Mark 13:35

Mar_13:35-36

Watch ye, therefore.

Watchfulness, a preparation for the coming of Christ

I. What we are to understand by the coming of the master of the house. By the master of the house here is meant Christ, as it is also in Luk_13:25. The world in general, and the visible Church in particular, and especially the spiritual part of it, are His house (Eph_1:20-23; Heb_3:3-6). His coming is represented in Scripture in different lights and for different purposes. In this chapter of Mark, and in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, and the twenty-first of Luke, He is represented as coming to judge and punish the Jewish nation, His visible Church of old, or His house, for rejecting Him (Deu_18:19; comp. with Act_3:23; Heb_12:15). In other places He is represented as coming to judge all mankind at the last day (verses 24-26; 2Pe_3:3-12). He is said to come when He visits in a peculiar way, whether in judgment or mercy, any nation, or Church, or any particular member of it (Rev_2:5-16; Rev_3:3). He comes to each of us at death (Rev_1:18; Rev_2:25; Rev_3:11). It is this last coming of Christ to which I would especially call your attention. For it is of the greatest importance to us, since-

1. It will separate us from all below, from our occupations, enjoyments, possessions, families, relations, and friends, and even from our own bodies.

2. It will finish our state of trial, and determine our condition forever.

3. It will bring us into the unseen and eternal world-a new, untried, unknown state.

4. It will place us in the presence of God, that we may receive His smile or frown, may enjoy the effects of His favour and friendship, and communications of bliss from Him; or feel the effects of His wrath, and find Him to be a consuming fire.

5. It will make a most astonishing change in our circumstances.

6. It often comes suddenly, and gives no warning.

II. What is that watchfulness which is recommended as a preparation for His coming?

1. It implies spiritual life, in opposition to that sleep of death which is mentioned (Eph_5:14; Eph_2:1).

2. It implies a lively sense of the reality and importance of spiritual and eternal things, such as persons awake have of temporal things, the seeing, feeling, tasting them, so to speak, in opposition to that insensibility about them which is implied in spiritual sleep.

3. It implies a thoughtfulness, care, and concern about them, in opposition to that thoughtlessness and unconcern about them, which is natural to us.

4. It implies a sense of our danger from our enemies, visible and invisible-from the devil, the world, persons, and things, the flesh, our own hearts; and the standing on our guard, in opposition to security of mind and foolish peace.

5. It implies activity, and the vigorous exercise of every grace and virtue, as repentance, faith, hope, love, patience, etc., in opposition to indolence and sloth.

III. The vast importance of this watchfulness as a preparation for every dispensation of Divine Providence and especially for death.

IV. How we may be enabled to take this advice, and to watch, and what are the means leading to that end.

1. We must not presume on a long life, which is a most dangerous temptation, and an abundant source of unwatchfulness; but we must set before us, and have always in view, the shortness and uncertainty of the present life, and the certainty and nearness of death.

2. We must remember that unless we were lords of our own lives, and could appoint the time of our death, we can never be exempt from the duty of a wakeful and active attention to our spiritual and eternal interests.

3. Those whose constitutions are peculiarly feeble, or whose circumstances or employments expose them to peculiar danger, or who are arrived at old age, should consider themselves as being under special obligation to be watchful.

4. We must be particularly on our guard against our own nature, and every person and thing around us, which tends to lull us asleep, and against sensuality and worldly cares (Luk_21:34).

5. We must remember that thousands are found sleeping, even thousands of professors, at the coming of their Lord. We must pray much-a duty frequently inculcated in connection with watchfulness (Mar_13:33; Luk_21:36; Eph_6:18). (J. Benson.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 13:35. Γρηγορεῖτε, watch) Watchfulness, the foundation of all duties, is enjoined not only on the porter, but on all the servants.—μεσονυκτίον, at midnight) Mat 25:6.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 13:35 . ὀψὲ ἢ , etc.: the night divided, Roman fashion, into four watches: 6 9, 9 12, 12 3, 3 6. Before the exile the Jews divided the night into three parts. μεσονύκτιον : vide at Luk 11:5 on this word, found also in Act 16:25 ; Act 20:7 . ἀλεκτοροφωνία is a ἅπαξ λεγ . in N. T.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 35. Watch ye therefore] The more the master is expected, the more diligent ought the servants to be in working, watching, and keeping themselves in readiness. Can one who has received the sentence of his death, and has no right to live a moment, need any admonition to prepare to die? Does not a prisoner who expects his deliverance, hold himself in continual readiness to leave his dungeon?

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(35) The master of the house.—Better, the Lord of the house. The Greek word is not the same as that commonly rendered the “goodman” or “master” of the house.

At even, or at midnight.—The four times correspond roughly to the four watches of the night, beginning at 9 P.M., 12, 3 A.M., 6 A.M. The words may be noted as having left, and having been intended to leave, on St. Peter’s mind, the impression that the promise of the coming of his Lord was undefined as to times or seasons, which is so prominent in 2 Peter 3. Each of the seasons named has had its counterpart, we may well believe, embracing many centuries of the world’s history.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

35. at even, or at midnight] On the night watches see above, ch. Mar_6:48. In the Temple the priest, whose duty it was to superintend the night sentinels of the Levitical guard, might at any moment knock at the door and demand entrance. “He came suddenly and unexpectedly, no one knew when. The Rabbis use almost the very words in which Scripture describes the unexpected coming of the Master, when they say, Sometimes he came at the cockcrowing, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and knocked, and they opened to him.” Mishnah, Tamid, 1. 1, 2, quoted in Edersheim’s The Temple and its Services, p. 120.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And what I say unto you,.... The four disciples, Peter, James, John, and Andrew; who came privately to him, and put to him the questions, which occasioned this long discourse; see Mar 13:3.

I say unto all. The Syriac and Persic versions read, "you all"; meaning all the rest of his apostles, and all his disciples and followers in Jerusalem, and in all Judea; who were all concerned in these things, and whom it became to

watch, and be upon their guard, and cast off all sloth and negligence; since they knew not soon the son of man would come, and all these evil things would be brought upon the Jewish nation, city, and temple: and the same exhortation is suitable to saints in all ages, times, and places, on account of the various snares, temptations, and evils, that they are liable to, the suddenness of death, and the uncertainty of the second coming of Christ.

Next: Mark Chapter 14

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Ver. 35. When the master cometh] But come he will to judgment, as sure as that he hath destroyed Jerusalem; this is a pledge of the other.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Watch ye - Be diligent, faithful, and waiting for the return of your Lord, who will come at an unexpected hour.

Master of the house - Denoting here the Lord Jesus.

At even, or at midnight, or ... - This refers to the four divisions into which the Jews divided the night.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

At even, at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning. These are generally referred to the different ages of man’s life; infancy, youth, manhood, and old age. we are exhorted to be always in readiness, for we know not at what hour the Judge will come. (Nicholas of Lyra) --- We are taught to watch, because we are charged with the care of our soul, which is the temple or house of God, and which is to be his temple for all eternity. (Bible de Vence)

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George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

it could be in the evening

"he could return in the evening"

rooster crows

The rooster is a bird that "crows" very early in the morning by making a loud call.

find you sleeping

Here Jesus speaks of not being ready as "sleeping." AT: "find you not ready for his return" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

watch

lord

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

35. πότε ὁ κύριος. The same as πότε ὁ καιρός (Mar 13:23) and ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη (Mar 13:32). See Edersheim, The Temple and its Services, p. 120, for striking parallels to this verse.

ἢ ὀψέ. See on Mar 6:48. These are not technical terms, but popular expressions; ἀλεκτοροφωνία occurs nowhere else in Bibl. Grk, but it is found in Aesop’s Fables, 79. Gallicinium is used in a similar way as a popular term for “before dawn,” like our “cock-crow”; noctis gallicinio venit quidam juvenis (Appuleius, Met. 8). The mixture of two adverbs with two substantives, one the acc. of time the other the gen. of time, is quite in Mk’s conversational style; “late, midnight, at cockcrow, or early.”

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Watch [γρηγορειτε] . A different word from that in verse 33. See also verse 34. The picture in this word is that of a sleeping man rousing himself. While the other word conveys the idea of simple wakefulness, this adds the idea of alertness. Compare Mt 14:38; Luk 12:37; 1Pe 5:8. The apostles are thus compared with the doorkeepers, verse 34; and the night season is in keeping with the figure. In the temple, during the night, the captain of the temple made his rounds, and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire. Compare Rev 16:15 : "Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments." The preparations for the morning service required all to be early astir. The superintending priest might knock at the door at any moment. The Rabbis use almost the very words in which scripture describes the unexpected coming of the Master. "Sometimes he came at the cockcrowing, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and knocked and they opened to him" (Edersheim, " The Temple ").

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.