Mark 13:33-37

Mark 13:33-37. Here the three accounts, though preserving the same general tone, differ in details. Matthew (Matthew 24:37-41) refers to the days of Noah, as illustrating the suddenness of the Lord's coming, and then records the exhortation to watchfulness in connection with the figure of a thief breaking in, then of a lord who surprises his servants. Luke is almost literal in his account of the warning, while Mark introduces a regular parable, which bears some resemblance to the figure in Matthew's account, but makes the ‘porter' the chief person. This accords with the repetition of the phrase, ‘take heed.' Watchful honesty on the part of a steward is the prominent feature in the figure recorded by Matthew; honest watchfulness on the part of the porter, in the parable recorded by Mark. Possibly Mark 13:34 contains an allusion to the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).