Monday, December 28, 1998
Monday, December 28, 1998
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came
and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:38-39
NRSV)
Matthew says in verse 38 & 39, "For as in those days before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the
ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away." The
point Matthew makes is that no warning was given to the people before the flood
and no warning will be given to us before Jesus comes again. There simply will not
be any prophetic codes to decode. We simple will not know. Jesus doesn't even
know. So, if you hear someone making a prediction about when the end will come--
ignore them!
I saw a cartoon where the father said to his three children, "I'll tell you about the star
of Bethlehem." One of his little girls jumped up and said, "We know who he was--
baby Jesus!" You never know what a child will say. I think that is part of the fun of
working with children. We also will never know when Christ will return for us.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
Matthew uses the story of Noah to say to us that no warning will be given, as to the
day or time of Jesus' coming. This example is one of many important ones for
Matthew and the audience he was writing to. You see, Matthew wrote his gospel
with the purpose of bringing the Jewish people to Jesus, so he used many examples
from the Old Testament. The scriptures in the Old Testament had great authority in
the Jewish community, so the use of Old Testament scriptures gave authority to
what Matthew was saying in his gospel.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I look forward to the day when you come for me. Amen.