32"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 35Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-- 36lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
When I first read this, I felt the strongest message here is to be prepared as no one will know when that day will come. Our situation is very similar to this man who gave authority to his servants, gave each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. God has given us freedom of choice and dominion over the animals and the earth. We have exercised that freedom in setting up our own culture and society of acceptable behavior. God gave us work to do in His name. Are we doing what we know God wants us to do? God commanded us to be ready for His return at any time.
But as I read this now, I notice the words He is using are not just stressing to be ready but that we must watch. I think being ready can just be assumed, based on the importance of being one of the elect and that no one knows when it will happen. Here Jesus is emphasizing that we should pray and watch.
Why the emphasis on the doorkeeper and to watch? There are many servants, but Jesus is saying to all to watch for His return. I think He is commanding us all to be doorkeepers. And what is the job of the doorkeeper? To be the first to recognize the coming of the master, to alert the rest of the household, and to bid the master welcome.
Jesus made this statement 2000 years ago. I'm sure when He first gave it, people started watching diligently. Are we still watching? Or have we gotten tired of the watch and just assume it won't happen in our lifetime? Are we sleeping instead of watching? Jesus told us what to watch for. If we are to be the doorkeepers, we must keep watch. We wouldn't want to fail at this important task.
Even though it may seem like this is unlikely to happen in our lifetime, there is one thing that will definitely happen in our lifetime: our death. That too no one knows when will happen. Are we exercising our authority in a way God wants? Are we doing the work God wants us to do? Are we ready to meet our maker at any time? Being ready is not just instruction for the end times, but is also good instruction for how to live our lives.
Being a doorkeeper also applies to our everyday life. We want to recognize God around us and to welcome God into our lives. We want Him to be able to enter others' lives through us. We would be the doorkeepers. Jesus says watch and pray.