Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 12:39

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through." — Luke 12:39 (ASV)

The image now changes to one of burglary. Jesus seems to be using a recent incident known to his audience. lit is unusual, but not impossible, for an evil character, such as a thief, to represent a good person . It is the story as a whole, not the individual characters in it, that provides the comparison here. The focal point is the concluding exhortation to “be ready,” because the time of the Son of Man’s coming is unknown.