Paragraph 12:39–40

In this paragraph Jesus continued to teach his disciples that they needed to be ready for his return. He used a short illustration about a house owner who needed to be ready in case a thief broke into his house. This story is not a continuation of the previous story.

12:39a

In some languages it may be helpful to introduce this verse by indicating in some way that Jesus was beginning to give a different illustration. For example:

⌊Then Jesus said⌋ ⌊to his disciples⌋
-or-

⌊Then Jesus gave another example. He said⌋

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as translates as But here introduces a new illustration that teaches the same point as the one in 12:35–38. The new illustration does not contrast with the previous one. Be careful not to use a conjunction that implies a wrong connection between the two illustrations. In some languages a conjunction will not be needed.

understand this: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as translates as understand this is literally “know this” or “you know this.” Jesus used this clause to emphasize that what he was about to say was important. The word this refers to the illustration that he was about to give them. Some ways to translate this clause are:

you can be sure that (Good News Translation)
-or-
Here is another example for you to think about
-or-
Remember/Consider this also

12:39b–c

Here Jesus used an illustration to teach his disciples that he will return when people do not expect him.

If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into:
This short illustration contains much implied information:

(a) The owner of the house did not know that a thief was coming or what time he would come.

(b) A thief did come.

(c) The thief broke into the house.

(d) The owner could have prevented this if he had been ready.

In some languages a literal translation may be confusing. It may imply to some readers that Jesus was telling about a past event that happened to a specific house owner. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that Jesus was giving an illustration. Some ways to do this in English are:

You would surely not let a thief break into your home, if you knew when the thief was coming. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. (New Living Translation (2004))

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