THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF (Matthew 24:42-44; Luke 12:39-40)

“42 Therefore keep watch[1], because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 So you also must be ready[2], because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

This short parable is found in both Luke and Matthew.  It comes at the end of a complex chapter of prophecy about two interwoven events: the judgment of Jerusalem and the end of the present age.  It is one of several parables with the theme of watchfulness or spiritual alertness that conclude Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount of Olives.  The Bible’s teaching about the future is essentially practical.  Jesus calls us to live in such a way that we are ready to meet him whenever he comes again. 

The key words in this parable are “keep watch”.  In Matthew’s gospel Jesus preached several parables to underline this warning: the Thief in the Night, the Faithful Servant and the Unfaithful Servant, the Ten Village Girls, the Talents, and the Sheep and the Goats, while Mark records the Parable of the Porter (13:35-37).

Jesus specifically cautioned his disciples that his return to earth would be without warning and at an unexpected time.  In this parable he said that people not only “do not know” the time, but they also would “not expect him”.  This indicates that there is an element of surprise about the return of Christ, even for God’s people, despite the “signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3) of the end of the age that create an attitude of hope and expectancy.

On the one hand, “that Day” will be a surprise for everyone, especially the skeptical unbeliever, as its exact timing is not known.  On the other hand, it will not be a surprise for watchful believers who are spiritually awake and enjoy a relationship with Jesus that is a living reality.  The parable is therefore a warning to the unprepared as well as an encouragement to those who confidently wait for Jesus’ return.

The suddenness and unpredictability of the Son of Man’s return is compared to a thief.  This is not an image of Jesus coming to take what does not belong to him.  It is a proverb for an unpredictable or sudden event that occurs in other places in the New Testament (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; 16:15).  Since Christians cannot know the time of the return of Jesus, it is implied they must continuously watch and be always prepared for it.

A thief’s main advantage is surprise; he does not announce his arrival.  He only succeeds when the house is inadequately protected.  Since no one knows when a thief may strike, constant watchfulness is required: “So you also must be ready.”  Just as alertness allows the owner of the house to prevent the secret approach of a thief, so the disciple needs to be on the watch for the unexpected coming of the Lord.  Otherwise he is like a burgled houseowner who suffers loss and distress.

Notice how the encouragement to “keep watch” (NIV) or “be on the alert” (NASB) or “be sleeplessly on the watch” (Barclay) occurs twice in this short parable.  The verb is in the present tense of continuous action.  It is like our expression “Keep your eyes open!”  Believers are encouraged to be mindful of what is happening in world affairs, especially moral and spiritual matters, and avoid an attitude of indifference.  The uncertainty of the date of the Lord’s return does not give us an excuse for being unprepared.  Rather it provides a motive for right priorities, alert discipleship, and faithful service.  Then our Lord’s coming will not catch us off guard and ashamed (1 John 2:28).

The resurrected Lord reminded the church at Sardis: “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.  But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” (Revelation 3:3).  This warning of sudden judgment was appropriate to Sardis.  The city was built on a mountain with a reputation for impregnability.  Yet it had been conquered several times through lack of vigilance when its difficult access had thought its capture impossible. 

Christ’s surprise return means that those who are unprepared for it will be overwhelmed and experience loss and shame.  The risen Lord warned: “Behold, I come like a thief!  Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Revelation 16:15).

There are different explanations for this image of clothing.

1. Clothing is a symbol of the righteousness that God supplies to those in Christ.  To be properly clothed, as with “wedding clothes” (Matthew 22:11-13), means to be acceptable to the Lord.  The garment is the equivalent of salvation or “robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).  Whereas the figure of “walking naked” is a technical phrase meaning “condemned in the judgment”. [3]
2. It was common for people to sleep lightly clothed at night in warm weather.  When going to sleep, a person would take off the outer garment and use it as a blanket.  Perhaps the image describes a “naked” householder chasing a thief who had stolen his outer clothing.  To be without that outer garment in public would be to be “naked” in terms of that culture (something like being in a shopping mall clothed only in underwear in our day).  Jesus thus counsels “keeping one’s clothes with him”, or guarding them, to prevent the surprise of finding himself “shamefully exposed.” ^[4]
3. “It described a guard who was meant to stay awake at his post at night.  The Mishnah, [a collection of traditional Jewish laws] reports the captain of the temple in Jerusalem went his rounds of the precincts by night, and if a member of the temple police was caught asleep at his post, his clothes were taken off and burned, and he was sent away naked in disgrace.” [5]

Note that a special blessing is promised to the believer who “stays awake”, an image often linked to the end of the age (Matthew 24:42–44; 25:13; Mark 13:33–37; Luke 12:39–40; 1 Thessalonians 5:4–6; Rev. 3:2–3).  The ideas in this image reinforce Christ’s emphasis on the necessity of spiritual alertness and diligent watchfulness to avoid shame, disgrace and condemnation.

Christians face the “now and not yet” of the kingdom of God as the kingdom has both a present and a future aspect.  Jesus said to his disciples, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)  At present the kingdom is God’s spiritual rule on earth in the hearts of his people, but when Jesus returns the kingdom will be seen in its complete power and majesty. 

Meanwhile believers are called to watch prayerfully and work purposefully during their lives.  Our daily life is to be conditioned and disciplined by the reality of Christ’s sudden return.  Am I a faithful steward of God’s resources?  What things should I give up?  What things should I take up?  What things should I follow with more purpose?  How can I best allow the future to determine the present?

With all the bad news that often dominates today’s media there is the good news of a coming King whose kingdom offers guaranteed security and peace.  What we may find alarming, Jesus anticipated.  The King is coming!  The early Church used the expression “Come, O Lord!” (1 Corinthians 16:22) as a greeting or prayer, an indication that believers longed for his return.  Disorder and increasing evil in the world may dismay believers, but the death throes of Satan’s kingdom are the “birth pains” of Christ’s kingdom that has no end. (Matthew 24:8; Mark 13:8).  Christ’s reign as King, while invisible to the world, will be visible by his return.

Today many people are skeptical about the subject of prophecy especially the Second Coming of Christ.  They have been disillusioned and confused by strange interpretations by dogmatic unqualified interpreters of the Bible who have often produced eccentric timetables for the return of Jesus.  Folly, exhibitionism, and heresy have marred the doctrine of Christ’s return.  Jesus warned about deception, the misreading of signs and the gullibility of some people (24:4-5, 24).

Christ’s personal return is certain but we are not to speculate about the Second Coming.  Christ does not provide a precise timetable but only general indicators and broad trends.  We are to discern the “signs of the times” but Jesus specifically said that his coming is unpredictable.  No-one but the Father will know exactly the moment of Christ’s return: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32).  Doom watching and crystal ball gazing are difficult sciences!  The Bible is not a fortune-telling book.  Jesus is more concerned with how people respond to events than with the events themselves.  The important issue is personal preparedness, not a matter of timetabling.

• “It is the fact of the return of Christ, not the timing of it, which matters.”
• What does it mean for us to “keep watch”?  His return will catch many by surprise.
• The question arises, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” (2 Peter 3:4)  The contemporaries of Peter asked it in the first century and it is now even more relevant.
• A meeting has been arranged, its date and its time determined by God, whether we like it or not, whether we are ready or not.  We wait for God’s decision.
• What is the Holy Spirit asking me to do in order that I may be prepared to meet the returning Master?
• How can you live today as a reminder to others of Christ’s coming reign?
• We do not need to know what the future holds if we trust the One who controls the future, the One who says, “I am the Lord.”

“Come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20).  Lord, help me to be a faithful and responsible servant, watchful, and ready in heart and mind for your return.  Amen.

Jim Peacock MA (Hons), Diploma of Education