Troublesome Topic: Example #1 Preparations for a Wedding Day
Matthew 24:36
Translation
But concerning that day and hour,
no one knows, not even the angels of the heavens,
nor the Son,
but rather the Father only.
Paraphrase
Now concerning the exact timing of the things I have been talking about, no one can know the day and hour. The angels who are in heaven and are close to God do not know; even the Son [of God] does not know; only the Father knows the right time.
Only the Father Knows
When Jesus said this, it reminded His listeners of their own customs related to engagements and wedding preparations. According to Ray VanderLaan,
Go to footnote numbera young man and his father would go to the house of the desired bride and speak with the girl’s father. If they came to an agreement on a bride-price, the girl’s father would invite her into the conversation to give her personal approval or disapproval to marrying this young man. In earlier times it seems the girl was not given a chance to respond, but by the time of Jesus it appears that she was. If her response was favorable, the young man would get started building an apartment onto the main house where his parents lived. Being young and inexperienced in matters of construction, and being anxious to marry his betrothed, the son would often ask his father, “Is it done yet? Are we ready?” The father would answer, “No, son, the house is not ready yet. Remember, I will tell you when it is ready.” It may have looked ready to the young man, to family members, to neighbors or friends, but it was not ready until the father said it was ready. So the son would continue making preparations and following the directions of his father to make the apartment more livable, more comfortable, more suitable for a wife and children.
The preparations were also being made by mom, sisters and servants. They knew the wedding feast was coming, but they did not know exactly which day the father would declare it to be the right time. They didn’t send out invitations months ahead of time the way we do so people can mark the date on their calendars. The ladies had to be ready to kick into high gear when the announcement was made because the guests would start arriving usually that very afternoon or evening.
Then one day the father would say, “Son, there is only one more thing we need to do—send out the word for people to come, we’re gonna have us a wedding celebration!”
Then orchestrated chaos would ensue, especially in the kitchen; frenetic activity would suck people in with the power of a black hole. It was time to lead, follow, or get out of the way, but mamma was already leading, and getting out of the way (i.e., doing nothing) was not an acceptable option, so all the women, girls and some boys had to jump in and follow mamma’s instructions. But, in the matter of a few hours, out of this activity and chaos would come a feast for relatives and friends that would last seven days!
The main point of this part of Jesus’ discourse is this: “Don’t try to figure it out; these things will be unpredictable. In fact, only my Father knows when it is the right time. I don’t even know; only my Father knows.”
Is it true that Jesus doesn’t know? Since Jesus is also God, doesn’t He know everything that God the Father knows? Those are theological questions which this illustration does not try to answer, therefore we should not try to answer them. He was making the point that it would be futile for them to try and figure things out or make predictions. In order to make His point, He was employing a common tradition which all of them understood and would remember.
The next lesson is: Example #2 The Days of Noah
Footnotes
1
Ray VanderLaan, That the World May Know DVD series, published by Focus on the Family, 2004, disc 3, The Life and Ministry of the Messiah, segment 4, Korazin and the Mount of Beatitudes.