SHARING BREAD
42 “Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the
owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he
would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Matt
24:42-44 (NIV)
In our verses for today the Lord Jesus demands a constant vigilance
of being watchful and prepared for the decisive day of His appearing. We are to be carefully watchful regarding our
times as none of us knows the day or hour when He will return or the day or
hour which will be our last. The wording
translated “keep
watch” is from the Greek word “Gregoreuo”
meaning “a mindfulness of threatening dangers which, with conscious
earnestness and an alert mind, keeps one
from all drowsiness and all slackening in the energy of faith and conduct.” Hebrew-Greek
Key Word Study Bible – New
Testament Lexical Aids. Indeed,
these are the same Words Jesus gave to His inner circle – Peter, James and John
– in the Garden of Gethsemane – followed by a warning of the spirit being
willing yet the flesh being oh so weak (can anybody else besides me relate to
this??). To be sure, this is our hour to
keep watch:
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may
this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them
sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one
hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matt 26:39-41 (NIV)
“Oh that I may be roused out of my slumber, and be watchful and
ready against the coming of my Bridegroom...Even the wise virgins fell
asleep. Let this be a warning to me, O
Lord. Set thou a guard before my eyes,
ears, and other faculties, lest the world again should enter through these
avenues of the heart; if the spark be not speedily extinguished, it will soon
break out into a flame: thus sin is of a
progressive nature, and its venom spreads very quickly and very wide, unless it
be stopped and opposed in time. Watch,
therefore, over this unsteady heart of mine, O Thou Keeper of Israel; that as
soon as it begins to wander from Thee, I may be alarmed to flee from sin as
from a serpent. Give me grace to look
upon every hour as my last; so that being ever wisely upon my guard I may meet
Thee with joy when my time is run out, whenever it shall please Thee to call me
hence.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
We need only to examine Peter’s heart breaking over his
actions after the rooster crowed to see the effects of his drowsiness, his lack
of alertness to the hour – if he had only kept watch the story would have
perhaps had a happier ending for him. It behooves the child of the King to be
prepared. The Lord Jesus’ followers are to be ready for He will return
unexpectedly – as a thief in the night.
Luke’s writing on this passage encourages us further:
35 “Be dressed ready for service
and keep your lamps burning, 36 like
men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he
comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose
master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress
himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on
them. 38 It
will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes
in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the
house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his
house be broken into. 40 You
also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.” Luke
12:35-40 (NIV)
“He who provides
for this life, but takes no care for eternity, is wise for a moment, but a fool
forever.” John Tillotson
The Apostle Paul
gives us warning regarding our watchfulness as well, charging us to wake up
from our slumber. This is our time for
spiritual vigilance and industriousness and there is a great need for
alertness. A sinful state is compared to
sleep – senseless and inactive while a gracious way is compared to watching and
waking. We are to behave in keeping with
our enlightened condition ever prepared for the Lord’s coming. This is logical for us to behave in such a
way (as it is for our good) and it is also our duty (as it is commanded). Interestingly, God never commands anything of
us that is not for our ultimate good:
The hour
has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed. 12 The
night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of
darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11-12 (NIV)
3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”
destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and
they will not escape. 4 But
you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a
thief. 5 You
are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or
to the darkness. 6 So
then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and
self-controlled. 1 Thess 5:3-6 (NIV)
“When peace like
a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well, it is well, with my soul. O, Lord haste the day when my faith shall be
sight. The clouds be rolled back as a
scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so it is well
with my soul. It is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul.” Horatio
G. Spafford
What I glean
from this:
· This is my hour to “keep
watch”.
· I am foolish to live as taking no care for eternity.
· God never commands anything that is not for my
ultimate good.
