Want to be Left Behind? You Should! (Matthew 24)

January 21, 2026

I challenged myself yesterday: whatever the reading in the lectionary tomorrow, I will write a blog post about it. The reading was the second half of Matthew 24. So here goes…

"Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left." (Mat 24:40)

I wonder where you’ve heard these words before. It wasn’t till I lived in the States that I realised how associated they are with some ideas about the end of the world and what is popularly known as ‘rapture theory.’ This theory has lots of details to it, but one fundamental premise is that it claims that this verse points to how Jesus will return and rescue his faithful followers from the suffering on earth. “One will be taken, one will remain.”

According to rapture theory, you want to be taken. You don’t want to be left behind. The problem is, the reverse is really the point. Jesus isn’t going to abandon the world. He loves it! He’s going to redeem it. Out of the two options, it's those who are taken who are receiving judgement.[1]

The question is: do we want to be part of that?

Jesus then tells a parable of two slaves who are left in charge while their Master is gone. One responds well and does the work he’s been charged to do. He seeks to feed the other slaves and give everyone their fair share. He serves those around him (v.45-46).[2] The other one? Not so much. Notice what it says in v.49: he begins to beat his fellow slaves. His peers. He indulges his stomach with whatever he likes. He cares only about himself. In sum:

Abandoning the Master looks like taking to violence and excess against people around us. Following our own desires and getting what we want, at the cost of those around us.

Being ready for the Master looks like caring more about those around us than we do our own ambitions and appetites. It means humbling ourselves and showing up for our neighbour. This is the call on those of us who call ourselves Christian. To be the ones our Lord commends and not condemns mean we do this work today.

***

The world is not an easy place to be these days. One of the reasons my blog has been quite quiet this month is because of that. As a child, I thought any adult who wanted to could change the whole world for the better. As an adult, I know I can’t.

But I can make changes to my corner of it. I can take stock of my own life, my own choices, my own faith (or lack of it). I can identify whether I am more like the faithful slave or more like the rebellious one. The truth is we all have the propensity to both, but by the grace shown in the Cross and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can become servants of God who love our neighbours sacrificially. I can love my neighbour—even when they're my enemy—and meet their needs instead of shunning them and seeking to satisfy number one.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"

(Mat 5:43-47)

This is the call of every Christian. This is the charge we have been given, regardless of what is going on around us, until the day our one Lord and Master returns.

******

[1] To be transparent: I suspect this passage is more about God's judgement on Jerusalem in 70AD than it is a picture of eschatological judgement, but my application of it still stands as there is a persistent pattern to God's judgement and his call to those who follow him.

[2] English translations obscure the Greek here, which clearly ties the faithful slave’s behaviour to the actions of the one who will be placed in charge on the Master’s return. The NASB captures this best.

Cover photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

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