Matthew 24:36. “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (v. 37). Text: Comments: Signs of Christ's coming. Though our present day rivals Noah's in corruption and evil, this meaning of Matthew 24:36-39 is actually the secondary interpretation. Just before the Flood, people were going about their daily business when disaster came upon them suddenly. It is usual for prophets to speak of things as near and just at hand, to express the greatness and certainty of them. Rather, Jesus compares the normalcy of their daily lives with the normalcy that will prevail before the Second Coming. “But no one knows of that day and hour” (v. 36a). The Third Readings: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), Barclay, William, Gospel of Matthew, Vol. “Watch (Greek: gregoreite) therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes” (v. 42). 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. By the time this Gospel was written (probably 80-85 A.D.), the temple has already been destroyed (in 70 A.D.), so the question, “When will these things be?” has already been answered. By Ted Schroder, www.tedschroder.com November 27, 2016. How can Matthew 24:36 (only the Father knows the day and hour, not even the Son) be true if Jesus was God and omniscient ? At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At first, they were mildly concerned. • So we had better be ready. Commentary on Matthew 24:29-41 (Read Matthew 24:29-41) Christ foretells his second coming. 24, Luke 21:5-end..1 ¶ And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. Jesus does not encourage the latter, whilst he certainly instills in his disciples the “Blessed Hope” that he will return one day to raise the quick and dead, as the creeds affirm. Matthew 24:36. Matthew 24:36-44 – The Necessity of Watchfulness Summary The disciple community is cautioned about useless speculation about the signs or the timing of the coming of the Son of Man. The day that the water started rising was a surprise for these people. Matthew 24:36-44 King James Version (KJV). The primary meaning is more simple: Christ would come at a time when most of the world was busy doing its normal activities.. Notice verse 36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." The idea that the Son is ignorant of the day and hour was difficult for a number of early Christians. Gregoreite can be translated “keep awake” or “watch” or “be on guard.” We can’t do any of those things in a physical sense 24/7, but our preparation has to do with spiritual rather than physical wakefulness. Athanasius suggested that Jesus only feigned ignorance. The readings for the first and second Sundays in Advent are taken from the later chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Matthew 24:36-44 Getting Ready for What’s to Come. The fault is not that people are doing these things, but that they are so caught up in the routine of daily living that they take no thought for their spiritual lives. What must we do? Life goes on. The primary meaning is more simple: Christ would come at a time when most of the world was busy doing its normal activities.. Notice verse 36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Since they sometimes stopped various places along the way, we were not sure when they would arrive. It isn’t that Noah’s neighbors had no warning. - Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV) Here we are. The situation was very much like that of people today. At the root of their discomfort is the difficult theology that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. 38For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, 39and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”. Advent 1 (Year A) Matthew 24:36-44 Context: Jesus is in Jerusalem after the triumphal entry, cleansing of the temple, cursing of the fig tree, and encountering religious leaders. There is no indication that today will be different from yesterday or the day before. In the next chapter, Jesus gives two answers. We can trust Jesus to get the details right. Jesus at that time, did not know the day or hour. We have our work cut out for us if we are to get people to take seriously their preparation for the Second Coming. Matthew 24:36-44. This reading picks up mid-answer which began in verse 24… “and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away” (v. 39a). As carefully as we might read signs, they will not allow us to predict the day and time with any accuracy. means what it says . Our Gospel lesson is the middle portion of a two-chapter apocalyptic section that begins with Jesus’ prediction that the temple will be thrown down (24:1-2) and the disciples’ two questions, “When will these things be?” and “What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (24:3). The prudential advice, based on the predictions in verses 36-41, then is that the faithful must stay vigilant and awake, knowing that Christ will return, though the timing remains unknown. “not even the angels of heaven (nor the Son)” (v. 36b). And then it was over. “Therefore also be ready” (v. 44a). Readings for the Second and Third Sundays … Continue reading "Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44" This is a reminder that ultimately the future is in God’s hands. Our Gospel lesson is the middle portion of a two-chapter apocalyptic section that begins with Jesus’ prediction that the temple will be thrown down (24:1-2) and the disciples’ two questions, “When will these things be?” and “What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (24:3). Once the rain started, there was no opportunity to prepare for what was to follow. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments”, All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, Second, Jesus says that feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the prisoner are activities that will be credited to us as if we had done them for Christ (25:31-46). In the season of Advent we look to the coming of Christ, "We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well. • The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids (25:1-13), five who were wise and prepared and five who were foolish and unprepared. Then Jesus went out and depart… Here, as is always the case, God reveals enough about the future to give us hope, but not so much that we do not have to live and walk by faith day after day. One is taken and one is left in place. The unexpected hour is at hand. Some of us will die inch-by-inch from disease or old age, but death in the next instant is also possible. There is no encouragement here for dispensational theologies about the rapture of the faithful, and the judgment of those left behind on the earth. It rather stands by itself, and the particles are descriptive predicates. SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left” (vv. 33b (Dallas: Word, 1995), Harrington, D.J., Sacra Pagina: Matthew (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991), Hamm, Dennis, Let the Scriptures Speak, Year A (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2001), Hare, Douglas R. A., Interpretation: Matthew (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1993), Hauerwas, Stanley, Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible: Matthew (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006), Hultgren, Arland J. Lectionary Bible Studies: The Year of Matthew: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977), Johnson, Sherman E. and Buttrick, George A., The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. The person who knows for sure he will die in two days may well do all sorts of things out of character because he has a firm deadline before him and throws caution to the wind. This and similar verses (see Luke 17:34-35; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 5:2-4; Revelation 3:3, 10; 16:15) have given rise to the doctrine of the rapture (from the Latin rapio—seize, carry away)—the belief that, at the Second Coming, the faithful will be immediately taken up to a heavenly reward and the unfaithful left behind to their hellish fate. To the contrary, the polarity of the saying “two will be in the field, one will be taken one left behind.” Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken, one left behind is just the opposite of the dispensational reading of the text. By the time they were sufficiently aroused to do something, it was too late. They will find that the time for preparation is long past. Matthew 26:36-44, an appropriate text for the first Sunday in Advent, clearly falls in the latter category being a discussion of the return of Christ and the events that will accompany that return. Matthew 24:1 "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple." Departed He left it never to return mt2337-9. Matthew 24:36-39. As verse 44 says, he will come at an unexpected time. “I am only here for the church business,” is what one often hears. We may well ask, “How so?”  Jesus is not returning to send a vast flood upon the earth. Some charge these with sinister meaning: τρώγοντες, hinting at gluttony because often used of beasts, though also, in the sense of eating, of men (John 6:58; John 13:18). “but my Father only” (v. 36c). Matthew 24 is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The people of Noah’s day were destroyed because of their wickedness, but that is not the analogy here. M atthew 24 is undoubtedly one of the most encouraging, yet often misunderstood, chapters in the New Testament. The best authorities add: neither the Son, as in Mark 13:32. Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” a. Likewise says Jesus, when he returns, many will be taken away in judgment, but some will be left behind. However, these (millennialism, etc.) Some Greek manuscripts include “nor the Son” while others omit that phrase. Check out these helpful resources Biblical Commentary Sermons Children’s Sermons Hymn Lists. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. Noah would have been hard pressed to say anything that would have jolted them out of their rut. 1 Thessalonians 5:2). We're in the period of advent, which is the period of 4 weeks running up to Christmas, when traditionally Christians prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus. Concerning Christ's second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Starting in Matthew 24:21, Christ describes the Great Tribulation and the end-time events which would lead up to His return.In verses 37-38, He refers to the time of Noah. First, the Parable of the Talents (25:14-30), tells us to use our God-given resources for God’s benefit. “But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into” (v. 43). The analogy of Christ’s return being like a thief in the night is an important one, and we find it also used elsewhere (e.g. “Buildings of the temple”: This temple was begun by Herod the Great in 20 B.C. The person who lives in daily companionship with Jesus will not be threatened by Jesus’ sudden appearance. EXEGESIS: MATTHEW 24-25. Jesus is not a thief in the night, but his coming will be as unexpected and unpredictable as the arrival of a thief at night. This is the first Sunday of Advent. This meant we had to always be awake and ready. Then they became afraid as the water continued to rise. John Oakes, PhD . The Gospel readings for the four Sundays in Advent, Year A, follow the pattern for all three years (A, B, and C). This apocalyptic section closes with Jesus’ portrayal of the judgment of the nations (25:31-46) in which the Son of Man separates people into two categories, the sheep who helped “the least of these,” thereby serving Christ, and the goats, who failed to render this kind of service. Matthew 24:3 6 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 2 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1957), Bergant, Dianne with Fragomeni, Richard, Preaching the New Lectionary, Year A (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2001), Beker, J. Christiaan, Proclamation 6: Advent-Christmas, Series A (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), Boice, James Montgomery, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2: The Triumph of the King (Matthew 18-28)(Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001), Boring, M. Eugene, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. I am ill equipped to assess the validity of rapture-theology, which seems to require an understanding of such exotic subjects as millennialism, dispensationalism, and tribulation. We can tie this to His warnings about becoming caught up in the cares of the world , so that end-time events commence when we are spiritually unprepared ( Matthew 25:13 ; Mark 13:35 ; Luke 12:39-40 ; 21:34 ). If we focus on readiness, we need not worry about the details. Matthew 24:36-44 - No one knows. You May Also Like: If Jesus was God, how could he not know the hour of his return (Mark 13:32)? Peri de tes hemeras ekeines kai horas oudeis oiden (3SRAI) oude oi aggeloi ton ouranon oude o huios eis me o pater monos (Mt 24:42,44 Mt 25:13 Zec 14:7 Mk 13:32 Acts 1:7 1Th 5:2, 2Pe 3:10 Rev 3:3 Rev 16:15). That is the point—we had better be ready. Only the Father knows such things. Only Noah and his family were prepared for the flood, so only Noah and his family were saved. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, &c. — I consider ωρα, hour, here, says Grotius, as denoting, not a part of a day, but a larger portion of time. The Day and Hour Unknown - “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. In this chapter, we have Jesus Himself giving very explicit details about events leading up to and during the time that He returns to earth. (ed. Again the emphasis is the normalcy of life. The sheep are welcomed into the kingdom, but the goats are condemned to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (25:41). THE CONTEXT. Matthew 26:36, which is the Matthean form of Mark 13:32, presents us with Jesus telling his disciples that neither angels, nor ordinary human beings, nor even he himself, know the timing of his Return or Second Coming. Our Gospel lesson begins at this point, but is of one cloth with the rest of chapters 24 and 25. Chrysostom…simply denied that Jesus was ignorant of anything” (Allison, 141). That is important. Our ark is the church (Hauerwas, 206). The time for preparation was long past. He surely called them to repentance so that they, too, might be saved. The master rewards the faithful slave, whom he finds at work when he comes, but he destroys the unfaithful slave whom he found partying instead of working. Furthermore, while we are concerned about the future, the future about which we are most concerned has more to do with this-world concerns than with the return of Christ. 36“But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven (some Greek manuscripts add “nor the Son”), but my Father only.”. To be properly understood, these verses—and Luke 17:34-36 as well—must be read in context. “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship” (v. 38). Matthew 26:36-44, an appropriate text for the first Sunday in Advent, clearly falls in the latter category being a … Continue reading "Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44" Matthew 24:36,37 at face value. are not biblical words, and I believe that we are on less than solid ground when we depart from biblical language. What the analogy is meant to convey is in each case, judgment came in the form of an event which caught the unprepared by surprise. 44Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.”. A problem with this Gospel lesson is that it calls for readiness without telling us how to get ready. Isaiah’s vision begins with “the mountain of the Lord’s house” (2:2). Jesus answers the disciples by giving signs of the end of the age (24:3-8), foretelling persecutions (24:9-14), telling of the desolating sacrilege prophesied by Daniel 7:13-14 (24:15-28), predicting celestial signs and the coming of the Son of Man (24:29-31), and giving the Parable of the Fig Tree (24:32-35). Find Top Church Sermons, Illustrations, and Preaching Slides on Matthew 24:36-44. Christians, as early as Chrysostom, have stressed the importance of readiness for death as well as for the Second Coming. Jesus is asked a question by the disciples in verse 24:3. Psalm 122 is a perfect psalm for the beginning of a new church year on this First Sunday of Advent. A hundred generations have lived and died without experiencing the Second Coming, so it seems unlikely that it will take place during our lifetime. Get ready and live ready. This should, of course, have put an end to theological weather forecasting about the timing of the second Advent, but alas, pious curiosity is always given to speculation. But there’s a deliberately two-edged feel to advent. So can prepare for Christ’s coming by (1) loving and serving God and (2) loving and serving our neighbor. Bill Wigmore (This sermon was delivered to … We must not lose sight of the primary thrust of this verse that the Father alone knows the day and time of the coming of the Son of Man. Luke 17:34-36 as well—must be read in context the difficult theology that Jesus was ignorant of anything ” ( 37. Us to predict the day and time ( taken/left behind ) know the hour, ” is one... A reminder that ultimately the future is in God ’ s house (... Two-Edged feel to Advent what hour your Lord comes. ” moment will to... A visit was walking away when his disciples came up to show him the buildings the! 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