THIEF IN THE NIGHT

Matt.24:42-44 – Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 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. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Timing is everything when it comes to thievery. Years ago I was coming to the church office around 8:30 in the morning like I did on most mornings in those days. This was our first church and I was the one and only employee. When I unlocked the front door I heard someone scurrying about and quickly ran after the ruckus going down the hall, I caught sight of the thief just as he was falling out of my office window and taking off running into the neighborhood. Obviously this thief had not picked a good time to rob the church, he should have tried the age old practice of being a “thief in the night”. Jesus used that phrase describing His sudden appearance. Unless the homeowner is ready thieves can get away with robbery under the cloak of darkness. Jesus said His coming will be just like a thief in the night. Here is how the Pillar Commentary describes that event.

“A homely illustration underlines the point. The hearers do not know at what hour their Lord is coming, but they do know what they would do if a certain situation arose in their normal course of life. Burglaries, alas, do happen from time to time, but what makes them possible is that the burglar does his work unknown to the householder. He chooses a time when he will not be expected and thus can get away with his nefarious business. If the time of his coming was known, even in general terms, the householder would be ready for him.”

The point of this illustration that Jesus used is that His Second Coming would be sudden and unexpected to most people. Many are distracted with the affairs of this life and though they may not be leading a sinful life their distraction wit their earthly interests tend to put them in a state of spiritual dullness. Jesus went on to teach about the wise virgins who were prepared for the coming and the foolish ones who were not. What was the difference ? It was oil in the lamp, the Holy Spirit actively involved in our lives keeping us ready for His coming.