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  • Commentary on 1st Sunday of Advent (A) 27.11.2016
January 22, 2021

Commentary on 1st Sunday of Advent (A) 27.11.2016

Commentary on 1st Sunday of Advent (A) 27.11.2016

by +Paschal Tiernan OP / Tuesday, 29 November 2016 / Published in Commentary

TEXT: MATTHEW 24: 37–44

Coming of Son of man will be unexpected

37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.

You do not know the day

40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Be ready

43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 

EXPLANATION

37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.

“As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man” — There is no mention in this passage of Christ’s birth, his first coming. Matthew is comparing the way people will live and behave at the time of the Second Coming, the parousia, with the way they lived in the days of Noah before the Flood. The word “coming” is a technical biblical word for the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus as the end of the world.

For Noah and the Flood see Genesis 6: 5 to 8: 14.

“so will be the coming of the Son of man” — This is an “inclusio” which means that the exact same words occur again at the end of verse 39. An “inclusio” is a repetition of words to emphasise that what is written between them is being highlighted and emphasised.

The title “Son of man” is used thirty times in Matthew’s Gospel. It refers to Jesus in general, that is in his public ministry (Mt. 9: 6; 11: 19; 12: 8), his passion (17: 12, 22; 20: 18; 26: 2), his coming at the end of time (10: 25; 13: 41; 16: 27–28; 24: 27, 30, 37. 39, 44; 25: 31). The title “Lord” is used in verse 42 and this identifies both “Lord” and “Son of man” as the same person.

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away” — In the days of Noah, before the Flood, people were not interested in religion. There was very much corruption. Not all were corrupt but those who were not were sheer careless and lacked thought about their future destiny. They lived for the present, doing the ordinary everyday things such as daily needs and family life. Eternal life was not a consideration. Matthew does not mention their corruption nor any reason why God should have sent the Flood. He wishes to emphasis the necessity of vigilance for the unanticipated future.

The Flood came most unexpectedly and only Noah and his family of eight had prepared. That is why the others were “swept away” suddenly. This does not apply only to sinners but to those who had no thought about religion and their future eternity, who did not prepare and become ready.

“and they did not know” — This is the first of four references to ‘not knowing’: verses 39, 42, 43, 44. There is definite emphasis on this point, that they did not know the day nor the hour.

“so will be the coming of the Son of man” — the “inclusio” is closed with this repetition. Jesus will come a second time unexpectedly and those not prepared, who have no thought for God, even though not corrupt, will be “swept away”. So, be constantly on the watch and prepared.

 

40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.

“Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left” — “Then” refers to the Second Coming of Jesus.

Matthew gives two examples of how, at the second coming some will be “taken” and some will be “left”. There does not appear to be any difference between the two men and the two women who are going about their same everyday external activities and occupations. But there is. God knows the heart of each one, those who are faithful to him and those who are not. One is vigilant and prepares, the other does not. He will “take” the first to himself, into his kingdom of eternal life, and leave the other for destruction (v. 39).

 

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” — The criterion for the choice by God is the preparedness of one as he/she goes about ordinary life; the other is not prepared and ready. No other criterion is given. “Watch” has the meaning of ‘be constantly vigilant’, not just a casual look. Implied is that there will be no signs of the Lord’s coming; we have to watch most carefully for him.

 

43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into.

“But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into” — An example is given of how vigilant people are if they suspect that a thief might visit them at a particular hour one night. Thieves do not give prior notice of a break–in.

 

44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” — When Jesus will come again he too will not give prior warning. One has to be prepared all the time for the unexpected hour of his coming. This explains that ‘to watch’ really means ‘to be prepared’.

 

APPLICATION

Today is the first day of the new liturgical year of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany season. These are not three seasons but really only one, commemorating the coming of Jesus into our world. Advent, which means ‘coming’, is not just a matter of preparing for Christmas. There are three “comings” of Jesus: past, present and future. He came 2000 years ago in Bethlehem as a babe born of Mary. We commemorate this coming each Christmas. Secondly, Jesus keeps coming into our hearts and lives today and each day especially through the sacraments with the high point being the Blessed Eucharist but also in other ways such as the word of God, prayer, practical charity, etc. And thirdly, he will come again, his Second Coming, at the end of time to reward or punish. A well known saying is: “The past is shared with us in the present that we may live in the future.”

As the following Sunday liturgies will spell out very clearly, we are on a journey and are not alone; we travel in Advent with Mary, his mother, St. Joseph, his foster and legal father, and St. John the Baptist, his precursor who prepared for his public ministry. What are we hoping to find? We search the Scriptures which teach that our main objective is to find the Saviour who came into our world because of our unworthiness and sinfulness. He was born for us and that makes us personally aware of our spiritual condition. We should be aware of his Second Coming when he will bring us to himself if we are worthy.

Today’s Gospel passage tells us, in eight verses, two things, each mentioned four times for an extra strong emphasis. First we are told that Jesus the Saviour, who is definitely coming again, will appear suddenly and unexpectedly. There will be no signs or special forewarnings. Three parables are offered to teach us this. First is the Flood when Noah and his family were the only eight people in the whole world who were ready. The second parable tells of two men and two women working together and only one man and one woman were ready. The third parable tells that thieves do not make any announcement of their coming. This point is so important that the next three parables following on this (Mt. 24: 45 — 25: 30) repeat the same message. Imagine, six parables repeating Jesus’ thought on being ready to meet him!

The second point is that those who are alive must be absolutely vigilant and prepared for Jesus’ Second Coming. That is the word that Matthew repeats, “vigilant”, “watch”. In a sense this is a surprising word because the world was corrupt before the Flood and Jesus does not mention this. This is not because he downplayed sin. He was concerned that many people at the Second Coming who would not be sinners would be complacent and have no thought or time for God. He would not be a factor in their lives. He tells us that everyone must be vigilant, no exceptions. If God plays no part in their lives they obviously are not interested in living with him here and hereafter.

So we have to be alert, vigilant, prepared for the Second Coming. This does not mean being afraid or terrified. There are regular announcements by different groups that the end will be on a certain date. This contradicts the Bible teaching which says that only God knows when Jesus is coming and he is not foretelling (Mt. 24: 36). Our attitude would be one of hope and joyful longing and expectancy, a yearning for his coming in glory.

And when the complacent see those who are vigilant and prepared for the Second Coming they will see witnesses to Jesus Christ and the salvation he brought into the world; they will learn that this world exists only as a preparation for the eternal world that is to come.

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