House holders are shocked to find that they have been visited by burglars when they return home. Why are they shocked? Do they not know that thieves exist and have operated in their town? Of course they know, but they do not believe that it will happen to them. Jesus makes this paradoxical scenario into a parable of His Second Coming. It is paradoxical because Jesus is not a wicked thief, but His arrival will be as unforeseen as a thief in the night.
 
Thieves do not announce their arrival. If they did, then the home owner would be prepared with sufficient force to see off the intruder. To be ready is to be safe. That was the point of what Jesus was saying to His disciples. They must always be alert to the fact that He could come back at any time; they must be ready.
 
By contrast, the world which assumes that they are safe, are really in danger when Jesus returns. Like those who were swept away by the flood, there will be no time to think again (repent) about their independence from Jesus. Everything they have worked for will go. Their opportunity for salvation will have gone and they will have no protection. 'Salvation' and 'judgement' are two sides of the same coin. When salvation comes for the believers, judgement comes against the unbelievers.
 
Jesus was urging His men to be ready, always ready, for His return. The very moment when self-indulgence can distract our focus is the moment when the skies could burst open with glory. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19 describes that scene, but it is followed by a warning not to be like the unbeliever who lives in the darkness of his/her God-excluded life. "But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober." (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). We must not only be awake, but also spiritually alert so that we can live carefully and joyfully in anticipation that Jesus might join us at any moment. The prospect of Christ's return should encourage holiness in our lifestyle and fervour in our witness … so that our friends and colleagues will not be unprepared either.