Matthew 24:36-39

Matthew 24:36-39

And regarding that day and that hour nobody has known – neither the angels of heaven nor the Son, only the Father alone.  For just as the days of Noah, the coming of the Son of Man will be.  For in those days before the flood they were while eating and drinking – marrying and being given in marriage – until the day in which Noah went into the ark.  And they did not know until the flood came and carried all of them away.  In this same manner the coming of the Son of Man will be.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus opens us with an unusual statement.  We are told that neither the angels nor the Son know the day; only the Father knows the day.  We don’t usually balk at the angels not knowing the day.  After all, the angels are not on the same level as God.  What usually gets us is what Jesus means when He says that the Son does not know the day.  After all, isn’t the Son God?  Doesn’t God know everything?  This is made even more complicated when we consider that in the very last section we are told that those who know what to look for will be able to recognize the season of the coming of the Son of Man.  So what are we to make of all of this?  Here is basically what Jesus is telling us.  We can recognize the season, but not pinpoint the exact time or day.  In fact, not even the angels or the Son have pressed the Father to know the exact day, and we should take a lesson from them.  Only the Father is capable of judging how long human depravity will be allowed to exist.  We should know the signs of rebellion and prepare ourselves for them.  But how long it will take to get there is and always will be a mystery about which even the ones closest to the Father are content not discovering the answer.

How content are you at going through life knowing that there are some questions to which you will not know the answer?  How comfortable are you in realizing that if we are indeed following the example of the Son we should not even be trying to discern the exact day of the return of our Lord?  What is the difference between preparing to discern the season of His return and trying to discern the exact day of His return?

Second Thought:

Jesus then compares His return to the days of Noah.  Remember that the great flood was probably the event in the Bible that records the most loss of life – in spite of the fact that we celebrate the story and only think about Noah and his salvation.  Look back upon Genesis 6:5-7 and read what the Bible tells us about the human condition at that time.  The Lord looked down and saw that the hearts of mankind were continuously evil.  Every intention in the hearts of the human beings at that time were full of evil – more than likely consumed with their own desires and self-centeredness.  Jesus says, so shall it be in the coming of the Son.  Humanity will progressively slip into greater and greater evil.  Humanity will reach a point where we will only care about ourselves and the fulfillment of our own desires.  Humanity will slip into a time when genuine community and the love of neighbor will no longer be a priority.  Humanity will slip into a time when the mindset in life is all about me and what I desire.  It is in that time that the Lord will return and the Father will say, “Enough.”

Do you think it is possible for humanity to slip into such a time?  Why do you answer the way that you do?  What do you think life would be like if everyone is truly concerned about themselves?  How can some individualism be a good thing – even necessary – but an entire society built around only the ideal of the individual fail?

Third Thought:

Jesus also tells us that the people of such a time will be caught off guard as the people of Noah were caught off guard.  The problem with the individualistic focus is that it is always “navel-gazing.”  In other words, it inherently has an inward focus.  If I go through my life only considering what I want and what I think is good for me, then I never take the opportunity to look around me.  If I am utterly focused on my desires, I do not consider what is happening around me and what might be good for the people around me.  If I am so consumed with my own life, I become blind to the happenings of the world in the greater picture.  When this happens across an entire culture, it is easy to see why people will be caught unaware by Jesus.  The people of Noah’s day were too wrapped up in their own lives to care about the bigger picture and Noah’s warning.  The people alive at the return of the Lord will be the same way.  They’ll be too wrapped up in their own life to care about the bigger picture and what is happening around them.

Do you think an entire culture focused on themselves is a scary idea?  Why do you answer this way?  Do you think that people who are only focused on their own life are likely to miss the bigger picture in the world around them?  Why do you answer this way?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 24:40-44