Composition

Q linked three sayings about alertness:

• a report of a robbery (Luke 12:39//Matt 24:43)
• warning of an unexpected arrival (Luke 12:40//Matt 24:44) and
• prediction of a master returning to punish servants (Luke 12:42-46//Matt 24:45-51).

Thomas has two predictions of the first; and Matthew knew a variant of the second. But these sayings might not have been combined outside Q.

Matthew tacks these sayings onto  his fusion of the final apocalyptic speeches in Mark and Q (see notes on Luke 17:22-27//Matt 14:23-42). Luke keeps those speeches separate and records this cluster long before either. The main reason for thinking that Luke is following Q's order here is that these sayings fit so well in Matthew's context that Luke had no good reason to move them, if he had found them there.

The reference to robbery in the first saying picks up the motif of Luke 12:33//Matt 6:19 in the previous Q cluster. Luke did not create this catchword link, because he has sayings about servants between these sayings. This intervening passage (Luke 12:25-38) is probably not from Q, since Matthew has no parallel.

Matt 24:43-44	Luke 12:39-40	Thom 21:5-7
43 "Mark this well:	39 "Mark this well:	5 "For this reason I say:
if the homeowner	if the homeowner	if the owners of a house
had known when	had known what time	know
the burglar was coming,	the burglar was coming,	that a thief is coming,
he would have been	he would	they will be
on guard and		on guard
		before the thief arrives,
not have allowed anyone	not have left his house	and won't let the thief
to break into his house.	to be broken into.	break into their house
		and steal their possessions.
44 Therefore, you too	40 You too	6 As for you then,
should be prepared.	should be prepared.	be on guard
		against the world.
Remember,	Remember,
the son of Man * is coming	the son of Man * is coming
when you least expect it."	when you least expect it."
		7 Prepare yourselves
		with great strength,
		so robbers can't find
		a way to get to you,
		for the privation
		you expect to come."
Matt 25:13	Luke 21:36	Mark 13:33
		33 "Be on guard!
13 "So stay alert!	33 "Stay alert!	Stay alert!
Because you don't know	Pray constantly	For you never know
either the day or the hour.	that you'll have the strength	what time it is."
	to escape all these things
	that are on the way
	and the strength to stand
	before the son of Man." *

* Greek: ὁ ὕιος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (lit: "the son of the Human")

Origin of an idea

The image of a robber's arrival is widespread in early Christian writings. Q and Thomas ascribe it to Jesus. Besides the parallel to the Q saying cited above, the latter eclectic grab bag of Jesus sayings includes this:

Jesus said:
"Congratulations to the one who knows where the brigands are going to attack.
He can take action, mobilize his kingdom, and be prepared
before the brigands invade."
     --- Thom 103

Yet Paul, who probably wrote before any gospel was composed, and 2 Peter use it to describe "the day of the Lord" without citing any source:

"For you yourselves know very well that
the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night...
But you, beloved, are not in them darkness,
for that day to surprise you like a thief."
   --- 1 Thess 5:2,4

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise,
and the elements will be dissolved with fire,
and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed."
     --- 2 Pet 3:10

It also appears in the book of Revelation in sayings ascribed to the risen Jesus:

"If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,
and you will not know at what hour I will come to you."
     --- Rev 3:3b

"See, I am coming like a thief!
Congratulations to the one who  stays awake and is clothed!"
     --- Rev 16:15

Such words come from the mind of a Christian prophet long after after Jesus' death. So there are three ways this idea may have developed in early Christianity;

• a Jesus saying about a thief was later applied to his own return; or
• words first ascribed to the risen Jesus were later confused with things he said before he died; or
• a common analogy in the early church inspired sayings that were later credited to Jesus.

Which scenario is more likely depends on the details of the sayings.

Application

Almost all applications of the burglar image above are about the time an individual arrives. This parallels early Christian concerns about when Jesus would return. Thom 103, however, focuses on the place a gang invades. This saying cannot be applied to Jesus as easily as the others.

All these passages urge vigilance. Those that advise staying awake show the arrival is expected imminently. This may be appropriate for expectations of Jesus' return but not for a real burglar. The call to arms in Thom 103 fits the scene better.

Only Luke 12:39 (= Q) says the homeowner left his house unattended because he did not expect a burglar. This means he thought his property was safe when it really was not. This recalls Q's earlier comment about property vulnerable to moths and thieves (Luke 12:33//Matt 6:19).

Attribution

Homeowner & thief	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:39 Matt 24:43 Thom 21:5-7 Thom 103 1 Thess 5:2,4b 2 Pet 3:10a Rev 3:3b Rev 16:15a		7 4 0 0 0 0 0 0	22 19 16 37 4 4 4 4	19 26 28 11 11 15 11 11	52 52 56 52 85 81 85 85	28 25 20 28 06 07 06 06	grey black black grey black black black black

The Fellows generally agreed that uses of the burglar image outside the gospels do not come from the historical Jesus. None of these claim that, before Jesus died, he told people to watch for his own coming. Gospel sayings that reflect this expectation were probably formed for an audience after he had already departed. Hence, the majority rated these sayings black.

Otherwise, the Fellows held different views of the history of this tradition. Some thought that the consistent imagery of Thom 103 made it the most likely version to have come from Jesus. Others thought that Luke's version was more likely original because it is in line with Luke 12:33//Matt 6:19. A majority, however, thought none of versions was well enough attested or distinct enough from the ideas of Christian preachers like Paul to be included among things Jesus probably said.

Sudden arrival	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:40 Matt 24:44 Luke 21:36 Matt 24:42 Matt 25:13 Mark 13:33 Did 16:1		3 3 0 0 4 4 0	17 17 4 0 4 4 4	23 23 7 0 11 11 4	57 57 89 99 82 82 92	22 22 05 00 10 10 04	black black black black black black black

Sources

Q and Mark both had warnings to prepare for someone arriving at some unknown hour. Luke 12:40 and Matt 24:44 preserve both Q's words and context. But the parallels to Mark 13:33 are looser paraphrases.

Subject

Q's warning mentions "the son of Man." Mark 13:33 does not, although Mark has other sayings that predict the coming of the son of Man. The imagery of these other Markan sayings is based on Dan 7:13-14 (see cameo essay on "the son of Man"). Q 12:40, however, lacks these graphic details but calls for alertness, like many sayings that do not mention "the son of Man."

Attribution

In all these sayings the person awaited is absent. Fellows who voted red or pink thought that Jesus spoke of the coming of some other anonymous figure. But in Q, like other gospel sources, "son of Man" is Jesus' self-reference. So the majority of the Fellows did not find anything in this saying to distinguish it from common early Christian expectations of Jesus' return.

Luke 12:42-48	Matt 24:45-51
42 The Master said:
"Who then is the trustworthy	45"Who then is the trustworthy
and prudent manager	and prudent slave
to whom the master assigns responsibility	to whom the master assigns responsibility
for his household staff,	for his household,
to dole out their food allowance	to provide them with food
at the right time?	at the right time?
43 Congratulations to the slave	46 Congratulations to the slave
who's on the job when his master arrives.	who's on the job when his master arrives.
44 I'm telling you the truth:	47 Let me tell you:
he'll put him in charge of his property.	he'll put him in charge of all his property.
45 But suppose that slave	48 But suppose that worthless slave
says to himself,	says to himself,
'My master is taking his time getting here,'	'My master is taking his time,'
and begins to beat the servants and the maids,	and begins to beat his fellow slaves,
and to eat and drink	49 and starts eating and drinking
and get drunk,	with drunks,
46 that slave's master will show up	50 that slave's master will show up
on the day he least expects it	on the day he least expects
and at an hour he doesn't suspect.	and at an hour he doesn't suspect.
He'll cut him to pieces	51 He'll cut him to pieces
and assign him a fate among the disloyal.	and assign him a fate among the imposters,
	where they'll weep and grind their teeth."
47 And the slave who knew
what his master wanted
but didn't get things ready
or act properly,
will be flogged severely.
48 On the other hand,
the slave who didn't know
what his master wanted,
yet did things that deserve punishment,
will be flogged lightly.
A great deal will be required of everyone
to whom much is given;
yet even more will be demanded
from the one
to whom a great deal has been entrusted.

Plot development

This warning to those who have been delegated authority to manage the household in the master's absence comes only from Q. It takes up the theme of an unexpected arrival from Luke 12:40//Matt 24:44 and develops it into a scene of judgment. Matthew and Luke give different conclusions.

Attribution

Master and steward	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:42-46 Luke 12:47-48 Matt 24:45-51a Matt 24:51b		0 0 0 0	12 0 5 0	6 0 12 0	82 99 82 99	10 00 08 00	black black black black

Few Fellows found anything in this passage that resembled genuine Jesus sayings apart from its use of graphic images. The idea that service will be rewarded and abuse punished was common Jewish tradition. Here the abusive servant is also criticized for eating and drinking to excess. But this charge was leveled against Jesus himself (Luke 7:34//Matt 11:19). So, the idea that such behavior would be punished probably did not come from him. Moreover, this warning is clearly relevant to maintaining order in the Christian community after Jesus' death, but has no clear setting before.