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"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding in the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
- Matthew 24:32-51
Jesus is in the middle of a discourse to the disciples revealing what will happen in Jerusalem and also involving a discussion of the end of the age. This began with Thursday's reading (You will hear of wars and rumors of wars). In yesterday's reading, He continued: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." My study bible suggests that "this generation" refers to all believers at all times, the "generation of the Church" -- not only to those who are alive at the time of Christ. Although the part of the prophecy that is regarding the siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple would be manifest during the generation of those who were listening to Him at the time, the prophecy involves the time of the Judgment as well.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." My study bible says that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Christ tells of the angels being unaware of the exact day of His return "so that men should not seek to learn what angels do not know" and to forbid them not only from learning the day but even inquiring about it. It says, "According to Mark 13:32, and in Chrysostom's Matthew text, Jesus declares that the Son also does not know the day of His own return. Chrysostom teaches this is not to be understood literally, but is a figure of speech meaning that Christ, though He revealed all the signs that will accompany His return, will not reveal the exact day to anyone, and that believers should not be so brazen as to inquire of Him."
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding in the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." A note says that the second coming of Christ will entail a sudden revelation of judgment. "One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation. This separation of the saints from the wicked will occur at the coming of the Son of Man (v. 39), and not, as some teach today, at a certain time before His second coming." Christ's words speak of a sudden shift, a leavening, a time when a spiritual reality intervenes in the reality of the world.
"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." My study bible tells us: "The Lord's purpose in this discourse is not to make people experts on end-time prophecy. Rather, it is so they may watch (v. 42) and be ready (v. 44), continuing in virtue and obeying Christ's commandments. This warning is illustrated in the parable of the returning master (vv. 45-51, which follow in today's reading).
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Here's an important clue to how we are to live our lives as we await His return. Jesus gives an example of the servant who begins to beat his fellow servants -- practice violence and coercion, injustice. Eating and drinking with the drunkards suggests a kind of life that is the opposite of watchfulness, but rather filled with forgetfulness, an attitude of simply not caring about one's choices, as if they don't matter. For these, who claim to be servants, their portion will be with the hypocrites: a very important distinction. In Jesus' final sermon, which we read on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Jesus' greatest condemnation is to call the leaders who practice but do not truly believe "hypocrites."
As Jesus teaches about His return, we're given some very basic things we need to remember in this time of awaiting the Master's return. We must be watchful and care about our fellow servants. We are supposed to be ready and prepared for this return by doing our "jobs" faithfully, being upright and watchful, aware of the Judgment to come, and living our lives as He has taught. We become forgetful of this and we "beat our fellow servants," we become like "drunkards" who forget about everything but our own selfish desires, lazy and forgetful of this reality that is promised. We're not supposed to know the hour of return! Jesus specifically makes this entirely vague, hinting that we're not even to ask, but rather we are to live like He's coming back any instant, that this awareness should guide our lives. Jesus did give hints also about being watchful of what is happening, definite warnings about what is to come before the time of the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple (in yesterday's reading, in speaking of the fulfillment of "the abomination of desolation"). Because of that warning, the early Church in Jerusalem was able to flee, and to survive. But here, regarding His return, there is a kind of message that tells us to be alert, not forgetful, "sleepy" -- but remembering who we are and what we are to be about, even when the Master is not here with us. We are to care for our fellow servants, not to abuse them, and we are to remember what we are to be about, how we are taught to conduct ourselves according to His word. As the world goes through its changes and upheavals, so we await and watch and remember that He may come to find us right where we are, at any time.
