Matthew 24:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

NIV: 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.

NASB: But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

CSB: But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.

NLT: Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.

KJV: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

NKJV: But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

The return of Christ (Matthew 24:3) will be unexpected. The signs will be unmistakable (Matthew 24:27–31), but only once the critical moment has come. Jesus will return as the judge (Hebrews 9:28) without warning as everyone is going about their daily lives (Matthew 24:37–39). Since nobody can possibly know at what moment that will be (Matthew 24:36), Jesus insists His followers must be constantly vigilant and prepared.

An analogy illustrates this point. One can compare Christ's return to a robber who breaks into houses (2 Peter 3:10). The thief's advantage is that he's never expected at a specific moment. If the homeowner knew exactly when the criminal would come, he could simply wait until then to be ready. Since the homeowner cannot know the time, he must stay awake at all times of the night.

The point is not that followers of Christ must literally avoid sleep out of fear of His return. The comparison is merely for the sake of that narrow point: they need to be ready because the exact moment in question will not be known. All people should live in a state of constant preparedness for the return of the judge. Even if Christ's return is many years away, it's common to meet an unexpected end to earthly life (James 4:13–14).

Those who read or hear Jesus' words should not delay in trusting Him for their salvation from sin (John 3:16–18; 2 Peter 3:3–7). Those who have already trusted Him should not carelessly lapse into sinful living as if the judge will not return at any moment.

Matthew 24:36–51 contains an explicit warning which has frequently been ignored by false teachers. Nobody will know the precise time of His return to earth. Only God the Father knows when it will happen. Everyone will be caught by surprise at the sudden appearance of those signs, just as the people swept away in Noah's flood. Jesus' followers must live in constant readiness for His return. He uses a parable to illustrate this, describing the choices of two servants while their master was away. One was faithful and wise, the other wicked. When the master returned, the faithful one was rewarded, and the wicked one was cut into pieces.

Jesus makes a dire prediction about the destruction of the temple. Immediately after this, while seated on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responds to a question from the disciples. They ask when judgment will come and what signs will signal His return. Christ describes a season of unimaginable world turmoil and persecution. He points to a specific moment of defilement of the temple, at which point people should run for their lives. Jesus speaks of world-threatening tribulation which will be cut short right before He returns as King and Judge. Since nobody can possibly know when He will return, His followers must live in readiness.

Jesus has just left the temple area, after delivering a blistering criticism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). After predicting that the temple would be destroyed, He answers their questions about the end times. He speaks of a period when He will be gone from earth and they will be persecuted and killed. The world will be in turmoil, but the gospel will be preached everywhere. Nobody knows exactly when Jesus' return will be completed, so his followers should constantly be prepared. Jesus continues to teach on these themes in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.