No one knows when Jesus will return, and Jesus said that’s exactly why we need to stay ready. In Mark 13:28-37, Jesus uses a fig tree to teach that his followers can recognize the signs of what’s coming. Then he says that no one knows the day or hour of his return, not the angels, not even the Son, but only the Father. Instead of trying to predict the date, Jesus tells a parable about servants waiting for their master and calls everyone to one simple command: “Watch!”
Setting the Scene in Mark 13:28-37
This passage concludes Jesus’ teaching on the Mount of Olives. He had predicted the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:1-13), warned about the abomination of desolation and false messiahs, and promised that the Son of Man would come in the clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:14-27). The disciples had asked, “When will these things happen?” Now Jesus gave his final answer, and it wasn’t what they expected.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Jesus pointed to a familiar sight.
Mark 13:28-31 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
In Israel, most trees stay green all year, but the fig tree loses its leaves in winter. When its branches turn tender and new leaves appear in spring, everyone knows summer is coming. Jesus said the same is true of the events he described. When his followers see them happening, they’ll know “it is near, right at the door.”
This fig tree lesson is a hopeful contrast to the fig tree Jesus cursed just days earlier (Mark 11:12-14). That tree pictured judgment on the fruitless temple. This one pictures the arrival of something new.
Then comes one of the most debated verses in the Gospels: “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” If “these things” include Jesus’ second coming, it seems like Jesus was wrong. But in context, “these things” most naturally refers to the signs Jesus had been describing, especially the destruction of the temple, which was the disciples’ original question. That happened within a generation, in AD 70, exactly as Jesus said.
Jesus then made a remarkable claim: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” In the Old Testament, only God’s word was described this way (Isaiah 40:8). Jesus was claiming that his words carry the same eternal authority as God’s.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
Then Jesus shifted from the temple to his return.
Mark 13:32-37 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 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. 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. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: “Watch!”
“That day” is a common biblical phrase for the day of the Lord, the final day of judgment and salvation. Jesus said plainly that no one knows when it will be. Not the angels. Not even the Son. Only the Father.
That last part has puzzled readers for centuries. How could Jesus, who is God, not know something? Theologians since the early church have explained it this way: when the Son of God became human, he voluntarily limited the use of some of his divine abilities (Philippians 2:6-7). In his humanity, Jesus lived in dependence on the Father. Luke says Jesus “grew in wisdom” as a child (Luke 2:52). The early church father Athanasius wrote that Jesus spoke this way as a man, sharing our human limits for our sake.
Whatever the explanation, the practical point is clear. If even Jesus didn’t claim to know the date, anyone who claims to know it is wrong. Throughout history, many people have predicted the date of Jesus’ return, and every one of them has been mistaken.
Keep Watch
Instead of a timeline, Jesus told a short parable. A man goes on a journey and leaves his servants in charge, each with a task. The doorkeeper is told to keep watch, because the owner could come back at any time.
The four times Jesus mentioned, evening, midnight, rooster crow, and dawn, match the four Roman watches of the night. Mark’s readers would have recognized them. They also show up again in Mark’s story of Jesus’ final night. Jesus ate the Last Supper in the evening. He was arrested in the middle of the night, after finding his disciples sleeping three times in Gethsemane (Mark 14:37-41). Peter denied him when the rooster crowed (Mark 14:72). And at dawn, Jesus was handed over to Pilate (Mark 15:1). The disciples failed to keep watch in the very hours Jesus had warned them about.
Jesus ended with a word for everyone, including us: “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” The Greek word means to stay awake and alert.
Watching Doesn’t Mean Waiting Around
Notice that in Jesus’ parable, the servants weren’t told to sit by the window. Each one had an “assigned task.” Watching means faithfully doing the work God has given us while we wait. Paul warned the Thessalonians, some of whom had stopped working because they thought Jesus was coming any day, to keep living responsibly (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12).
Jesus’ return will be sudden and unexpected for those who aren’t ready.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
But the delay isn’t because God is slow or has forgotten. Peter explains that God is giving people time to come to him.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Every day Jesus waits is a day of mercy, another opportunity for someone to turn to him.
What This Means for Us
It’s easy to fall asleep spiritually. Life gets busy, faith gets routine, and Jesus’ return starts to feel like a distant idea. Jesus calls us to wake up. That doesn’t mean living in fear or obsessing over current events. It means living every day as if he could come back today: loving God, serving others, sharing the gospel, and doing the work he has given us.
If Jesus returned today, would he find you awake? If you’re not sure you’re ready to meet him, the best time to get ready is now. Learn more at How can I become a Christian?
The Takeaway
When will Jesus return? No one knows the day or hour, not even the angels or the Son, but only the Father. Instead of predicting dates, Jesus calls us to stay awake, faithfully doing the work he has given us. His delay is a gift of mercy. Be ready, because he is coming back.
