Matthew 24:42-51 Stay Awake and Avoid Sin

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time"
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."


This passage reminds us that the escaton is something of a mystery. The kingdom of God has started with Jesus but one never knows when the Jesus' final coming will happen. Here we are reminded to stay awake and avoid sin. So often in our faith we become lax and forget to pray, minister to others, and worship with others. We are called to constantly be vigilant so as not to fall prey to routine. The greatest enemy in spiritual warfare is routine. It dulls our senses and makes us complacent. Even our secular culture says life is short and one never knows when it will end. We must always make the best of what we have and always remember that being a person of faith is not only about prayers and worship but of serving the needs of others.