Advent · First Sunday in Advent · Year A
Matthew 24:36-44
As in the Days of Noah
November 30, 2025
Overview & Insights
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42)
The unit stands inside the last discourse and is the hinge from prediction to vigilance, and its first move undercuts prediction altogether, since no one knows the day, not the angels, “nor the Son” (v. 36), a phrase strong enough that some copyists removed it. The Noah comparison that follows does not dwell on wickedness, as later moralizing did; what characterizes the generation of the flood is ordinariness, eating and drinking and marrying, right up to the day Noah entered the ark (cf. Genesis 7:7). The paired sayings about two in a field and two at a mill make the division unpredictable rather than deserved, and the verb “taken” carries no promise of rescue in Matthew’s Greek. The householder and the thief supply the closing image, one taken up independently at 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10. Advent’s first Gospel concerns the coming at the end, not the one at Bethlehem.
From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.
Take it further: Matthew 24:36-44
Commentary
Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44Commentary on Mt 24:36-44 Working Preacher
Argues that opening Advent with the Second Coming reminds the church that Jesus' first advent's work is not yet complete, situating the text in Matthew's two-age apocalyptic framework.
Matthew 24:36-44 CommentaryMt 24:36-44 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed homiletical treatment of the passage as the lead text for the start of the church year, focused on preaching the call to readiness rather than end-times speculation.
No One Knows, Advent 1 (A) The Episcopal Church (Sermons That Work)
Official Episcopal preaching resource on the 'no one knows the day or hour' theme, giving the Anglican homiletical voice on the text.
Matthew 24 CommentaryMt 24 Commentary Enduring Word (David Guzik)
Verse-by-verse evangelical walkthrough of the Olivet Discourse, including the days-of-Noah comparison and the thief-in-the-night warning in vv. 36-44.
Matthew 24 CommentaryMt 24 Commentary Precept Austin
Compiles multiple conservative scholarly commentaries (Cranfield-style detail) on the Olivet Discourse, including the readiness sayings closing the chapter.
Background & Word Study
Like a Flood; Or a Thief; Or Both Left Behind and Loving It (D. Mark Davis)
Greek-text working translation and notes on vv. 36-44, pushing back on 'Left Behind' rapture readings of the flood and thief imagery.
Matthew 24:36-44 - The Necessity of WatchfulnessMt 24:36-44 - The Necessity of Watchfulness Enter the Bible
Explains that Jesus redirects the disciples from speculating about timing to staying awake and ready, since only the Father knows the hour.
Gospel of Matthew Summary (Matthew 14-28)Gospel of Mt Summary (Mt 14-28) BibleProject
Animated overview covering the second half of Matthew, including how the Olivet Discourse's call to watchfulness fits the book's design.
Sermons & Reflections
Prep at sermons.com
Ready to write?
- Full sermons on Matthew 21:1-11
- Illustrations cleared for use in worship
- Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Trusted by pastors since 1995.
Free every Tuesday
Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox
The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.