Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
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. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’ ”
Gospel Trivia:
The central character in the parable is the doorkeeper. While it mentions that there are other servants with their assigned tasks, only the task of the doorkeeper is stated: to be on the watch.
In biblical times, a house is separated from the road by a walled courtyard, and there are common cases where there are more than one house protected by the courtyard. In such cases, a doorkeeper is necessary either to open the door when the master comes late at night, or to protect against robbers.
The key responsibility of the doorkeeper is to be watchful. Watchfulness is mentioned three times in this very short parable -- in the beginning, middle and end.
The "master of the house" is a common reference to Jesus. This could only be an allusion to Jesus' ascension and long absence. The other "servants" refer to the disciples engaged in their work of spreading the message of Jesus to other communities.
It is likely that there may have been occasions when Christians expected the return of Jesus to be much sooner, and some were likely anxious of when this event would take place. To these people, the message of Mark is to be watchful for no one knows the hour of his return, and to continue to the mission of spreading the gospel.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul's Publications, 1987), pp. 11-13.
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