Mark 13:32-37--No One Knows That Day or Hour

Mark 13:32-37
English Standard Version
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No One Knows That Day or Hour
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

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I've been making reference to Jesus's statements here all throughout my journal articles about the Olivet Discourse as it is important to keep His main point here in mind as we read everything else He was saying.  This was the summary statement of all that He was trying to teach them about their questions regarding the end times.  No one knows the exact day or hour when these things will happen, besides the Father--not even the Son.  So, He can only answer their question by telling them how to look for the signs that the time is getting close, because it seems like that is what He will be doing as well (don't you think He's eagerly awaiting being united with His Bride?).

This is not something that they would be altogether unfamiliar with as in their culture, the father would be the one to inspect the dwelling place that the son had prepared for his bride, and only after it met the father's approval would the father tell the son, "Go get your bride."  It wouldn't matter if that meant he came in the middle of the night, he was ready to go get her whenever his father gave his word, and she was supposed to be ready for him even though she didn't know when he would show up--even if it was in the middle of the night.  The wedding would not be delayed either.  As soon as the groom appeared, everyone was to be ready, and the wedding was to commence immediately upon His arrival.  Several of the end-times parables relating it to a wedding make more sense in light of these facts.

However, Jesus does not relate this truth to a wedding this time.  Instead, He tells a story about a master who goes on a long journey and leaves his servant in charge of his estate while he is gone.  It is the duty of the servant to be a good steward of the master's resources while he is gone and do with the master's resources what the master would do if he were present.   He would also put a doorkeeper in charge of security and tell him to keep watch and stay awake, because the master could return at any time.  That's the same kind of expectancy that we should live with.  Go about your business every day that the master is gone doing what He would be doing if He were here, but also living like this may be the day that He returns.  He should not find us slacking off in our duties or caught off guard by His return.  No, we should be eagerly awaiting Him like a bride at that time eagerly awaited the call of the harbinger--"Behold! The bridegroom cometh!"  So it will be when the trumpet sounds and He comes with the voice of the archangel announcing His arrival.  He will come quickly (as all these teachings have said) and there will be no time to clean things up to get ready for Him or to make decisions that we've put off.  He will find us exactly as we are in that moment.  Will we be a faithful servant that is ready and eagerly awaiting, or will be found unfaithful and punished like the wicked (because we have said with our lips that Jesus is Lord, but our lives say something different when He returns)?

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