Jesus told them that they should be ready for his return.

Luke 12:35-48

35 “Be always ready for doing God’s work [MET], like people who have put on their work clothes and are ready during the day, with their lamps burning all night. 36 Be ready for me to return [MET], like servants who are waiting for their master to return after being at a wedding feast for several days. They are waiting to open the door for him and start working for him again as soon as he arrives and knocks at the door. 37 If those servants are awake when he returns, he will be very pleased with them. I will tell you this: He will put on the kind of clothes that servants wear and tell them to sit down, and he will serve them a meal. 38 Even if he comes between midnight and sunrise, if he finds that his servants are awake and ready for him, he will be very pleased with them. 39 But you must also remember this: If owners of a house knew what time a thief was coming, they would stay awake and would not allow their house to be broken into and their goods to be stolen {the thief to break into the house and steal their goods}. 40 Similarly, you must be ready for me to return, because I, the one who came from heaven, will come again at a time when you do not expect me to come.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you (sg) speaking this illustration only for us or for everyone else also?” 42 The Lord replied, “I am saying it for you and for anyone else [MET, RHQ] who is like a faithful and wise manager in his master’s house. His master appoints him to supervise affairs in his house and to give all the other servants their food at the proper time. Then he leaves on a long trip. 43 If the servant is doing that work when his master returns, his master will be very pleased with him. 44 I tell you this: His master will appoint him to supervise all of his affairs permanently. 45 But that servant might think to himself, ‘My master has been away for a long time, so he probably will not return soon and find out what I am doing.’ Then he might start to beat the other servants, both male and female ones. He might also start to eat a lot of food and get drunk. 46 If he does that, and if his master returns on a day when the servant does not expect him, then his master will ◄cut him into two pieces/punish him severely► [HYP] and put him in the place where he puts all those who do not serve him faithfully. 47 Every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires will be beaten severely {The master will beat severely every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires}. 48 But every servant who did not know what his master wanted him to do, and who did things for which he deserved to be punished, will be beaten lightly {the master will beat lightly every servant who did not know what his master wanted him to do and did the things for which he deserved that his master would beat him}. God will treat his people similarly, because he expects a lot from those people whom he has allowed to understand a lot. People who entrust things to others’ care expect those people to care for those things very well. Similarly, God expects a lot from those people whom he has allowed to understand a lot. Furthermore, he expects the most from people to whom he has given the most ability.”