Be Ready
READ
Have you ever noticed how we humans love to predict things? Weather forecasters tell us exactly when the rain will start. Financial experts project market trends. Sports analysts predict game outcomes. We crave certainty about the future. That's what makes Jesus' statement in today’s passage so striking.
Let’s take a moment to read Mark 13:32-37:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.”
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
REFLECT
With remarkable humility, Jesus admits there's something he doesn't know—the exact timing of these end-time events. Even he, the Son of God, accepts this limitation. It's a powerful reminder that there are mysteries that belong to God alone.
This admission effectively shuts down the prediction industry that has sprung up around Jesus' return. Throughout history, countless people have claimed special insight into the divine timetable, setting dates that inevitably pass without event. Jesus' words are clear: anyone claiming to know the exact timing is overstepping what even Jesus himself claimed to know!
Instead of feeding our curiosity about "when," Jesus shifts our focus to "how" we should live in the meantime. He tells a simple story about a homeowner going on a journey, leaving his servants with assigned responsibilities. Each person has their role to play while the master is away.
I love how practical this makes things. The focus isn't on decoding prophetic timelines but on living faithfully right where you are. The businessman continues ethical business practices. The teacher keeps investing in students. The parent raises children with love and integrity. The artist creates beauty that reflects truth. Everyone has assignments that matter.
The command to "keep watch" appears four times in these few verses. But what does watchfulness actually look like? It's not anxious insomnia or paralyzed fear. It's not abandoning daily responsibilities to sit on a hillside waiting. It's living with awareness that every moment has eternal significance—bringing heavenly values into our earthly activities.
The danger Jesus warns against isn't being caught doing something wrong when he returns, but being caught doing nothing—asleep at our post. Spiritual drowsiness happens when we lose perspective, when temporary concerns consume all our attention, when we stop looking for God's activity in our daily lives.
So the question isn't "When is Jesus coming back?" but "If he returned today, would he find me engaged in what truly matters?"
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
What areas of your life have drifted into autopilot, needing renewed intentionality and purpose?
What helps you stay "awake" to God's presence?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the honest admission that some things remain known only to the Father. Free me from both anxiety about the future and complacency in the present. Help me fulfill my daily responsibilities with eternal perspective, staying alert to Your presence and purposes. When You return, may You find me faithfully engaged in what truly matters. Amen.