Matthew 24c

 Jesus has answered the question that the disciples asked about the destruction of the temple and the signs of these times; or, at least, that is the only answer they are going to get. What Jesus said was more of a warning than an answer, which says something about their question. He told his followers not to worry about these things and not to panic when signs appear. Instead of hysteria, they should have a calm awareness that the temple will be destroyed, that Jesus is coming back, and that the end of this era (the time that we live in where God’s grace is abundantly available to all who seek Him) will come. The important point to be concerned about is that they should be prepared no matter what. 

 As we move along in the chapter, we see that Jesus is not finished with the warnings. He wants to illustrate his point from occurrences in nature and Scripture so that it will be clear to the disciple what it means to be prepared.   

24: 32-35.  From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 Any farmer or gardener knows the stages of growth of the crops they plant. For example, the danger of damage from a late frost in Spring is mitigated if the wheat stalk has not yet developed joints. Remember that Jesus had an encounter with a fig tree when it showed signs of having fruit but, upon inspection, did not (Matthew 21: 18-19). That was a thinly veiled reference to Israel from whom God expects mercy and justice but hasn’t found it. This time the fig tree is just used to illustrate how to read a sign.

 Jesus’ use of ‘this generation’ raises again the question of what event he is talking about. The only event that did come to pass while some of Jesus’ generation was still alive was the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. Thus, his discourse has switched back again from his second coming, which is described in the previous paragraph (24: 29-31), to the original question about when these buildings will be torn down and the blocks scattered. 

24: 36-39.  But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

 Now Jesus changes again to the judgment that is coming at the end of time. First, he clarifies that no one knows the projected date. Then Jesus says something a bit surprising; he doesn’t know. Notice that he has worked his way up the line: not humans, not angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.

Theologically, you’ll have to work that out for yourself. What is the role of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Jesus says that the Father sent him (John 2: 21), and that the Father will send the Spirit in Jesus’ name (John 14: 6; see also John 15: 26 and Luke 24: 49). So, it seems that the Father determines the timing of events. These are topics for another day but remember what Jesus said here.

 What’s the reason for telling the Noah and the Flood story? Only this, even with signs, most people will still be surprised when it happens. Noah’s family will be safe in the ark, but the rest of the people will be swept away. 

24: 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day (or ‘the hour’) your Lord is coming. 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. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 Jesus offers more examples of what it will be like when Jesus returns. As I said, the people “knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away.” The parallel here then would be that the one who is taken is taken away to be judged and the one who is left behind is saved (so Ben Witherington III suggests in Matthew, 2006, Page 455; and I agree). That turns the recent “Left Behind” series on its head. The one left behind is the one who is saved.

24: 45-47.  “Who, then, is the faithful and wise slave whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 

 This is another example, one that Jesus commonly uses. A master goes on a journey and promises he will return but does not tell when. In that case, a “faithful and wise slave (or servant)” would continue his assigned work until the master returns. Such a servant will be rewarded. Note: One Greek word serves for what we would call a ‘slave’ or a ‘servant’.

24: 48-51.  But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces (or ‘will cut him off’) and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 Jesus then considers the other possibility, which is that the slave or servant is not “faithful and wise.” He might abuse his power, which is only delegated power from his master, not his own. That’s the abuse, he acts like he is empowered to do whatever he wants to do. He mistreats other servants while letting his own work fall into chaos. Then, when the master comes home unexpectedly, that servant is in deep trouble. His master will take away his delegated power and remove him from his position. He had the rank of a servant, not a tyrant. But he was not faithful to his master or to his fellow servants. That makes him a hypocrite. He will be thrown out on the junk heap. 

 The upshot of all this is that nobody knows when disaster will fall, nor when Jesus will return, nor when the end will come. Nobody, only the great 'I AM'.

 We can document that from the second century on, someone claimed to be the Messiah and someone else claimed that the end was coming on a certain date. In the year 135, Simon bar Kokhba led a rebellion against Rome claiming to be the Messiah. He was not; his movement failed. In the year 156, Montanus claimed that Christ would come in his lifetime. He did not; his prediction failed.

 I will not list pretenders from every century, though it is possible to do so. More recently, in the year 1844, a Baptist preacher named William Miller who lived in New York predicted that Christ would come March 21, 1844. He did not. But Miller tried again, predicting April 18, 1844. Again failure. Then he tried October 22, 1844. After that failure, no one listened to him. Later, some of his followers reorganized, and that was the beginning of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. 

 During World War I, some Assemblies of God parishes thought that the war in the east, that is, in Saudi Arabia (remember Lawrence of Arabia’s operation) was the beginning of Armageddon and thus a harbinger of the last days. World War I was a sign, but not of the immediate arrival of the Messiah. 

 In June of 2011, a short-term mission group that I was leading arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe. As we travelled to Fairfield Children’s Home in Old Mutare, we noticed large billboards along the roads proclaiming that May 11, 2011 would be the day that Christ would return, and the end would come. That was the claim of Family Radio, based in Tennessee. However, that prediction had already failed. Harold Camping then predicted October 21, 2011. By that time, we home again in Indiana. Nothing happened. 

 Jesus says: Do not panic. There will always be signs, even some billboards, but the end is not yet. The Messiah will certainly return, and the end is certainly coming; so always be prepared by carrying out the legitimate works of a servant of Jesus Christ. Do works of mercy and justice, proclaim the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Jesus, and disciple those who confess and repent, so they will experience the transformation of their lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.