Matthew 24:42

Commentary

Text: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42, NKJV)

1. Contextual Background

Matthew 24[i] is part of the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus speaks to His disciples about the destruction of the temple, the signs of His coming, and the end of the age. The chapter is marked by both immediate historical fulfilment (the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70) and eschatological anticipation (the final return of Christ).

Verse 42 sits within a section emphasising vigilance and readiness. Jesus has just described the suddenness of His coming, likening it to the days of Noah (vv. 37–39), where people carried on with ordinary life until the flood came unexpectedly. The exhortation to “watch” is therefore a pastoral command to live in constant readiness.

2. Exegesis of Matthew 24:42

• “Watch therefore” – The verb carries the sense of being alert, vigilant, and spiritually awake. It is not passive waiting but active readiness.
• “For you do not know what hour” – The uncertainty of timing is deliberate. God withholds the precise moment to prevent complacency and to cultivate faith, obedience, and perseverance.
• “Your Lord is coming” – The personal pronoun “your” reminds believers of their covenant relationship with Christ. His coming is not abstract but deeply relational. It is the return of the One who has redeemed His people.

3. Theological Insights

• Christ’s Lordship: The passage affirms Jesus as “your Lord,” highlighting His authority and ownership over His people.
• Eschatological Hope: The certainty of His coming is balanced by the uncertainty of its timing. This tension calls believers to live faithfully in the present.
• Human Limitation: The inability to know the hour underscores human dependence on God’s sovereignty.
• Perseverance in Faith: The command to watch is a call to endurance, resisting spiritual lethargy and worldly distraction.

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4. Practical Application for Modern Christian Living

• Daily Readiness: Christians are to live each day as though Christ could return at any moment. This shapes priorities, relationships, and decisions.
• Holiness and Integrity: Watching involves moral vigilance. Believers are called to resist sin and pursue godliness in both public and private life.
• Mission and Witness: Readiness is not withdrawal but active engagement in the Great Commission. Watching means being faithful stewards of the gospel.
• Hope in Uncertainty: In a world marked by instability, the promise of Christ’s return anchors believers in hope and confidence.
• Pastoral Encouragement: This verse comforts those weary in faith. The Lord’s coming is certain, and His people are not forgotten.

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5. Meditation Guide

• Reflect: Consider areas of life where spiritual vigilance has waned.
• Pray: Ask the Lord to cultivate watchfulness, holiness, and hope.
• Act: Commit to one tangible step of readiness today—whether reconciliation with someone, renewed devotion in prayer, or boldness in witness.
• Encourage: Share the hope of Christ’s coming with another believer, reminding them of the certainty of His return.

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[i] Matthew 24

New King James Version

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

24 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 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, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.