“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 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. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Matthew 24:42-44
Those who have served in the military understand what it means to “keep watch.” When it is your turn on guard duty the safety of your entire team, and possibly your whole installation, depends on you staying awake, alert for any danger. In many armies it was a serious, if not a capital, offense to fall asleep while on guard duty.
Jesus appeals to these feelings in a series of parables in Matthew 24 and 25.
- First, Jesus referenced a fig tree (Matt. 24:32-35) and the softening of the branches that indicate the impending arrival of summer. In other words, the signs are there to see if you’re paying attention.
- Then Jesus mentioned Noah, who was building the ark and exhorting his neighbors to come in for decades but they ignored him, “…and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:39).
- Third, Jesus talked about a thief breaking in during the night. If you knew when he was coming you wouldn’t let him enter and take your things (Matt 24:43-44).
- Fourth, Jesus described a wealthy man who placed servants over his household while he went away on a trip. The master returned suddenly, at an unexpected time, and found his servants neglecting their duties and abusing one another (Matt. 24:45-51).
- Fifth, Jesus talked about a wedding, with ten virgins waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. Five prepared in advance with extra oil for their lamps (in case the groom arrived at night). The other five were unprepared and missed out on the celebration (Matt. 25:1-13).
- Sixth, Jesus retold and expanded the story of a rich man going away, this time entrusting three different servants with different amounts of money – five bags of gold, two bags and one bag. Two of the servants diligently invested the money and got a return for their master. The third servant hid the money out of fear (Matt. 25:14-30).
- Finally, Jesus provided a vivid description of the final judgment as a separation of sheep from goats. The difference between the righteous and the unrighteous is revealed in how they treated the most vulnerable people: the poor, hungry, homeless, sick and imprisoned (Matt. 25:31-46).
Seven convicting parables with the recurring refrain: stay awake, be ready, keep working, be prepared, keep watch, serve your master, love your neighbor.
All of this is the background for Jesus’ letter to the church in Sardis.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”
Revelation 3:1-3
Here is a church that has fallen asleep on their watch. Their reputation as a church is for life and vitality, but their true spiritual condition is a sleepiness that Jesus calls death. Yet there is hope since Jesus stirs them to wake up and repent. Otherwise Jesus’ return will be like a thief in the night coming against them.
Paul describes this reality explicitly for the church.
“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6
Our Lord has given us signs to watch for so we will not be surprised by His coming (read Matthew 24). It is the people of the world who ignore the light and prefer the darkness who will be shocked when Jesus returns and face the wrath of His sudden judgment.
Yet the commands and warnings in Matthew 24-25 and in the letters to the seven churches are part of how the Lord is keeping His people alert and awake, lest we become distracted by the deceptions and distractions of the world.
Let’s pray that the Lord would open our eyes and energize us for the work He has prepared for us today!