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The Parable of 
The Watchful Porter

Mk 13:33-37 Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is. "It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping. What I tell you, I tell all: Watch." (web)

Discussion Questions

Why should we be diligent to stay alert for Christ's coming?
What do we have to fear?
What task do you infer that he has assigned you?
What does "sleeping" mean and how can we avoid it?

Comments

Jesus is speaking of his second coming, but this also applies to our imminent death. For "Everyone must die once and after this comes judgement"Heb 9:27 We never know when the Lord will come for us. What we have to remember is that we are servants having responsibilities in accordance with the resources he has provided us. We all have our particular ministry to carry out. Futhermore we must also be awake with respect to our Christian character. Paul writes:
"But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1Thess 5:4-9
The doorkeepers are those in the Christian community who exhort the believers to stay awake in these aspects and be ready to be held accountable for their actions when the Lord comes for them.

Rap

Be alert! Don't be numb!
For you don't know when the time will come
It's like a man taking a trip
And giving his servants some stewardship
And tells the one at the door
To keep watch. That is his chore.
In evening or midnight, be ready, he warns
Or when the cock crows, when the day dawns
Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping
Which in the end will lead to you weeping
And this I say to you and to all
Watch! Stay alert! Or else you may fall.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources


Jan 29,2022