Ready or Not

Living Awake: A Word from Matthew 24:36–44

There’s a moment early in my life I’ll never forget. I was in middle school, riding shotgun with my dad—except I wasn’t in the passenger seat that day. He put me behind the wheel of his manual-transmission car. And let me tell you, that poor car probably still has trauma.
We were sitting at a red light at the busiest intersection in town. It turned green. I pressed the clutch, found first gear, and you can guess the rest. Stall. Right there in the intersection.
My dad simply folded his arms and said, “We’re not moving until you figure it out.”
At the time, it felt like the universe was ending. Looking back? He was preparing me. He wanted me to be ready for the day I’d need those skills.
And in today’s Scripture, Jesus is doing the same thing.

A Call to Readiness

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 come from what’s often called the Olivet Discourse—a moment when He teaches about things to come. But this section isn’t about signs, symbols, or predictions. It’s about readiness. It’s about staying awake spiritually.
He begins with a straight-shooting reminder:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only”
(Matthew 24:36, ESV).
Jesus refers to the day of God’s final intervention—His return, the moment when all of history bends toward God’s restoration and judgment. But the timeline? That’s locked in the Father’s keeping. Not ours.
That means every prediction, every chart, every “I figured out the date” theory—none of it holds water. Jesus already answered the question: Only the Father knows.

The Days of Noah — Ordinary but Unaware

Jesus continues:
“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…”
(Matthew 24:37–39, ESV).
People in Noah’s day weren’t evil 24/7—but were busy. Eating, drinking, marrying, planning. Ordinary life was happening. And that’s the danger. Not wickedness… but unawareness.
Life can feel so routine that our spiritual senses drift off.
I once drove through a brutal winter storm at 30 mph across Minnesota—knuckles white, eyes wide, hyper-alert. Compare that with late-night drives between familiar towns, when I’d suddenly arrive somewhere and realize I’d completely zoned out the last 100 miles.
Life works like that too. When things feel normal, we can go on autopilot without realizing it. Jesus warns: spiritual sleepiness is real—don’t drift.

Ordinary Life… Interrupted

Jesus offers two short images:
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.”
(Matthew 24:40–41, ESV).
Again—everyday life. Farming. Working. Tuesday afternoon kind of stuff. And then, suddenly, God acts decisively.
Readiness isn’t about fear. It’s about not being caught spiritually numb.
When I worked at the prison, I taught staff something similar: decisive action matters. You stay alert so that when something happens, you aren’t scrambling.
Jesus is saying: Your spiritual readiness is yours—not borrowed, not inherited, not shared. It’s personal.

Stay Awake

Jesus says:
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
(Matthew 24:42, ESV).
This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about attention. About connection.
I’ve driven home after wrestling shows, stuffed full of Arby’s roast beef, exhausted, and drifting in and out. Spiritually, Jesus is calling us to the opposite: don’t drift off. Don’t coast. Stay awake to God’s presence.
And He explains it with one more picture:
“If the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake…”
(Matthew 24:43–44, ESV).
Makes sense, doesn’t it? No thief leaves a voicemail:
“Hey, I’ll be breaking in around 2 AM—hope that works for you.”
We prepare ahead of time.
Jesus is saying: Don’t wait for the last minute to get your spiritual life in order.
He’s not calling us to panic-clean our souls like we sometimes do before company arrives. He’s calling us to a steady, ongoing, daily walk with Him.

What Jesus Leaves Us With

Here’s the heart of His message—simple, clear, and still true today:

1. Jesus’ return is certain—but unscheduled.
   Only God the Father knows when.
2. Life will feel normal when it happens.
   Ordinary days can distract us from eternal realities.
3. Readiness is personal.
   You can’t borrow faithfulness from someone else.
4. Discipleship is a continual posture of alertness.
   Stay awake. Stay rooted. Don’t give the enemy a foothold.

Instead of pouring our energy into future predictions, Jesus invites us to focus on forming our character in Him—today. To stay grounded in Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service. To keep our spiritual eyes open.
His return isn’t meant to scare believers—it’s the moment when everything broken finally gets made whole.
So, let’s live awake. Let’s stay ready. And let’s trust the God who holds the timetable in His hands.
Amen.