Mark 13:32-37

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ 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. ³⁵ 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 cock crows, or in the morning– ³⁶ lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Jesus was responding to His disciples questions. Although Mark only records the disciples asking about the destruction of Jerusalem, in Matthew’s parallel account, we learn that the disciples asked for even more information. They wanted to know when the second coming would occur at the end of time.

Matthew 24:3

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”

Thus when Jesus finishes giving them instruction on what to look for before the destruction of Jerusalem, He then has this to say about the end of time.

Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples or us when the end will come. In His human nature, He didn’t know. It is not God’s will to reveal that to us.

But He does tell us what our responsibility is in relation to end times. “Be on guard, keep awake.”

What do we learn from this?

We all have a tendency to fall asleep. No matter how much zeal I might have for God today, it is no guarantee that I will be zealous for God tomorrow. I must actively keep guard over myself to ensure that I do not fall asleep spiritually and lose my concern for spiritual things. God calls us take care that we don’t slowly fall into the comfort of a routine in our spiritual exercises and lose the real significance of them. “Be on guard, keep awake.”

Where is Christ in this passage?

Christ is calling us to be alert and awake spiritually as we await His return. He has gone away, “like a man going on a journey”, and He has left us “in charge, each with his work”. We are to be working for our Master as we await His return.