Mark 13:35 Meaning and Explanation
“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Watch, therefore — for no one knows whether the master of the house will come in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrow, or in the morning.
What Does Mark 13:35 Mean?
Jesus names the four watches of the night — evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning — the hours a sentry counted until dawn. Strikingly, Mark's next chapters move through those very hours: the supper at evening, the night agony of Gethsemane, the cock crowing over Peter's denial, the trial when morning came. The Lord's words shadow his own approaching night.
The disciples' first test of watchfulness came not at the end of the age but within days — and they slept. Mark lets the discourse and the passion interpret each other: every hour, however dark, is an hour the Master may come, and the night is precisely when watching matters most. The call reaches us unchanged: faithfulness is not for daylight only. Those who keep watch through midnight hours will not be ashamed at morning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 13:35
What does Mark 13:35 mean?
Watch, therefore — for no one knows whether the master of the house will come in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrow, or in the morning.