Jesus said to His disciples, “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Matthew 24:36).” Jesus was speaking of the coming of the Son of Man (cf. Matthew 24:39). Christians take that to mean the end of the world, when Jesus returns in glory to judge the living and the dead.
How unexpected will the coming of the Son of Man be? Jesus gives the example of the days of Noah right before the great flood (cf. Genesis 6-7); people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day when the floodgates of the sky were opened; they did not know what was going to happen until the flood came and carried them all away (cf. Matthew 24:37-39).
That one will be “taken” and one will be “left” illustrates how unexpected the coming of the Son of Man will be. At that time, people will be going about their usual business – working in the fields, grinding at the mill; in modern terms, people will be going to work, preparing the next meal, etc. When Christ comes again, the “taken” are those who will attain to eternal life, while those who are “left” will not.
Jesus tells us, therefore, that we must be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, He will come (cf. Matthew 24:44). How shall we be prepared? St. Paul tells the early Christians in Rome: Let us throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh (cf. Romans 13:12-14). Doesn’t that warning ring a bell, especially in today’s society?
When St. Paul says that Christians should conduct themselves properly as in the day, it means that we should live in the light of Christ and not in the darkness of sin. Not too long ago, people would wait until night time to do their carousing. In today’s world, however, people misbehave in broad daylight; they no longer care what other people would think or say of their bad behavior. The readings today appeal to each individual Christian to do the right thing. The Book of Isaiah keeps on calling us:“Come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” (Isaiah 2:5)