Mark 13:32-37
Nobody Knows the Hour
Read the passage
32No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come.
34It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.
35Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning.
36Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.
37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The Father knows the day and hour. Jesus says that no one else knows, not even the angels or the Son. His words close the door on our claim to calculate what He has not given us.
This is a striking statement from the One whose words will outlast heaven and earth. We must take His humanity seriously as well as His divine authority. Luke tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom; here He speaks of knowledge that belongs to the Father. The eternal Son truly entered human life. The verse does not explain every question about His divine and human natures, but we should not make His words mean the opposite of what He says.
What follows is direct: be on guard and stay alert. Jesus pictures a master leaving his house and giving each servant a task. The doorkeeper must keep watch. The master may return in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows or in the morning. The household cannot organize its faithfulness around a known arrival time.
Readiness includes the work entrusted to the servants, but being busy is not the whole of watchfulness. A person can finish many tasks while paying little attention to the Lord. Jesus warns against being found asleep when the master comes unexpectedly.
He ends by extending His command to everyone: keep watch. We are to live awake to His authority, willing to obey and ready to answer to Him. The time is hidden from us; the call to faithfulness is already here.
Questions
1 Who knows the day and hour, according to Jesus?
AnswerOnly the Father. Jesus says that neither the angels nor the Son knows, so we have no basis for claiming a timetable He has withheld.
2 What does Jesus give the servants in His illustration?
AnswerEach receives a task, and the doorkeeper is told to watch. The master's absence calls for faithful responsibility rather than treating the house as their own.
3 Is staying busy the same thing as keeping watch?
AnswerNo. Our responsibilities matter, but watchfulness includes attention to the Lord and readiness to obey Him. We can be active while neglecting prayer, truth or love.
4 Why should we be faithful even when we do not know when He will come?
AnswerThe uncertainty is part of Jesus' reason for telling us to stay alert. We belong to Him now and should not postpone obedience until an expected deadline.
What This Means for Us
Consider a responsibility you have been postponing because there is no immediate consequence: making peace, keeping a promise or giving attention to prayer. Take a faithful step while there is opportunity.
Watchfulness is not sleepless anxiety. We can rest and carry out ordinary work as people who belong to Jesus. The question is whether we are listening and willing to respond when His word exposes something we need to change. Ask Him to keep your attention from drifting while your days remain full.
Prayer
Father, the appointed time is known to You. Help us trust You with what we cannot know and be faithful in what You have given us to do. Keep us attentive to Jesus, ready to obey and free from anxious guessing. Amen.