³³ Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
³⁴ It is like a man travelling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and order the gatekeeper to be on the watch. .
³⁵ Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. .
³⁶ May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. .
³⁷ What I say to you, I say to all: "Watch!"

• This passage concludes the teachings of Jesus, and is followed by his passion, death and resurrection.
• (v.34) The master of the house places everyone in the household "in charge" of something according to his/her own condition and ability.
• (v.35) Roman army divides the night into four "watches" as in this verse. The Jewish usage divides the night time into three "watches". Mark's division (evening, midnight, cockcrow and morning) indicated that he was writing for the Gentiles who were unfamiliar with Jewish practice.
• The door keeper must "watch" even during the night. Thus Jesus asks for more than the normal duty, not only of the door man but of all servants on whatever he has put them in charge regardless of the master's presence or seemingly absence.
• (v.37) Jesus says to "all" which means all the people in the Church, the ordained and the laity.

Be watchful and do our duties. Jesus warns all to be watchful for his second coming by doing perfectly what he has put each of us "in charge."

1. What are my duties that the Lord put me in charge?
2. Am I doing the duties the Lord assign, or my own will?
3. If the door keeper must watch 24 hours a day, how perfectly am I expected to perform my duty for the Lord?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community