When Jesus’ disciples sought to know when He would return and His kingdom would be established, they went to Him privately and asked Him, What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3). In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus told two different parables which spoke about His return.
Prior to telling the first parable, found in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was speaking about events that would precede His return at the end of time. He told His disciples that only the Father knows when that time will come, but in the meantime, they were to “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32–33).
He then proceeded to tell them the parable:
It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake (Mark 13:34–37).
According to this story, before setting out on his journey, the master set his household in order by making sure that each of his servants knew what they were to do during his absence. He instructed the doorkeeper to stay awake and to be prepared to open the door upon his return. However, the doorkeeper wasn’t given any indication as to when that would be.
Jesus went on to tell His disciples that they likewise were to stay awake and alert, because they didn’t know when their Master would return. His inference that the master could come suddenly didn’t mean soon. Rather it meant unexpectedly—that is, he could come at any time and no one would know exactly when he would arrive. If the servant was found sleeping when the master arrived, he would have failed in his duty.
Similar calls to stay awake and to be alert are found throughout the Gospels: “Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).
To be discovered sleeping when one is supposed to be on duty would be considered a shameful failure to fulfill one’s obligations. We read of this very thing happening on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion when Jesus told Peter, James, and John to “remain here and watch” as He prayed. However, later we read that “He came and found them sleeping,” and said to Peter, “Could you not watch one hour?” (Mark 14:34–37).
What Jesus said to His disciples—to be alert, awake, aware, and vigilant—He says to all Christians in all times, including us today. Jesus calls us to vigilantly live our faith in a manner that ensures we will be ready to meet the Lord—whether at the time of our death or at His Second Coming.
In Matthew 24, Jesus said, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matthew 24:45–46). The implication is that each believer is faced with a choice. Will we be faithful to the Lord? Will we live our lives in accordance with His teachings?
It’s easy in the course of our busy schedules and all the cares and responsibilities of this life to let our spiritual lives drift to the neglect of our faith and relationship with God. The immediate demands of our everyday lives require us to focus on our work, family, friends, and the seemingly never-ending affairs of daily life. It takes intentionality, as well as time and effort to actively live our faith, to feed our souls, to keep our spiritual lives vibrant and relevant, to fulfill Jesus’ call to us: Stay awake!
The second parable, which has a similar message, is found in Luke 12:
Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! (Luke 12:35–38)
Jesus opens this parable with a call to “be dressed for action.” This expresses the idea of being in a constant state of readiness to act, as 1 Peter 1:13 reiterates: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
In this parable, Jesus used three examples of readiness—being dressed for action, keeping the lamps burning, and being prepared at all times for the master’s return—to express the need for His followers to live in a manner which reflects His teachings. We are to live a life guided by His Word as faithful servants, with one eye heavenward looking expectantly for His return.
He then highlights the reward of those who are ready. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” Those who are awake at the master’s return will receive God’s favor. They have been spiritually vigilant, actively living their faith.
Jesus went on to say, “Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” The master will reverse roles with the servants, which in essence means that the servants no longer have the same status as before. The master’s treatment of the servants in this parable reflects the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper when He washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5). This concept of Jesus as the one who serves is found throughout the Gospels, such as when Jesus said that He “came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
At the end of this parable, Jesus said: “If [the master] comes … and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!” Twice Jesus called those servants who were ready and awake at His return blessed. Like the servants in the parable, none of us know the day or the hour of our Master’s return, but we are exhorted to always be vigilant in spirit in anticipation of that time.
We can also take these same principles to heart regarding the time of our death. No Christian in history has experienced Christ’s return, but all Christians who have passed on from this life have come into His presence. None of us know exactly when we will die, we only know that “it has been appointed for each person to die” (Hebrews 9:27).
How can we prepare for whenever He returns, or when our lives are over? By striving to be faithful servants who base our lives on the teachings of Jesus, who seek to have a vibrant relationship with God and to love Him and others every day, and to be faithful in whatever He has called us to do. In living this way, we will be blessed not only in the present, but for all eternity.