The Blessedness of the Watchful (Matthew 24:32–51)

[Stephan Choe]

September 1, 2026

Key Verses

42: “Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

45–46: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.”

A Jewish wedding began with the bridegroom bringing his bride to his home during the night.

Let us imagine such a wedding taking place today. The bride is waiting for her bridegroom. It is already late at night. Yet no one knows when the bridegroom will finally arrive. Should the bride go to bed? No! She stays awake and waits for her bridegroom.

The time of Christ’s return is our wedding day. We are waiting for Him. We must remain watchful, for He will come suddenly.

That is why Jesus speaks in this passage about the importance of being watchful.

1. Words that do not pass away (32–41)

Fig trees can be seen everywhere in Israel. Using this tree, Jesus teaches us the importance of paying attention to His return:

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree! When its branches become tender and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Likewise, when you see all these things, you should recognize that the end is at the door” (32–33).

Then He says: “Truly, I say to you: This generation will not pass away until all these things have happened” (34).

Did Jesus mean by these words that the generation of that time would witness Christ’s return? At the beginning of this chapter, Jesus had told His disciples—who were marveling at the splendor of the temple—that the temple would be completely destroyed and the world would come to an end (24:2; 3–4).

One might interpret His words to mean that the destruction of the temple and the end of the world would happen simultaneously. However, we know that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, whereas the end of the world has not yet occurred. How, then, are we to understand Jesus’ words in verse 34: “This generation will not pass away until all this has happened”?

When reading biblical prophecy, we must often grasp the twofold nature of divine promises.

Consider, for example, the promise God made to David through the prophet Nathan.

God spoke to David through Nathan: "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring—who will come from your own body—as your successor and establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Samuel 7:12–13).

In this passage, God promised David that Solomon—a descendant of David—would build the temple. At the same time, God promised that Christ—also a descendant of David—would establish God’s kingdom and reign eternally. This illustrates the twofold nature of divine promises.

This twofold nature of divine promises can also be explained using an optical illusion.

Imagine looking at several mountains situated one behind the other at great intervals. We estimate the distance between us and a mountain based on the angle formed between our two eyes and that mountain. However, when several mountains stand one behind the other with considerable spacing, they all appear to be the same distance away from us. This is an optical illusion caused by the fact that the angle between our eyes and the mountains is so small that we perceive all the mountains as if they were standing at the same distance before us.

Similarly, with his words in verse 34, Jesus indicates that his prediction refers both to the destruction of Jerusalem—which was to take place about forty years later—and to his own return.

Jesus cannot say when he will return after his ascension and bring the earthly world to an end; only God the Father knows that. Then Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (35).

What does he teach us through these words?

First, Jesus teaches us not to love worldly things like money, but rather God, for the world passes away.

Jesus tells us the story of the Great Flood in the time of Noah (37–39). When Noah warned the people of his day about the impending flood, they retorted: "Don't talk nonsense! There is no flood coming! We should just enjoy the beautiful weather!" They ate, drank, and married—giving and taking in marriage—until the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and swept them all away.

Occasionally, we hear of siblings quarreling over their parents' inheritance. Yet there are also heartwarming stories. Renate has a brother and two sisters. Her parents own a house. Renate and her sisters declared that they would forgo their share of the inheritance regarding the family home so that their brother could take sole ownership. Because Renate and her sisters love their brother and parents more than money, they maintain an excellent relationship with one another.

Unfortunately, not everyone in this world is like Renate and her siblings. Many love money more than their siblings or parents. This often leads to conflict. Theoretically, we know that wealth, power, and worldly honor are fleeting. Yet in everyday life, we forget this and cling to such things. We should love neither money nor vain honor nor power. We should envy neither the rich nor the powerful. We should love God with all our hearts and love people more than money.

All worldly things pass away. This world will pass away, for its time is limited. One can see how rapidly state-of-the-art weapon systems are being developed. Robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, and drones are already waging war. The proliferation of nuclear weapons continues. North Korea is absolutely unwilling to give up its nuclear bombs. Are people acting rationally? Unfortunately, no. Here we should remember the words of Jesus: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Second, through these words, Jesus teaches us that we should rely on Him and His word.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will not pass away. Just as God does not pass away, neither can God’s words pass away. Jesus is the eternal God (John 1:18), and His word is God’s word. Therefore, we can rely on the word of Jesus.

Unfortunately, the exact hour of Christ’s return is a divine mystery (36). Consequently, no one knows exactly when Christ will return. Nevertheless, it is certain that Jesus will return.

Whoever wishes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven must repent as soon as possible and believe in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God. Once the hour of Christ’s return has arrived, it will be too late to receive forgiveness and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, it is wise to repent without delay and believe in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God.

Imagine two farmers working in the field at the hour of His return. The one who has already repented and believed in Jesus Christ will be warmly welcomed into heaven. The other, however, who does not yet believe in Christ, will be left behind.

Or think of two women grinding wheat together at a mill. When Jesus suddenly appears, the one who has repented and believed in Jesus Christ will be taken, while the other, who does not yet believe in Christ, will be left behind.

Therefore, we should not hesitate to repent of our unbelief in Jesus Christ and to receive forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Him.

For it is written: "Now is the time of grace; now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

We must remain constantly vigilant—and not only because Jesus Christ will return suddenly. Another reason for our vigilance is that no one knows exactly when they will die. The hour of death does not depend on age. Therefore, everyone should believe in Jesus Christ and obtain eternal life as soon as possible. Once the hour of death has arrived, it is too late.

2. Watch! (42–51)

How should we live after accepting Jesus Christ through repentance and faith?

Jesus says to us:

“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (42).

What does Jesus teach us with the word “Watch!”?

First, Jesus teaches us to be always ready to welcome the returning Christ with great joy.

Suppose Andrew is expecting a precious guest. He knows the guest will arrive soon but, unfortunately, does not know the exact time of arrival. What will Andrew do? He will likely tidy up his house, prepare a good meal, and keep a lookout for the guest.

We, too, should wait for the returning Christ in this way. We urgently need to cleanse our hearts—through the blood of Christ—of sin and the love of the world. We need pure hearts so that we can welcome the Lord immediately and with great enthusiasm. Having a burning heart means possessing a burning love for Him, spiritual strength, and a living hope for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever has a heart burning for Jesus will say what is written in Revelation 22:20:

When Jesus Christ says, “Yes, I am coming soon,” John answers, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

How would you and I answer if Jesus said to us, “Yes, I am coming soon!”?

Would we answer Him: “Welcome! But come a little later! I still have something to take care of first”?

That is not how we can receive the Lord. We should answer with great enthusiasm and joy: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Second, through the word “watch,” Jesus teaches us to remain spiritually vigilant and to guard against deception and a worldly spirit.

This world is a spiritual battlefield. False Christs or false prophets try to lead us astray. Guided by the words of Jesus, we must guard against such deceptions. We should also help others avoid being led astray.

Satan does not announce when he will tempt us; he wants to catch us off guard. Therefore, we must remain constantly vigilant and fight the good fight of faith. Added to this is the influence of the worldly spirit. Although this influence is invisible, it is extremely dangerous. If we do not remain vigilant, we fall heavily under the spell of the spirit of the world. We let ourselves be swept along by the spirit of the age, much like a dead fish drifting with the current. Consequently, our thinking, our hope, and our lives are shaped by the world.

A living fish, on the other hand, swims against the current. We should not look to the world for direction but rather to Jesus and His word. We are to read the Bible, pray to God, and listen to His voice. We should allow ourselves to be renewed by God’s word and His Spirit, and be filled with the Spirit of God. In this way, we are to love not the world, but God and His kingdom.

Third, with the command "Watch!", Jesus gives us a lesson: the mandate to faithfully carry out the Lord’s service until He returns.

In verses 45–46, He says, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns."

Earlier, in verse 14, He had declared that the gospel would be proclaimed to all the nations of the world—regardless of the circumstances of the end times.

It is important to our Lord that we faithfully carry out His commission while we await His return, for He has entrusted us with the task of proclaiming the gospel to others. Our Lord desires that as many people as possible believe in Him and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must not let wars, natural disasters, persecution, or the confusion of the world trouble us. Instead, we should always keep our eyes fixed on the glory of the Lord and the Kingdom of Heaven and faithfully fulfill our Lord’s commission. When He returns and sees that we have faithfully carried out His commission, He will rejoice greatly and bless us abundantly.

Our Heavenly Wedding

How do we welcome Christ?

We must welcome the returning Christ with great joy, just as a bride welcomes her bridegroom. In ancient Jewish tradition, it was customary for the bride not to know the day of her bridegroom’s return; she was to await him with joy.

We are the bride of Christ. We must await His return with joy.

As we wait for His coming, let us invite others to join us in welcoming Christ as our true Bridegroom. Christ will come and lead us into His heavenly kingdom. Thus, we will be able to celebrate a heavenly wedding.

Jesus tells us: "Be watchful! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come!" Amen!