The unknown day and hour

MATTHEW 24:42-51

JESUS said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 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. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

REFLECTION

STAY AWAKE! Jesus calls his disciples to be servants. He enjoins them to be vigilant by working diligently. They are to be prepared always for his coming. Jesus wants his disciples to be faithful and prudent servants who religiously deliver the services expected of them and take care of the needs of their fellow men and women. Happy are they when Jesus finds them doing so when he comes. Jesus warns the disciples who are lazy and irresponsible, not caring for their brethren, mindless of God’s judgment, becoming violent, given to excessive eating and drinking, unmindful of their master’s return. They will be punished severely. Indeed, blessed are you when you serve others as a Christian servant-leader, not wasting your time, always aware of your duties and responsibilities, submitting your reports on time, doing your homework, and duly accounting for your stewardship.

What kind of a disciple are you? Are you a reliable, trustworthy servant?