keeping watch

Mark 13:32-37

"32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."

Today’s verses close Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, shifting from the Temple’s destruction to His Second Coming. No one knows the day or hour; not angels, nor the Son in His incarnate state, only the Father.

Jesus warns against date-setting and calls for constant vigilance, illustrated by a master who leaves servants in charge and orders the doorkeeper to watch. Believers must stay ready, lest they be found asleep at His unexpected return, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or dawn. The command applies to all: perpetual watchfulness is a core Christian duty.

For reflection:

What does “keeping watch” mean in your spiritual life?