Unexpected Thief

A householder might be surprised by a thief, but those who know the Son of Man is coming need not be caught unawares.

How to cite this article:
Joshua N. Tilton and David N. Bivin, “Unexpected Thief,” The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction (Jerusalem Perspective, 2024) [https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/29422/].

Matt. 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40

(Huck 158, 225; Aland 203, 296; Crook 239, 338)^[1]

וּדְעוּ זוֹ שֶׁאִילּוּ יָדַע בַּעַל הַבַּיִת בְּאֵי זוֹ שָׁעָה הַגַּנָּב בָּא לֹא הָיָה מַנִיחַ אוֹתוֹ לַחְתֹּר בֵּיתוֹ וְאַתֶּם הֱיוּ מְעוּתָּדִים שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאַתֶּם לֹא סְבוּרִים בַּר אֱנָשׁ בָּא

“But know this: if the householder had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed him to break into his house. Also you, be prepared, because Bar Enash comes in an hour you do not expect.”^[2]

Table of Contents

1. Reconstruction

2. Story Placement

3. Conjectured Stages of Transmission

4. Crucial Issues

5. Comment

6. Redaction Analysis

7. Results of This Research

8. Conclusion

Reconstruction

To view the reconstructed text of Unexpected Thief click on the link below:

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Conclusion

In Unexpected Thief Jesus compared the disciples’ ignorance of the timing of the Son of Man’s coming to a householder whose house was burgled because he did not know when the thief would come. The householder was unprepared for the thief, but the disciples who know that the Son of Man is coming need not be caught unawares.

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This illustration from Walters manuscript W.626 depicts an exchange between the owner of a house and a thief who makes a hole in the wall to break in, while pretending that he is playing drums. Image courtesy of the Walters Art Museum.

^[1] For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.’” ↩
^[2] This translation is a dynamic rendition of our reconstruction of the conjectured Hebrew source that stands behind the Greek of the Synoptic Gospels. It is not a translation of the Greek text of a canonical source. ↩