Slices
Prepare
Still your heart before the Lord and ask him to speak to you today.
Bible passage
The day and hour unknown
36 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
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. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time,” 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Explore
Jesus uses different images in this passage to reinforce the sense of verses 36, 42 and 44: nobody knows when he will return. First, his return is compared to the time of Noah (vs 37–39), when people were carrying on as normal until the moment the flood arrived. Secondly, we imagine two people working together (vs 40,41), one of whom is taken. Thirdly, Jesus asks, wouldn’t we take precautions to prevent house-breaking (v 43)? And lastly, we are to compare the examples of a faithful and an evil servant, each left in charge when the master is away.
So, let’s ponder the question in verse 45. Are we being faithful in the things he has given us to do? Are we using our position to bless others or to take advantage of them (compare verse 45 with verse 49)? I find it easy to imagine positive changes in my life that will start tomorrow. But when tomorrow comes, well, often my good intentions get pushed back by another week or two! Jesus’ point is that it is now that matters: we cannot know when he will return, so we need to live as if it might be today.
Respond
Are there aspects of your life that you don’t think Jesus would like if he returned right now? Talk to him about things you know need to change. Talk with a Christian friend or leader who could walk with you through the change.
Deeper Bible study
Father, in the busyness of life, teach me more today about what it might mean for me to live in readiness for Christ’s return.
Even though he urges us to read the signs, Jesus insists that we cannot tell when he will return and the end will come. The hour of that event is known to God alone. So it is not for us to speculate on the date or time when this will happen. Yet he is clear that we must live with the reality of his coming and be watchful. Jesus warns us that the end will be swift and unexpected; those most unaware are people who never give a thought about God but whose lives are consumed by worldly existence. He points to the unreadiness of Noah’s neighbours before the flood and to the bad servant oblivious of his master’s impending return. We should never lapse into complacency.
Christ’s return does not simply mark the ending of our world, however. It also brings judgement. This is hard for our generation to hear, because judgement is an unpopular concept. Many, even in the church, exclude God’s judgement from their thinking and focus only on love. Yet God’s love for the vulnerable is expressed in judgement on the evil that harms them. The unfaithful servant is openly judged by God, not only because of his complacency, but also because of his cruelty and injustice. He will be punished, by both physical whipping and being exposed as a hypocrite.
Jesus leaves us with two distinct messages. We should ignore those who think they have worked out God’s plans for the future and when Christ will return. But we should not brush off the urgency. The way Satan undermines effective, active faith is not by telling us that there is no God, or there is no hell, but that there is no hurry. We are to live today in readiness that Christ will come again.
What things in your life have you put off because there is no hurry to address them? Ask God today to help you to see what they are.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 31,32; Romans 8
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for wisdom for Sue Winning, Company Secretary, as she provides leadership for the governance processes across the movement.
