Watching

Mark 13:33-37 and Luke 12:40 always struck me as a little curious.

33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

and

40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Why are we supposed to watch? So we can always be on our toes? I'd have thought calls for faithfulness would be more necessary, but there's good authority to suggest that I'm wrong.

The passage came up in my reading today, and for the first time I made a connection:

Matthew 25:40

40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

and

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

I find it is very easy to serve in my favorite comfortable capacities, but every now and then somebody comes along that needs something I find awkward or unpleasant. I'm apt to forget who the "least of these brothers" is. Not watching very well...