Being Ready

Read: Matthew 24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Chapter 24 of Matthew's Gospel is essentially a private question-and-answer time between Jesus and His disciples. It begins with the disciples admiring the magnificent buildings in the Temple complex at Jerusalem. They invited Jesus to participate in their discussion, but He simply replies, “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down" (verse 2). In response, the disciples ask Him, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (verse 3). The remainder of Chapter 24 is Jesus' answer to the disciples' questions: verses 4-28 appear to answer the first question about the destruction of the Temple, while verses 29-44 appear to address the subsequent question about the second coming of Christ.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father...therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come...be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (verses 36, 42, 44). While scholars and church leaders have examined and debated the details of these events for nearly 2000 years, the one fact that cannot be debated is Jesus' insistence that His followers live in a constant state of readiness. In fact, Jesus summarizes His overall response to the disciples' inquiry with a parable in verses 45-51: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." In other words, Jesus ends the Q & A with a question of His own: When He returns, will His followers be ready? What will He find His followers doing? If He returns today, will we be ready? What will He find us doing?