Knowing The Word in Matthew 24:36-51
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour [deliberate change of subject from the destruction of the temple to the parousia] 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. [People will be caught unaware.] 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. [It is possible to be ready for the parousia, not by calculating the date, but by being prepared like Noah in response to God’s warnings.] 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. [Taken implies to take someone to be with you, and therefore here points to the salvation rather than the destruction of the taken one. The point is the sharp division which the parousia will entail.] 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. [Be of constant readiness.] 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. [Like the thief, the Son of Man does not announce his time of arrival.]
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. [This servant provides for the household. It is in service to others that we prepare for the parousia by helping them be prepared.] 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 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. [This servant has no loyalty to his master.] In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.