Mat 24:37-51 | PNT | STEP | As the days of Noe [were] . As the deluge surprised the world, so will the Lord's coming.

Matthew 24:37-51

As the days of Noe [were]. As the deluge surprised the world, so will the Lord's coming. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill. The hand-mills still used in the East. The grinding is done by women, usually two, as the work is hard for one. It will be the time of separation of the evil from the good. Watch therefore. Because the coming will be unexpected. Mark adds, "and pray" (Mr 13:33). If the goodman of the house, etc. "Master of the house" (Revised Version). The lesson of the illustration is a constant state of preparation. Elsewhere in the New Testament Christ's coming is compared to that of a thief in the night (1Th 5:1-10 Re 3:3 16:15). Be ye also ready. The duty enjoined is not to watch for Christ, but to watch ourselves to see that we are ready. Who then is a faithful and wise servant? In Lu 12:42-46, is given a similar parable in answer to a question of Peter. There the Lord speaks of "the faithful and wise steward"; here he describes a steward, but speaks of him as a servant.

Ruler. Preachers, elders, deacons, Sunday-school superintendents, teachers.

Household. All under their religious charge. Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord . . . shall find so doing. The blessedness applies equally to those who are faithful unto death and those who are so found at the Lord's coming. This blessedness is in the reward the Lord will give. He shall make him ruler over all his goods. The parables of the talents and the pounds show that those who have been faithful to the trusts given them here shall receive additional trusts in the Savior's eternal kingdom. My lord delayeth his coming. The worst enemy of Christ is the professed servant of the Lord who practices are evil, and who supposes he can evade punishment for his crimes. And shall begin to beat [his] fellow-servants. There is no sin more common among those who are clothed with authority than oppression. There have been no worse oppressors than priests.

And to eat and drink with the drunken. What first disgusted Luther with the faith in which he had been reared was the profligacy of the priests and monks. It has often been the case that the Vatican was the very hot-bed of scandal. The lord of that servant shall come. He will certainly come, and come when the servant is unprepared for him. The majority of the wicked who die in their sins have expected to be better prepared for the end of life. And shall cut him asunder. An ancient method of punishment which was practiced among the Israelites. See 1Sa 15:33 2Sa 12:31. The idea here is that very severe punishment shall be inflicted upon him, while weeping and gnashing of teeth would indicate a life of intense suffering. Indeed both these expressions must be regarded as metaphors, indicating nothing more clearly than a terrible and certain punishment.