The Days of Noah

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

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. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:36-51

Before I comment on the passage I thought I would say a word or two about how it ended up in this post.

Often when I read the Bible on my own I pick the first passage I see when I open the Bible. In my way of thinking, such a passage is not necessarily a random selection if you take my meaning. And -if it were- it would be no loss because I believe the entire Bible is edifying and God-breathed.

In addition to this passage I have been reading a lot of passages lately about being prepared for the Christ's return. Namely this chapter and Peter's letters. Also, there has been discussion on the internet to this effect ... even in places where one would not expect to see it. I believe it is also worth mentioning that my wife has been asking me lately if I believed Christ would return soon.

I do believe he will be here soon.

Do I know if that means he will be here in a year, a week, or perhaps today? No, I don't have any idea. The Bible says it will be soon. Even if Christ does not return today, I feel strongly that God is telling me to be prepared today.

Here is what stands out to me about the passage:

I hear people say of this passage: "It was evil back in Noah's day, and it is evil in our day, so Christ may return soon."

That is very true, inasmuch as the Church can know of God's timing.

I do feel, however, that there may be a misunderstanding in the way one understands the evil people were practicing back then. Jesus tells us, "... people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage ... ". These common acts do not necessarily seem wicked.

Were these people caught up in the routines of their day to day lives? Very often I wonder to myself whether or not I am trying to live out a great, big schedule.

I do this ... then I do that ... then I do this ...

The common activities are eating and drinking, and generally people consider how to relate to the opposite sex and the latest news about how others relate to the opposite sex.

The aspect which is often overlooked is simply this: everything could come to a stop at any time. Even during the most common and domestic of tasks, the ordinariness of the world -what some men find assurance in- will come to an abrupt halt. Two men will be in a field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding in a mill, one will be taken and the other left.

"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

I suspect Jesus may be decrying the "routineness" people live by more than the usual acts everyone already knows to be evil. 'Of course so-and-so will marry, everyone does'. 'Of course I will go to work at such-and-such and wake up at such-and-such a time'.

But there is always that possibility that our plans will be ... interrupted. And God may intervene at any time.

There is equally the possibility that at any moment one may give one's life back to the one who originated it. To hand over one's life to God does not happen in the same routine way that we live our lives (which perhaps says something of the intent in our routines).

Imagine a wife who plans an anniversary dinner. As long as she declines to explain the dinner she is in the clear, but if she says, "Well, the dinner was on the schedule..." And if truly that is all that is keeping her at the table she has completely overlooked the love she has for her husband.

In the same way, God has required His people to love Him with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. To live, breath, and die by the schedule is to overlook this requirement -a requirement of love.


Jesus compares his disciples who wait for Him to a servant who obediently uses his authority. This is contrasted with the words, "But suppose that servant is wicked...". Jesus presents both behaviors as possibilities - one of which we as individuals must select.

The wicked servant - the one who thinks his master has been away a long time - is deceived by his probabilistic, speculative thinking. He thinks he will be able to live out an entire, wicked life without getting caught because his master has been away for a long time.

But, as with all probability, there is that nagging possibility of the unexpected happening.

And there is also the knowledge which one does not need to speculate over: one's disobedience. The external consequences of one's choices may be unclear to the individual in the moment he commits them, but the value of his choices are clear to him. In a sense, one could say he was condemned even before his master returned.

This is the difference between the happy certainty of being prepared and the unhappy certainty of wickedness.


I hope this provides adequate material to consider during the many day-to-day activities. There are many events in life which may seem mundane, but one can find fulfillment in the most common activity if he or she can recognize how they are loved and the quality of the devotion they long to return that love with.

I am convinced a man can find great happiness in life even if devotion is all he possesses. To this extent I believe Christ calls us to be ready -that we may fully belong to him when he returns.



[Picture taken from here.]