HOW’S YOUR SERVE?

Mark 13:32-37

³² “But as for that day or hour no one knows it–neither the angels in the sky, nor the Son–except the Father. ³³ See to it that you keep watch, because you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves in charge, assigning to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. ³⁵ You stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return–whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn– ³⁶ or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly. ³⁷ But I am telling you what I tell everyone: Stay alert!”

suddenly, not soon

Jesus shifts the focus again here, turning from the fall of Jerusalem back to the question the disciples had also asked: What about Your coming? And His answer carries a different tone—one meant to shape the posture of His people across the long stretch of history.

He describes the interval between His ascension and His return as a household whose master has gone on a long journey. The very fact that he assigns responsibilities to his servants implies delay. If he were returning quickly, there would be no need for delegated work, no need for long‑term stewardship. But the master entrusts his household to his servants because he expects to be gone long enough that real faithfulness will be required.

Yet the emphasis is not on the length of the delay but on the manner of the return. The master comes back suddenly—without letters, warnings, or messengers running ahead to announce him. His arrival is abrupt, decisive, and unmistakable. Jesus wants His disciples to feel the weight of that suddenness. The world may forget Him. People may assume He is never coming back. But His return will not be gradual or predictable. It will be like a door flung open in the middle of the night.

And that becomes the church’s message to a world eager to move on from Jesus: He is coming back. Not with advance notice. Not with a countdown. Not with a headline that gives us time to scramble. He will appear to reclaim what is His. That is why His servants must stay awake—alert, steady, faithful—continuing their work even when the delay feels long and the night feels quiet.

The apparent slowness of His return is not an excuse to drift. It is an invitation to serve with wisdom, courage, and hope.

Lord, make us wise in the way we serve Your coming King.