ALERT
Matthew 24:36–51
Matthew 24 finds Jesus and His disciples walking around the temple, one of the largest religious sanctuaries in the ancient world. It covered an area of 36 acres and took more than 20 years to build. It is said to have had walls 16 feet wide in places.
To the Jews, it seemed permanent and eternal. You can imagine the shock of the disciples when Jesus said, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another” (v. 2). That prophecy would be fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the temple.
This led into Jesus discussing the end times. There will be wars and rumors of war. There will be false messiahs who come and go. Jesus goes on to describe the coming great tribulation. The worst of times will precede the return of Jesus Christ.
An Unknown Hour (36–41)
Jesus tells His disciples that no man knows the day or the hour when Jesus will return. Only the Father knows.
In 2011, Harold Camping, president of Family Radio, claimed to know the day of Christ’s return. He was so sure of his scholarship that his followers charged up credit cards and stopped paying their bills. You can imagine their dismay when they weren’t raptured in October 2011.
Jesus said society in the last days could be compared to life in the days of Noah. People lived their lives as if things would never change — until it began to rain. The flood came suddenly. That’s how it will be with the coming of Christ.
Larry Norman wrote a song called “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” The chorus says, “There’s no time to change your mind/ The Son has come, and you’ve been left behind.”
Be Alert (42–44)
Jesus then gave His disciples a warning to stay alert and be vigilant because they did not know at what hour the Lord would come. He gives the example of a thief coming to break into a house. If the master knew when the thief was coming, he would have stayed at home and been prepared to protect it. Unfortunately, thieves don’t give advance notice. In the same way, we do not know when the Son of Man will return.
It reminds me of the story of Ernest Shackleton and the stranded crew of Endurance. The ship became trapped in an ice floe in Antarctica. The crew was stranded for 22 months while Shackleton and five others traveled 800 miles in a small boat to seek help. When they finally returned with a rescue ship, he found the crew ready to strike camp in quick order. Throughout all that time, Frank Wild, the second-in-command, would instruct the crew daily to “lash up and stow (their belongings). The boss may come today!” That’s the mindset we need to employ on a daily basis. “The Boss may come today.”
Be Faithful (45–51)
Jesus shares another parable about a servant in the master’s household. The servant in charge was directed to provide food for them. When the master returns unexpectedly and finds that the servant is honoring the master’s wishes, that servant is rewarded. Unfortunately, if the master returns unannounced and finds that the servant has disregarded the master’s direction and is mistreating his fellow servants, the master will severely punish that servant. Jesus was calling His disciples to be faithful and loyal.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
