Coming as a Thief

Last week, we looked at a passage teaching us that because we do not know the day or hour of Christ’s return, we must be constantly watching for His coming (Mat 24:36-42). In this week’s passage, we learn that if we did know the hour of Christ’s return, we would certainly be watching at that hour while faithfully serving Him (Mat 24:43-51). Jesus used two parables to illustrate these truths.
In the first parable, Jesus used a well-known analogy to illustrate His coming. As a thief comes unexpectedly, so Jesus will return at a time we do not expect; therefore, we must always be ready (vv. 43-44). In the second parable, a servant, who is put in charge of his master’s house in his absence, must serve his master faithfully until he returns. So too, we must not only be watching for Christ to return, but also faithfully serving Him until He does.