Verse 43. "But know this, that if the goodman of the house [master 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 [broken through].
THIS parable, though definite in its teaching, has a two-fold application. It is a parable of the coming of the Son of Man, which, as we have seen, relates to His open manifestation as Son of Man to the world. The language of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5 is very distinct on this point, as showing the direct application is not to the Church, but to the world and to the remnant of Israel: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord [Jehovah] so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake [watch] or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
All calculations of times or seasons by turning days into years, and fixing on certain epochs of commencement, and so on, are not only unnecessary, but also unscriptural and misleading. The injury done to the cause of truth by such ingenious, but unwise speculations, may never be estimated till the clear light of eternity reveals it. "It is not for us to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power." Of the day and the hour when the Son of Man is manifested and the day of Jehovah cometh knoweth no man, neither the angels in heaven; neither was it given by the Father to the Son to communicate while He was here on earth: that day will come upon the world as a thief in the night, and find the world totally unprepared for it. The world is unbelieving on this point; its language is: "Where is the promise of His coming?" Not so with true believers now; their hope, expectation, and longing desire is for "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him." Though that coming and the taking up will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, it will not be an event unlooked for and undesired by the Church, but the fulfillment of the promise: "Surely I come quickly." And, whether at the moment watching or sleeping, all who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and are sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise, will share with the Redeemer in His resurrection life and glory.
But, as we have said, there is an application of this parable to the believer and the Church, and this we find in Revelation iii., in the address to the Church in Sardis, where the Lord says: "If, therefore, thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." It is the duty, the privilege, and for the inestimable blessing of the believer to be found watching, waiting, and ready for the Lord's return; but if this duty be neglected, and through worldliness, lukewarmness, or false teaching the believer refuses to watch, the coming of the Lord will be to him, as the coming of the Son of Man to the world, a surprise and a reproof, and a sudden breaking off of cherished plans and projects.
Verse 44. "Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”
This exhortation, in its direct application, was addressed to the disciples as the representatives of the elect remnant of Israel and their fellow-believers, who, after the removal of the Church, will pass through the scenes of trial and tribulation previous to the manifestation of the Son of Man, to whom the exact day and hour of His appearing will be unknown, and to whom, unless thus watchful, His coming will be at an hour least expected.
This exhortation, as thus addressed, we find again recorded in Revelation 16:1515Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15), under the sixth vial, immediately preceding the battle of the great day of God Almighty. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Thus, whether it be the Church now, or the remnant then, there is a blessing pronounced on those servants whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching, with their loins girt and lamp burning, that, at His coming, they "may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”