Daily Devotional For Sunday, February 22, 2026
Good day Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew in these devotions. We are currently in Matthew 24. Today, we are reading Matthew 24:36-41:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (37) For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (38) For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (40) Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. (41) Two women will be grinding at the mill; one ]will be taken and one will be left” (NASB).
While Jesus had given His disciples “signs” that would indicate when the end was approaching, He made it clear that no one would know the exact time except God the Father. If Jesus was God in human flesh, how could He say that He did not know? Good question. We know from Philippians 2:6-8 that Jesus limited His divine abilities when He came in human form. Philippians 2:6, “Christ was truly God, but He did not hold on to all His divine attributes when He became flesh so that He could live like us” (PAR).Jesus is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient but He limited Himself even in this divine characteristics.
Now think about this for a moment. Jesus as God is omnipresent (all-present, present everywhere at all times), yet He walked everywhere while He was here. Sometimes He did travel by boat or donkey. Jesus as God was omnipotent (all-powerful) but His physical body got tired and felt pain. Jesus as God was omniscient (all-knowing), but as He limited Himself, He asked genuine questions such as we find in Mark 5:30-32, Mark 9:16, in John 5:6 and in John 18:34. We see Jesus asking questions in Matthew 20:32 and in Matthew 20:21.
The Gospel writers make it clear had Jesus exercised all of His divine attributes, He would not have lived a fully human life. If Jesus had not experienced any human limitations, the Incarnation was all fake, a facade and a charade. Even worse, if Jesus’ scourging/flogging and His crucifixion caused Jesus no pain, how in the world could He suffer for us and how in the world could He have sympathy and empathy for us. If Jesus was not vulnerable then, Hebrews 4:15 is a lie.
This means He was limited in His physical knowledge for 33 physical years. This is why He felt pain at His flogging/scourging and crucifixion. Jesus did not know when He was going to return because at that moment He did not need to know. This means, if Jesus did not need to know, neither do we. If we are patient and finish the work He has called us to do, then whether it is by our death or His Second Coming, it really does not matter. If we get too eager, we may be deceived by false reports. If we are too eager, we may not live out the full abundant life Jesus has called us to live.
If you knew Jesus was coming in 5 years, you may not go to college or get married or have children or start a ministry. You may not save money. If we get too casual about His return, we may not be ready every day and every second. There is no need for us to be frightened about His return, just ready and prepared just like soldiers at their posts are or emergency teams are in the ER.
The point of verse 36 is not the lack of Jesus’ knowledge but that no one knows when the end will come except God the Father. It is God the Father’s secret to be revealed when He chooses. Many through history have attempted to predict and they all have been wrong. Jesus is teaching us that preparation, not calculation, is what is needed by us. Can you imagine if we did know the exact date and time of Christ’s return? We might choose to be lazy right up to that time. Even worse, might choose to keep sinning and 30 minutes prior, “repent.” Heaven should not be the only goal; fulfilling God’s purpose here. Making disciples here. Building God’s church here.
To help His disciples and all future disciples get this, Jesus gave a very vivid picture – Noah and the flood. The outpouring of God’s judgment on the world at the end will be similar to God’s judgement on the world in Noah’s day. People will be going about their day as if nothing from God is coming (see Genesis 7:17-24). Just as the flood caught them unaware and unprepared, so will God’s judgment catch people in the end times (see 1 Peter 3:20-21).
As we get to the rest of our verses in this section, Jesus gave another vivid picture of Palestinians working in the fields – one would be taken and one would be left. The same picture with women doing domestic work as well grinding grain. This will happen so fast, in a blink of an eye, that some may not even notice immediately that it happened. They may hear the trumpet blast in Matthew 24:31 and wonder what it was – a train whistle or big rig whistle or a factory whistle, but then still go about doing their work. Why? One was ready and one was not. Only God the Father will know the exact time and who will be ready (the elect) and will not be ready (the non-elect).
This is why we can feel Jesus’ urgency that we be both ready and prepared for whenever the end comes either by our death or His Second Coming. No matter what others may say, there will be no time for any last minute preparation just like there was none for those in Noah’s day. No amount of repenting as it is happening will do anyone any good or help. Their choice then will determine eternal destiny. In verse 36, Jesus uses the word “day.” In the Bible this word is often used to refer to “the day of the Lord” in terms of judgement (see also Romans 10:21, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 3:14, and Ephesians 6:13). If you missed the February 14th devotional, I want to share with you a story that I shared in that devotional. It was by pastor and author Chuck Swindoll. It makes this point of being ready and prepared well:
“It happened in a small country store in a little black community in southern Mississippi. A dear old black lady came to do her shopping. The kind of lady you wished could have been your own momma. She was a fine, stout, Christian woman, nourished through the years by the Good Book, fried chicken, and sensible living. She not only loved Jesus, but she lived every day in light of Jesus’ soon coming. So happened at the same store there were a couple-three fellows hanging around sipping a cola outside just up to no good. Just sort of like trouble getting ready to happen and they knew her faith. They knew she loved her Lord and they decided they would taunt her. ‘Hey, Bessie! We hear you ‘pecting Jesus to come back?’ She hardly looked at them as she took the shopping cart and began to push her way down the aisle saying, ‘I sho do.’ ‘You really believe he’s a’coming?’ With greater intensity she paused and looked back over her shoulder through her bifocals and said, ‘Sho as you were born.’ Now they pressed her to the limit saying, ‘Well now, you better hurry home and get ready ‘cause Jesus might already be on the way from glory right now.’ She stopped, turned around and stared her tormentors in the face. She said, ‘Now y’all listen to me. I don’t has to git ready. I keeps ready’” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Contagious Christianity: A Study of 1 Thessalonians, “On That Great Gettin’-Up Morning—1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,” p. 62).
Reflection Assignment: How do you feel that Jesus set aside some of His divine attributes when He came here? If the Lord were to give you a grade on how ready and prepared you are right now for His return, what grade would He give you (a 100? 90? 80? 60? What?) Why did you give yourself that answer and what does it tell you? Why do you think the people in Noah’s day were unprepared and ready for the coming judgment of God after Noah had warned them?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, if You came right now, I am afraid I would not be prepared and ready. I promise to work on that starting now. There is too much at stake if I am not. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly