Matthew 24:38-39
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The everyday activities of eating, drinking, and marriage are highlighted not because they are inherently sinful, but because they consumed the people's attention so completely that they ignored the imminent, catastrophic judgment. Their focus on normal life blinded them to Noah's warnings and the impending, world-altering reality.
Jesus is using the days of Noah as a picture of what it will be like when he returns. Before the great flood, people were so caught up in their daily lives – eating, drinking, marrying, and celebrating weddings – that they were completely oblivious to the impending judgment. They carried on as usual right up until the very moment Noah and his family entered the safety of the ark.
Jesus uses the days before the flood to describe a coming judgment, but were people sinning by just living their lives?
When Jesus points to the days of Noah, he highlights how ordinary life continued right up until the flood. People were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." This doesn't automatically mean these activities were sinful. The issue wasn't the actions themselves, but the attitude behind them.
Think about it: eating, drinking, and marriage are foundational to human life. But in Noah's day, these activities became all-consuming. People were so focused on the routines and pleasures of life that they ignored God's warning and the impending judgment Noah was preparing for. Their daily lives became a shield against acknowledging spiritual realities.
How could people miss a massive ark being built for over a century? Jesus reveals the root of their ignorance.
The people before the flood weren't necessarily unaware of Noah's building project or his preaching. The problem was a profound spiritual indifference. They were 'eating and drinking' and 'marrying and giving in marriage' until the very day Noah entered the ark, and they didn't know what was coming.
This "not knowing" wasn't a lack of information; it was a choice to disregard what they did know. Their minds were blinded by their obsession with the present. They were so caught up in the comfort and routines of their lives that they couldn't (or wouldn't) see the signs of God's judgment. This is a powerful warning against letting the good things of life blind us to the spiritual realities that truly matter.
Understand the original words
kataklysmos · Greek Noun
A sudden, catastrophic judgment from God upon the earth due to human sin, serving as a historical type for the future final judgment.
ginōskō · Greek Verb
To be ignorant or without knowledge; in this context, the lack of spiritual discernment regarding the impending judgment of God.
Jesus uses the stark contrast between the mundane, everyday activities of the pre-flood world and the sudden, catastrophic judgment to emphasize the need for constant vigilance and preparedness for His own return.
c. 2950 BC
Noah begins building the Ark
According to Genesis, Noah began constructing the Ark after receiving a divine command and warning of an impending flood. This was a monumental task that likely took many decades.
c. 2370 BC
God's covenant with Noah
Following the flood, God establishes a covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never again to destroy all life with a flood, symbolized by the rainbow. This marks a new era after the destruction.
c. 2370 BC— this verse
Noah and family enter the Ark
Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives entered the Ark. This marks the precise moment before the catastrophic deluge began its work of destruction.
c. 2370 BC
The Great Flood begins
The biblical account describes the heavens opening and the earth's fountains breaking forth, leading to a catastrophic flood that covered the entire earth and destroyed all life outside the Ark.
This verse directly describes the pervasive wickedness and corrupt desires of humanity before the flood, setting the stage for God's judgment and highlighting the indifference to spiritual matters that Jesus points to.
Luke 17:26-27This parallel passage in Luke also draws the comparison to Noah's day, emphasizing the normalcy of daily life and the complete unawareness of impending doom, reinforcing the suddenness of Christ's return.
Genesis 7:7This verse marks the exact moment Noah entered the ark, serving as the stark contrast to the unsuspecting world outside. It underscores the transition from ordinary life to an abrupt, divinely ordained separation.
2 Peter 3:3-4Peter addresses scoffers who question Christ's return by reminding them of the past judgment of the flood, highlighting the same pattern of people living in their own desires and disregarding warnings of divine judgment.
Luke 21:34This verse directly warns believers not to let their hearts become 'overcharged with the cares of this life and the debauchery of the age,' echoing the very activities mentioned in Matthew 24:38 and cautioning against spiritual complacency.
barnesMatthew 24:38: "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,"
For as in the days ... - The things mentioned here denote attention to the affairs of this life rather than to what was coming on them. It does not mean that these things were wrong, but only that such was their actual employment, and that they were regardless of what was coming upon them.
calvinMatthew 24:37-42: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38. For as in the days that came before the deluge, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the day when Noah entered into the ark, 39. And knew not until the deluge came, [160] and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40. Two men shall then be in the field; one…
The everyday activities of eating, drinking, and marriage are highlighted not because they are inherently sinful, but because they consumed the people's attention so completely that they ignored the imminent, catastrophic judgment. Their focus on normal life blinded them to Noah's warnings and the impending, world-altering reality.
Jesus is using the days of Noah as a picture of what it will be like when he returns. Before the great flood, people were so caught up in their daily lives – eating, drinking, marrying, and celebrating weddings – that they were completely oblivious to the impending judgment. They carried on as usual right up until the very moment Noah and his family entered the safety of the ark.
Jesus is using the days of Noah as a picture of what it will be like when he returns. Before the great flood, people were so caught up in their daily lives – eating, drinking, marrying, and celebrating weddings – that they were completely oblivious to the impending judgment. They carried on as usual right up until the very moment Noah and his family entered the safety of the ark.
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"For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the…" — The everyday activities of eating, drinking, and marriage are highlighted not because they are inherently sinful, but because they consumed the people's attention so completely that they ignored the…
