Jesus is coming again…soon! He gave His disciples three instructions in preparation for His coming…”be watchful”…”be ready” and…”be prayerful”. 

Some people believe that being ready means…giving up their jobs…packing up their homes…gathering emergency supplies…and retreating to some safe, hidden place to await His return! 

That’s not what Jesus meant. 

Being ready is much simpler than that!

Let’s look at it this way. Let’s say you are an employee in a very big company. The business has many branches worldwide, with many officials in charge of its multiplicity of departments. The company’s CEO has delegated his authority to competent people, trusting that they will faithfully carry out their leadership functions while he oversees the entire enterprise.

How will this CEO ensure that his company functions at full capacity? He will issue his instructions and trust his employees to do their work to the best of their ability under the reliable leadership of the each departmental head.  Since he cannot be everywhere at once, he must entrust his authority to his delegated subordinates. 

What if some of some of his officials decide, in his absence, to go rogue…to sit at their desks and do nothing while the subordinates do whatever they like.  Worse still…what if they actively channel the company’s profits into their own bank accounts while the CEO is elsewhere?

Which of the department’s heads would the CEO reward on his return, and which would he fire? Of course, he would commend those who were doing their work as instructed when he turned up unexpectedly. It was not his intention for his employees to do anything else than carry out his instructions. He was not looking for initiators or innovators. He was looking for those who would faithfully do what he wanted. 

This is the exact picture Jesus gave His disciples and those who come after them. Being ready for the Master’s return is not about hiding in a secret place to escape trouble or failing to carry out His orders.  It’s about carrying out the Master’s instructions right up to the moment He appears. It’s about being faithful to one’s specific calling no matter what it costs. 

In the enterprise of the kingdom of God, the number of functions is as vast and as varied as the number of those who participate. Every person has a unique place in a mosaic of gifts for the benefit of the whole body. If one gift is missing, the picture will be incomplete. 

So, Jesus explained…being ready simply means doing one’s job faithfully until the second He turns up….and finds you doing what He told you to do. 

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭45‬-‭47‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What, then, does “watch” mean?

It would be easy to think that “watching” would cancel out “being faithful”. How can one watch and work at the same time? 

“When Jesus told his disciples to “watch” (using the Greek word gregoreuo), he meant staying spiritually alert, awake, and vigilant rather than falling into spiritual complacency or physical sleep.”

“Key Meanings of “Watching”

• Staying spiritually alert: Being fully aware of one’s inner spiritual condition and the unseen moral and spiritual realities around you. 
• Resisting temptation: Guarding against sin, compromise, and the weaknesses of human nature, famously summarized in Matthew 26:41 (“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation”). 
• Preparing for the future: Keeping ready for unexpected trials, persecution, or the eventual return of Christ. 
• Partnering with prayer: Combining alertness with constant prayer to receive God’s strength where human willpower fails. (Source: Google AI)

I refer my readers to an excellent article in www.gotquestions.org…

“What does it mean to watch and pray?” 

Watch, then, is not about literally “watching” for danger, interference, or distraction…but for the spiritual counterparts that would take one’s attention away from one’s designated duty in the kingdom. 

The “pray” part of Jesus’ instruction is equally important for at least two reasons…

1.Prayer keeps us in touch with headquarters. We must know our day-to-day functions as well as the overall calling on our lives. Jesus does not leave us to plot our own course. He needs us to report for duty daily as part of our faithful service. 

2.Prayer acknowledges our capacity to go astray. 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There will be times when we are tempted to run ahead, to act alone, to change course, to take the initiative, or to opt out when we are tested, tired, disappointed,  or disillusioned. Prayer is the antidote to falling into any of these temptations that might disqualify us from receiving our reward. 

To summarise…being ready for Jesus’ return is…being faithful, being alert, and being prayerful.