For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. 39 They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. 44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the coming of the Son of Man. He does not give them a timetable or a set of predictions to calculate. Instead, he uses images from everyday life and from the Old Testament to show what it means to be ready for his coming in the midst of ordinary days.
Jesus recalls the days of Noah. People were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” right up to the day Noah entered the ark (vv. 37-38). These activities are part of normal human life; Jesus does not condemn them in themselves. The problem in the time of Noah was that people went about life without regard for God, his commandments, or his warnings. They “did not know until the flood came and carried them all away” (v. 39). The flood did not arrive in a world where everyone expected judgment the next morning. It came at a time when people were living their lives with little thought for God.
Jesus says that “so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (v. 39). Once again, ordinary life will continue: work, family, conversation, plans. The decisive difference will not be outward circumstances but the inner posture of the heart. Jesus then gives two brief pictures. Two men are out in the field; two women are grinding at the mill. In each case, one is taken and one is left (vv. 40-41). The work is the same. What is different is the hidden relationship each person has with God.
Matthew does not spell out whether the one who is “taken” is taken into safety with the Lord or taken away in judgment. The emphasis is not on a change of physical location but on the final separation between those who belong to Christ and those who have chosen to live without him. These brief images are sometimes read as if Jesus were describing a secret removal of some and the abandonment of others. In Matthew’s context, however, he is speaking about the final coming of the Son of Man in judgment, not an invisible event apart from his return in glory. When he comes, there will be a final and irreversible division between those who have welcomed his grace and those who have refused it. Until that moment, they may work side by side and share many parts of daily life; at his coming, the truth of their response to God will be made manifest.
Because this coming is certain but its exact moment is unknown, Jesus sums up his teaching with a clear conclusion: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (v. 42). To “stay awake” here does not refer simply to physical wakefulness. It is spiritual watchfulness: living with faith, trust, and obedience in the present, rather than drifting into spiritual drowsiness. Jesus calls the one who is coming “your Lord,” making it clear that the Son of Man who will appear is the same Lord the disciples already know and follow.
To deepen this point, Jesus uses another brief image (v. 43). A thief does not announce his arrival. He comes when people are least prepared. Jesus is not comparing his character to a thief, but the unexpected timing of his coming to the unexpected timing of a break-in. The point is that the only way to be ready for an unexpected hour is to live in a constant state of readiness (v. 44).
Jesus’ words in this passage invite believers in every age to live their ordinary days—work, family, responsibilities—in a way that remains attentive to God, trusting his promises and ready to welcome the Son of Man whenever he comes.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of Man who has come and who will come again in glory. Grant that your word may keep us spiritually awake, living our ordinary days in faith and trust. Help us to remain turned toward you, so that whenever you come, you may find us ready to welcome you. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Matthew (Four Courts/Scepter, 2008).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (Paulist Press, 2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990).
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