, the phrase "your Lord is coming" is a statement of prophetic fact--He is absolutely certain to return at the time of His choosing.
NOTE: Bible scholars have recognized a Second Coming dilemma or conflict between vv. 32-35 (i.e., that we will be able to foresee His coming by the "signs," like the knowing the coming of summer) as opposed to the unknowable mystery of vv. 36-41. Scholars have resolved this dilemma by dividing Jesus' return into two parts: (1) The first is "in the air" for the church, known as the rapture (see, Mt. 24:30-31; cf., 1 Thess. 4:16-17) and (2) the second, to the earth, coming with the church, known as the Second Coming (see, Rev. 1:7).
- "if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming" (v.43) - To stress the importance of being alert, Jesus used the illustration of a thief to make His point: If the owner knows the day and time a thief will coming to his house, he can take whatever precautions are needed to ensure the thief can't get in, correct? But since homeowners typically don't when a thief will strike, they use locks and security system to keep the thief out. In the same way, we should be prepared for Jesus' return.
- "you must be ready" (v.44) - Notice this is a command not a suggestion. So, here's the self-test: If you knew for a certainty that Jesus were returning tomorrow, would you still be doing the same things you're doing now and living your life the same way? If not, what would you change? The clear message is that Jesus expects us to be prepared today, not caught off guard.
Read Matthew 24:45-47 - The Faithful Servant
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
- "faithful and wise servant...put in charge (v.45) - Here, Jesus uses an illustration or parable of a servant left in charge of the master's house while he is away. He is depicted as a person who diligently performs his job whether the master is there or not there. This servant is characterized by his genuine desire to please the master in the performance of his job.
- "when the master returns...put him in charge of all of his possessions" (vv.46-47) - When the master returns at some unexpected time and sees the servant has faithfully fulfilled His responsibilities, the master will not only praise him but reward him by putting him in charge of even more of the master's possessions (i.e., a promotion and a raise). In like manner, if we stay prepared as diligent and faithful servants, Jesus will reward us. In practical terms, this goes back to faithful living in our day-to-day lives, using our time, gifts, talents, resources, energy, and influence to build Jesus' Kingdom as if we expect Him to return tomorrow. Are we doing this?
Read Matthew 24:48-51 - The Evil Servant (a warning)
48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,'49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- "wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed'" (vv.48-49) - In a second illustration, Jesus portrays the fate of an evil servant, that is to say, that all people in the world either serve (obey) or refuse to serve (rebel). The term, 'My master is delayed,' refers to a false disciple, a person whose life is evidenced by sin rather than service to God (e.g., by the "works of the flesh" listed in Gal. 5:19-21). This servant, characterized as mistreating his fellow servants, getting drunk and behaving irresponsibly in general (i.e., rebellion), acts as of the master is not returning at all.
- "cut in pieces...put with hypocrites...weeping and gnashing of teeth (vv. 50-51) - Similar to the terminology he used before the religious leaders in the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Mt. 22:13-14), Jesus describes the eternal punishment the evil servant will receive at judgment. All of it denotes the extreme sorrow, self-loathing, and bitter disappointment that will be the constant experience of those who go to hell for rejecting Jesus.
APPLICATION:
- Jesus' return is a prophetic fact in history and will be a real historical event.
- The timing of Jesus' return is unknowable. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that rather than worry about the exact day and time of His coming, we should instead trust His perfect timing of events.
- Although we don't know the day and time of Jesus' return, He commands us to "be ready," that is, to be fully prepared as if He were returning in the next moment. Ask yourself this question: If you knew for a certainty that Jesus were returning tomorrow, would you still be doing the same things you're doing now and living your life the same way? If not, what would you change? Think about it.
- The illustration of the faithful servant provides the model for being prepared. Like him, if we stay prepared as diligent and faithful servants, Jesus will reward us. In practical terms, this translates to faithful living for Christ in our day-to-day lives, which means we are actively using our time, gifts, talents, resources, energy, and influence to build Jesus' Kingdom as if we expect Him to return tomorrow. Are we doing this? Can we do better?
