Matthew 24

¹Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings.[#24:1–25:46] The discourse of the fifth book, the last of the five around which the gospel is structured. It is called the “eschatological” discourse since it deals with the coming of the new age (the eschaton ) in its fullness, with events that will precede it, and with how the disciples are to conduct themselves while awaiting an event that is as certain as its exact time is unknown to all but the Father (Mt 24:36). The discourse may be divided into two parts, Mt 24:1–44 and Mt 24:45–25:46. In the first, Matthew follows his Marcan source (Mk 13:1–37) closely. The second is drawn from Q and from the evangelist’s own traditional material. Both parts show Matthew’s editing of his sources by deletions, additions, and modifications. The vigilant waiting that is emphasized in the second part does not mean a cessation of ordinary activity and concentration only on what is to come, but a faithful accomplishment of duties at hand, with awareness that the end, for which the disciples must always be ready, will entail the great judgment by which the everlasting destiny of all will be determined.; #Mk 13:1–37; Lk 21:5–36.]

²He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”[#As in Mark, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. By omitting the Marcan story of the widow’s contribution (Mk 12:41–44) that immediately precedes the prediction in that gospel, Matthew has established a close connection between it and Mt 23:38, “…your house will be abandoned desolate.”]

The Beginning of Calamities.

³As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?”[#: see note on Mt 21:1. : cf. Mk 13:3–4 where only Peter, James, John, and Andrew put the question that is answered by the discourse. In both gospels, however, the question is put : the ensuing discourse is only for those who are of Jesus. : Matthew distinguishes carefully between the destruction of the temple ( ) and the of Jesus that will bring . In Mark the two events are more closely connected, a fact that may be explained by Mark’s believing that the one would immediately succeed the other. : this translates the Greek word parousia , which is used in the gospels only here and in Mt 24:27, 37, 39. It designated the official visit of a ruler to a city or the manifestation of a saving deity, and it was used by Christians to refer to the final coming of Jesus in glory, a term first found in the New Testament with that meaning in 1 Thes 2:19. : see note on Mt 13:39.]

⁴Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you.[#This section of the discourse deals with calamities in the world (Mt 24:6–7) and in the church (Mt 24:9–12). The former before comes (Mt 24:6), but they are only the (Mt 24:8). (It may be noted that the Greek word translated in Mt 24:6 and in Mt 24:13–14 is not the same as the phrase “the end of the age” in Mt 24:3, although the meaning is the same.) The latter are sufferings of the church, both from within and without, that will last until is . and those who have endured the sufferings with fidelity (Mt 24:13–14).]

⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.

⁶You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.[#Dn 2:28 LXX.; #The disturbances mentioned here are a commonplace of apocalyptic language, as is the assurance that they (see Dn 2:28 LXX), for that is the plan of God. : see Is 19:2.]

⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place.[#Is 19:2.]

⁸All these are the beginning of the labor pains.[#: the tribulations leading up to the end of the age are compared to the pains of a woman about to give birth. There is much attestation for rabbinic use of the phrase “the woes (or birth pains) of the Messiah” after the New Testament period, but in at least one instance it is attributed to a rabbi who lived in the late first century A.D. In this Jewish usage it meant the distress of the time preceding the coming of the Messiah; here, the precede the coming of the Son of Man in glory.]

⁹Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.[#Matthew has used Mk 13:9–12 in his missionary discourse (Mt 10:17–21) and omits it here. Besides the sufferings, including death, and the hatred of that the disciples will have to endure, there will be worse affliction within the church itself. This is described in Mt 24:10–12, which are peculiar to Matthew. : literally, “will be scandalized,” probably meaning that they will become apostates; see Mt 13:21 where “fall away” translates the same Greek word as here. : in the Greek this is the same word as the of Mt 24:9. The handing over to persecution and hatred from outside will have their counterpart within the church. : these are Christians; see note on Mt 7:15–20. : see Mt 7:23. Because of the apocalyptic nature of much of this discourse, the literal meaning of this description of the church should not be pressed too hard. However, there is reason to think that Matthew’s addition of these verses reflects in some measure the condition of his community.; #10:17.]

¹⁰And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another.

¹¹Many false prophets will arise and deceive many;

¹²and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.

¹³But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.[#10:22.]

¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.[#28:19; Rom 10:18.; #Except for the last part ( ), this verse substantially repeats Mk 13:10. The Matthean addition raises a problem since what follows in Mt 24:15–23 refers to the horrors of the First Jewish Revolt including the destruction of the temple, and Matthew, writing after that time, knew that the parousia of Jesus was still in the future. A solution may be that the evangelist saw the events of those verses as foreshadowing the cosmic disturbances that he associates with the parousia (Mt 24:29) so that the period in which the former took place could be understood as belonging to .]

The Great Tribulation.

¹⁵“When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),[#Dn 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Mk 13:14.; #: in 167 B.C. the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the temple by setting up in it a statue of Zeus Olympios (see 1 Mc 1:54). That event is referred to in Dn 12:11 LXX as the “desolating abomination” (NAB “horrible abomination”) and the same Greek term is used here; cf. also Dn 9:27; 11:31. Although the desecration had taken place before Daniel was written, it is presented there as a future event, and Matthew sees that “prophecy” fulfilled in the desecration of the temple by the Romans. : the temple; more precise than Mark’s (Mk 13:14). : this parenthetical remark, taken from Mk 13:14 invites to realize the meaning of Daniel’s “prophecy.”]

¹⁶then those in Judea must flee to the mountains,[#The tradition that the Christians of Jerusalem fled from that city to Pella, a city of Transjordan, at the time of the First Jewish Revolt is found in Eusebius ( Ecclesiastical History , 3.5.3), who attributes the flight to “a certain oracle given by revelation before the war.” The tradition is not improbable but the Matthean command, derived from its Marcan source, is vague in respect to the place of flight ( ), although some scholars see it as applicable to the flight to Pella.]

¹⁷a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house,[#Haste is essential, and the journey will be particularly difficult for women who are burdened with unborn or infant children.; #Lk 17:31.]

¹⁸a person in the field must not return to get his cloak.

¹⁹Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days.

²⁰Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath,[#: this addition to (cf. Mk 13:18) has been understood as an indication that Matthew was addressed to a church still observing the Mosaic law of sabbath rest and the scribal limitations upon the length of journeys that might lawfully be made on that day. That interpretation conflicts with Matthew’s view on sabbath observance (cf. Mt 12:1–14). The meaning of the addition may be that those undertaking on the sabbath a journey such as the one here ordered would be offending the sensibilities of law-observant Jews and would incur their hostility.]

²¹for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be.[#For the unparalleled distress of that time, see Dn 12:1.; #Dn 12:1.]

²²And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened.

²³If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.[#Lk 17:23.]

²⁴False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.

²⁵Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.

²⁶So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.[#Claims that the Messiah is to be found in some distant or secret place must be ignored. will be as clear as is to all and as of an animal is to ; cf. Lk 17:24, 37. Here there is clear identification of the and the Messiah; cf. Mt 24:23.]

²⁷For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.[#Lk 17:24, 37.]

²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man.

²⁹“Immediately after the tribulation of those days,[#The answer to the question of Mt 24:3b, “What sign will there be of your coming?” : the shortening of time between the preceding and the parousia has been explained as Matthew’s use of a supposed device of Old Testament prophecy whereby certainty that a predicted event will occur is expressed by depicting it as imminent. While it is questionable that that is an acceptable understanding of the Old Testament predictions, it may be applicable here, for Matthew knew that the parousia had not come the fall of Jerusalem, and it is unlikely that he is attributing a mistaken calculation of time to Jesus. : cf. Is 13:10, 13.; #Is 13:10, 13; Ez 32:7; Am 8:9.]

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[#Dn 7:13; Zec 12:12–14; Rev 1:7.; #: perhaps this means that is the glorious appearance ; cf. Mt 12:39–40 where “the sign of Jonah” is Jonah’s being in the “belly of the whale.” : peculiar to Matthew; cf. Zec 12:12–14. : cf. Dn 7:13, although there the “one like a son of man” comes to God to receive kingship; here comes from heaven for judgment.]

³¹And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.[#Is 27:13; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thes 4:16.; #: cf. Mt 13:41 where they are sent out to collect the wicked for punishment. : cf. Is 27:13; 1 Thes 4:16.]

The Lesson of the Fig Tree.

³²“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.

³³In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates.

³⁴Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.[#The difficulty raised by this verse cannot be satisfactorily removed by the supposition that means the Jewish people throughout the course of their history, much less the entire human race. Perhaps for Matthew it means the to which he and his community belonged.]

³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.[#Is 40:8.]

The Unknown Day and Hour.

³⁶“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.[#Acts 1:7.; #Many textual witnesses omit , which follows Mk 13:32. Since its omission can be explained by reluctance to attribute this ignorance to , the reading that includes it is probably original.]

³⁷For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.[#Cf. Lk 17:26–27. : the Old Testament account of the flood lays no emphasis upon what is central for Matthew, i.e., the unexpected coming of the flood upon those who were unprepared for it.; #Gn 6:5–7:23; Lk 17:26–27; 2 Pt 3:6.]

³⁸In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.

³⁹They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man.

⁴⁰Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.[#Cf. Lk 17:34–35. : the former probably means into the kingdom; the latter, for destruction. People in the same situation will be dealt with in opposite ways. In this context, the discrimination between them will be based on their readiness for the coming of the Son of Man.; #Lk 17:34–35.]

⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.

⁴²Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.[#Cf. Lk 12:39–40. The theme of vigilance and readiness is continued with the bold comparison of the Son of Man to a thief who comes to break into a house.; #25:13; Lk 12:39–40.]

⁴³Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.[#1 Thes 5:2.]

⁴⁴So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant.

⁴⁵“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?[#Lk 12:41–46.; #: readiness for the master’s return means a vigilance that is accompanied by faithful performance of the duty assigned.]

⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.

⁴⁷Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

⁴⁸But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’[#: the note of delay is found also in the other parables of this section; cf. Mt 25:5, 19.]

⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,

⁵⁰the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour

⁵¹and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.[#13:42; 25:30.; #: the Greek verb, found in the New Testament only here and in the Lucan parallel (Lk 12:46), means, literally, “cut in two.” : see note on Mt 6:2. Matthew classes the unfaithful Christian leader with the unbelieving leaders of Judaism. : see note on Mt 8:11–12.]