The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (41 page)

24:28 the eagles:
Scavengers (Romans) who eat the remains of a carcass (Jerusalem). It is noteworthy that Roman military standards featured eagles as symbols of the empire. • In the OT, the eagle (also translated "vulture") symbolized pagan nations who brought suffering upon Israel (Deut 28:49; Hab 1:8; cf. Hos 8:1). 
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24:29 sun . . . moon . . . stars:
Images of cosmic catastrophe underscore the magnitude of Jerusalem's coming doom. • Depictions of heavenly chaos are used by the OT prophets to predict the downfall of pagan kingdoms (Is 13:910; 34:4; Ezek 32:7-8; Joel 2:10, 31; Amos 8:9). Jesus redirects this language toward Jerusalem: the kingdom of Old Covenant Israel will be devastated for corrupting itself like the pagans and rejecting Jesus. 
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24:30 the Son of man:
An allusion to Dan 7:13. • In context, Daniel beholds "a son of man" coming to God with the
clouds of heaven;
he is given a royal "kingdom" and "everlasting dominion" (Dan 7:14) over all nations (cf. 28:18). Daniel's vision takes historical shape (initially) with Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension to the Father (Mk 16:19; Acts 1:9). Jesus' victory over his enemies will be visibly manifest with Jerusalem's judgment and the termination of the Old Covenant. See topical essay:
Jesus the Son of Man
at Lk 17. 
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24:31 angels:
Presumably the angels of heaven, who will accompany Christ when he comes again in his kingdom (16:27; 2 Thess 1:7). Others see them as preachers of the gospel since the Greek
angeloi
can also refer to human "messengers" (e.g., John the Baptist in 11:10).
trumpet call:
An allusion to Is 27:13. • Isaiah envisions the messianic restoration of Israel. Summoned by the Lord's trumpet, the tribes of Jacob will come forth from their exile among the nations to be united with God once again.
the four winds:
The four points of the compass. • The statement recalls OT passages about the ingathering of God's people from among the nations (Deut 30:4; Is 11:12; Zech 2:6). 
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24:34 this generation:
The expression in Greek can mean "this race" or "these contemporaries of mine". The latter meaning best fits this context, not only because Jesus envisions his initial coming within the lifetime of his first disciples (16:28), but also because he often addresses his unbelieving contemporaries with the same term (11:16), either contrasting them with an earlier generation that responded to God's message (12:4142) or implicitly comparing them with the faithless generation of Israel that failed to enter the Promised Land (12:39, 45; 16:4; 17:17; cf. Deut 1:35; 32:5). 
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24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away:
A solemn prediction, not a hypothetical contrast. Jesus thus prophesies the termination of the Old Covenant order, i.e., the old creation awaiting renewal in Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; Rev 21:1). As the OT era gave way to the NT age established by Christ's powerful
words,
so even the NT age will give way to eternal life at the end of history. • Jesus' statement recalls OT oracles that describe God's word (Is 40:8) and salvation (Is 51:6) outlasting the frail elements of the cosmos. 
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24:36-25:46
Jesus turns from revealing general prophesies to concealing specific details. Jerusalem's doom will be preceded by proximate signs (24:5-8, 30, 33), but the precisetime of the city's judgment will remain unknown (24:42, 44; 25:13). 
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24:36 nor the Son, but the Father:
This saying is comparable to 20:23, where Jesus says that the Father, not the Son, makes royal appointments of rank. Here also
only
the Father appoints the time of the Son's royal return in glory. Christ's professed ignorance of this
day
and
hour
may be understood as hyperbole (overstatement), a teaching device used by Jewish rabbis and Jesus himself (5:34; 23:9; Lk 14:26). • Tradition maintains that Jesus' apparent ignorance is not a literal statement, but a figurative expression; for the Father and the Son share everything in common, including their divine knowledge: 11:27; Jn 3:35; 10:15; 17:25). Here Jesus does not display any human knowledge of the time when the Father will send the Son to judge all nations, because this mystery lies beyond the scope of what the Father intends the Son to reveal (CCC 472-74). 
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24:38
The lesson from
the flood
is based on unexpected catastrophe (cf. Dan 9:26). Except for
Noah
and his family, the rest of his generation showed no concern for God. They were distracted by the concerns of the world and were destroyed in God's judgment. 
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24:40 one is taken . . . one is left:
This scenario follows Jesus' example of Noah and the flood (24:37). The righteous will be left, just as Noah and his family were spared (Sir 44:17); the wicked will be taken, as Noah's generation was swept away by the flood (Mt 24:39; 2 Pet 2:4-10). 
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24:42 Watch therefore:
A prominent theme in Jesus' teaching (24:43; 25:13; 26:38-41). It addresses the glorious
coming
of Christ at three levels.
(1)
Past historical.
The disciples were to look vigilantly for Christ's judgment on Jerusalem
A.D.
70, lest they fail to heed his words and evacuate the city before its demise (24:16).
(2)
Present liturgical.
Disciples must look with faith to see the coming of Christ in the Eucharist. Here too Jesus' presence must be discerned to avoid divine judgment when he comes in the sacrament (1 Cor 11:27-29).
(3)
Future eschatological.
Disciples must watch for Christ's Second Coming in glory at the end of history. Being vigilant in faith and good works is necessary to inherit eternal life with Christ (25:34-36). See word study
Coming
at Mt 24. 
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25:1-13
The parable of the Ten Maidens emphasizes the need for watchfulness (25:13). Its story line centers on a Jewish marital custom: following the period of betrothal, the groom would lead a procession to bring his new wife to their home, and they would celebrate a week-long banquet with family and friends. Here the
bridegroom
(25:6; 9:15) arrives to begin the joyous procession and take his wife to the
marriage feast.
Unprepared and without
oil
(25:3), the
foolish
maidens are excluded from the celebration (22:1-14) while the
wise
participate fully. Likewise, Christians are called to be spiritually prepared: the moment Jesus brings judgment on Jerusalem is unknown, as is the time of his Second Coming as Judge (CCC 672, 796).
See note on Mt 1:18
.
• Morally
(Origen, St. Hilary): awaiting the bridegroom signifies one's uncertain life-span—no one knows the hour of his death and judgment. The lamp is Christian faith, while the oil represents good works; thus faith without works is useless (Jas 2:17). Souls must prepare for their personal encounter with Christ (bridegroom) by loving God and neighbor (Mt 25:35-40; 1 Jn 3:7), since those lacking good works will be shut out of heaven's banquet. 
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