Matthew 24:36-44
36 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, 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 Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner 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 unexpected hour.
Notes on Matthew 24:36-44
This passage forms part of what is known as ‘the little apocalypse’. It is a dire and serious warning about paying attention to the movements around us as well as the movements of our own hearts. It is encouragement to be aware of life and to live deliberately, rather than just to drift. As noted in the comments above about this year in which we read Matthew’s Gospel, the writer expects that we will understand all of the connections and allusions in this passage. Noah’s time was a time of rebellion against God, when people were so self-satisfied that they forgot or ignored the place of God in life. The ‘Son of Man’ is a mysterious figure who appears in the Book of Daniel as the one who God will send to sort out rebellious people and bring them back into relationship. The description of the time when some would ‘disappear’ points to certain beliefs which had become common after the return from exile in which, at ‘the resurrection’ people would be taken up to God. The more usual resurrection belief though was that the new kingdom would be established on earth, rather than in some distant or unseen place. Because of the unusual mashing together of disparate images and concepts there are many scholars who question whether these are authentic words of Jesus. The underlying theme, distilled from the specific dramas, is consistent though with the message of Jesus. We are being recalled, now and always, into a deeper relationship with God and this is not something to leave to later. It is something to embrace now. Paul Mitchell