Matthew 24:50 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know

NIV: 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.

NASB: then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know,

CSB: that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.

NLT: The master will return unannounced and unexpected,

KJV: The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

NKJV: the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,

The point of Jesus' parable is highlighted in this statement. He has said repeatedly He will return as Judge and King (Hebrews 9:28) at a time that nobody can know or anticipate (Matthew 24:36). Now He has used a parable to show how His followers should live, as faithful servants, in readiness for His return (Matthew 24:42). The first servant in the parable honored His master's instructions and was rewarded (Matthew 24:45–47).

On the other hand, a wicked servant left in charge of his master's household makes a different choice. The servant wrongfully concluded that since the master has not yet returned, he must not be coming back soon, or at all (2 Peter 3:3–7). The servant has used this illusion of no accountability to abuse the other servants under his care and to party with the town drunkards (Matthew 24:48–49).

Connecting the parable to His earlier predictions, Jesus assures His listeners that the master will return without warning and to the surprise of that servant. Then, too late, it will become clear to the servant that he has been accountable all along (Matthew 24:38–39).

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.