What will Jesus say about the way we used the talents, time, and treasure that he gave us during our time here on earth? Join us as we walk through Luke 12:31-48, consider what it means to seek first the Kingdom of God, hear Jesus’ words about being watchful and ready, and conclude our series I Surrender All: Serving Like The Savior.
I have some friends who retired and built a new home on a lake with a pool and a view, and it is not far from the beach. Talk about a way to go after a long career in the private sector.
Annually, while they are out of town, they have a large group of family members who love to enjoy their property, for free, of course. Those family members know when the owners will return, so you would think they would do their very best to make sure the beautiful home is squared away for their return.
They do just the opposite. Trash is left everywhere. Bathrooms aren’t cleaned. Floors aren’t vacuumed. Kitchen countertops and the fridge are a mess. Items around the pool aren’t put away. Bed linens aren’t switched out and cleaned. You get the picture. These family members merely take advantage of my friends.
This leads to a couple of questions. One, what counsel would you offer to my friends regarding their kinfolk? I’ve already told them what I think, and I’d say my thoughts are along the lines of something Moses might say regarding behavior like this. Two, what should be expected from kinfolk who are enjoying a great property? More precisely, what should they do while they are in the home, and what should they do before the owners return?
I give you this current life story because it dovetails exactly with what Jesus taught His disciples and the multitudes one day. In the context of Luke 12, Jesus just finished speaking about the coming Davidic kingdom that He, the Messiah, would rule over on earth.
31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom (Luke 12).
The kingdom, as foretold throughout the Old Testament (2 Sam. 7; Psa. 2; Isa. 2; 11; Mic. 5; Dan. 2; 7 et al.), will come; however, Christ’s other parables indicated there will be a brief abeyance as He finished His entire redemptive program (Matt. 21:33-44; 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Luke 19:11-27). This new revelatory insight prompted a logical question from Christ’s followers: What did He expect from them while they remained in this house, awaiting His return? We can, and should, easily rephrase this question to bring it into our day and time: What does Jesus expect of us as we run this house in light of His eventual return to make it the kingdom? The answer Jesus gives to this practical query is a case study on the concept of servanthood.
Christ’s answer is wrapped up in what we call The Parable of the Faithful Servants, as disclosed in Luke 12:35-48. The section, or pericope, divides into four interconnected panels that drive home Christ’s practical answer for His followers. Who doesn’t love a story? We can relate to and learn from them more easily than we can from an abstract discussion. Hence, Jesus employed the art of storytelling to highlight His teaching and to answer questions like the one embedded in this interesting passage. Thinking minds of Christians do want to know:
Lord, what do you expect from us as your followers in your absence? What should we be doing? How should we live? His answer should educate and motivate you to live differently than you ever have.
Jesus begins to develop His answer with what I’ll call . . .
The Command (Luke 12:35-36)
Here it is:
35 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. (Luke 12)
35 Ἔστωσαν ὑμῶν αἱ ὀσφύες περιεζωσμέναι καὶ οἱ λύχνοι καιόμενοι
The copula, “be,” is represented in the present active imperative form of the verb, i.e., estosan. Christ’s command, therefore, is not a suggestion, but an order. Remember that He is your Master, so His words should be followed closely. The present-tense nature of the command indicates that this is a lifelong command. It is one you should constantly think about and obey. Thus, always be in a state of being “dressed in readiness.”
“Dressed” is from the Greek, osphyes, which denotes the hips or abdomen region of your body. Concerning this word, Barclay’s analysis is most helpful:
There is praise for the servant who is ready. The long flowing robes of the Middle East were a hindrance to work; and when a man prepared to work he gathered up his robes under his girdle to leave himself free for activity.[1]
Translated: Always be ready to work while the Master is away. The perfect passive participle, periezosmenai, which grammatically means a past act with an abiding, uninterrupted result, calls for Christ’s followers to always be in a state of being dressed for action.
Christ’s command to “keep your lamps lit” also speaks of being ready to get your work done while the Master is away. Regarding this word, Barclay, again, offers good insight:
The type of lamp used was like a cotton wick floating in a sauce-boat of oil. Always the wick had to be kept trimmed and the lamp replenished, or the light would go out.[2]
A wise servant makes sure the lamp always has plenty of oil and a good wick so there is light for work at night. He doesn’t fumble around in the dark to find the oil and wick. No, the faithful servant is prepared for action in light of His Lord’s departure and imminent return.
With the next verse, Jesus gives more details about the scenario He is talking about:
36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12)
The participial command here is clear: Live like servants who are eagerly awaiting their Master’s return from a wonderful wedding. They are working and ready for whenever He returns and knocks on any door of the mansion He owns and enjoys.
Underscore the motif that the Master’s return is imminent. Now that Christ has ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9ff), the rest of the NT makes it clear that His return, as promised, is indeed imminent. Here are a few texts to support this point:
5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4)
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2)
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door (James 2)
If Christ was right at the door of returning 2,000 years ago, how much closer must we be to His glorious arrival? His arrival is, therefore, imminent. What does this doctrine mean? In his insightful book Maranatha Our Lord Come: A Definitive Study of the Rapture the Church, Renald Showers offers this sound definition of the doctrine of imminency:
“. . . An imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent.[3]
Ostensibly, this means that nothing needs to be prophetically fulfilled for Jesus to return. Each moment of each day should then be lived in light of this future fact. And how should we live? Instead of lounging, we should be laboring to care for His house. We might need to say that again: Instead of lounging, we should be laboring to care for His house. If Christ returned at some point in time today, would He find you lounging or laboring?
While you’re thinking about your answer to this all-important question, check out the additional insight Jesus gives you in the next panel of the parable:
The Certainty (Luke 12:37-40)
Here, Jesus gives positive motivation to those servants who actually serve in His absence. Twice, He promises that they will receive a major personal blessing from Him at His glorious arrival:
37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. (Luke 12)
“Blessed are those slaves” in Greek is μακάριοι οἱ δοῦλοι ἐκεῖνοι. This is an instance of homoeoteleuton, or like endings for the purpose of drawing your attention to the statement (Bullinger, Figures of Speech, p, 176).[4] The melodic nature of the opening promise is designed to arrest your attention so you will focus on it as a servant. Are you on the alert for His arrival?[5] Are you working hard while you are alert for the divine knock at the proverbial door?
If you are the saint who is serving like you are supposed to in light of your Lord’s temporary absence, then when He does appear, you will be blessed in a most significant fashion. How? He will serve you. Please, emphasize the pronoun, He. Talk about a role reversal. This was unheard of at the time of Christ, and would have raised many eyebrows.
The verb “to recline” causes us to think contextually and historically about a Roman triclinium. Three couches, called lecti, were arranged in a U pattern. Guests reclined on couches or pillows, leaning on their left side, while using their right hand to enjoy the food placed on the table by servants. At this feast, it is not the servants serving the important people. Still, Jesus personally served a spectacular and sumptuous meal to those saints who labored rather than lounged during His absence. Eschatologically, Jesus is probably referring here to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that will occur when He returns at the end of the seven-year Tribulation to defeat the Devil, redeem Israel, and reveal His Church to the world (Rev. 19:7-10).
What a promise. If you serve hard here while He is away, He will personally serve you at a meal to end all meals. What’s the negative implication? Well, since He is just, it logically follows He won’t serve those who were slackers. Perhaps angels will do this, but it doesn’t appear that He will. Who would want to miss having Jesus place amazing food before you as His Davidic kingdom commences? What a humble gesture on His part. What an absolute honor to have the Lord who created food to feed you. Wow. It’s a blessing that is hard to even process with a human mind.
In verse 38, Jesus gives us a second beatitude, or blessing, for being servants in His house:
38 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (Luke 12)
Jesus addresses the three watches of the night: the first Watch (The Beginning of the Watches): Sunset to about 10:00 PM (Lamentations 2:19); the second Watch (The Middle Watch): 10:00 PM to about 2:00 AM (Judges 7:19); and the Third Watch (The Morning Watch): 2:00 AM to sunrise (Exodus 14:24). Whether you are serving on an easy watch from sunset to 10:00 p.m., or giving it your all by working diligently in the middle of the night on the hard watch from 2:00 AM until sunrise, He sees your sacrifice, effort, and commitment to stay on task and He will bless you accordingly when He sees you. Are you committed to kingdom work regardless of your shift? Blessing awaits you if you stick with it.
In verse 39, Jesus turns and states the obvious:
39 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (Luke 12)
If you know when a thief is going to attempt to burglarize your home, you’d be ready for him, right? Apply this now to Jesus as the “burglar.” Since you don’t know exactly when He will show up to knock on the door to institute the kingdom, you must always be doing what He called you to do. Are you on task? Are you using your gifts, as a servant, to keep His house running well before His appearance?
Jesus reminds us that He WILL come like an unannounced thief:
40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. (Luke 12)
Isn’t this the truth? It has now been 2,000 years since He left, but He will still show up when we least expect it. Saints will be going about their daily lives, going to school, commuting to work, hitting the books, taking care of children, going to a pro football game, enjoying a concert at Wolf Trap, shopping at the Fair Oaks Mall, getting a frappacino at Starbucks, surfing Instagram, and then, BAM, He knocks on the door (1 Thess. 5:2, 4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15). Blessed are the saints who are ready for the “knock” because they aren’t lounging but are laboring.
No sooner had Jesus finished this beautiful parable than Peter piped up with a question. You gotta love the man. He typically said what was on his mind, and this situation is no exception.
The Confusion (Luke 12:41)
You gotta love Peter. He blurted out questions everyone else had in mind but were afraid to ask.
41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” (Luke 12)
This is tantamount to saying, “Lord, who are you talking to?” Really? He asked this question while Jesus was teaching the disciples and the multitude? Yes. Go Peter. He’s about to find out that Jesus was speaking directly to everyone, including Peter. Jesus is talking to you, too, right now. Did you realize that? He’s not just talking to everyone else sitting around you right now, but to you.
Note how lovingly Jesus responds to Peter. He offers words I’d label as . . .
The Commitment (Luke 12:42-44)
Jesus basically says here, “Yes, Peter, I’m talking to you, and I’m going to double down and make a commitment to you, and to any other saint who hears by words and gets off the proverbial couch and into the action of service.
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? (Luke 12)
Yeah, who is the faithful servant that has a brain and actually faithfully serves in the Lord’s absence? That is you, Peter. That is any saint who is doing their part to keep the Lord’s house running well before He returns. Those who are committed like this will discover that Jesus makes a commitment to them. He will put you in charge of other servants. You will move from a subservient position to a more important role. When? In His kingdom.
The Lord speaks here as the great Davidic Messiah. At His arrival, He will reward those who served by overseeing His kingdom and managing His possessions, including everything related to the worldwide empire. Wow. What a privilege. Many Scriptures buttress this political promise:
- 28And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19). The promise here is for rulership rights in the messianic kingdom.
- “Behold, a king will reign righteously, and princes will rule justly” (Isa. 32). In this messianic passage, the Holy Spirit clearly reveals there will be rulers beneath the rule of the Messiah ( 30:21).
- “14 And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed (Dan. 7). This prophetic promise here concerns the worldwide coming kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus. That kingdom will be given to the saints as well (Dan. 7:27).
- Jesus is very clear in Luke 19:12-28 that he will give us rulership rights based on how faithful we were. Those rights will be distributed based on how well we worked to invest in advancing the Lord’s kingdom principles.
If you would like to read more about this exciting concept, then I would direct you to Dwight Pentecost’s Things to Come, chapters 27-31.
Jesus drove this promise home in the next two verses:
“43 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions” (Luke 12).
These words lead to a personal, yet probing question: Will the Lord find you serving in His house when He returns or comes for you? Or will He find you preoccupied with other things, other commitments you deem more important, other people, other goals and objectives? The greatest thing that can occur in your spiritual life is for the Lord to see you and find you serving Him when He appears. He wants to find workers, not floaters.
Christ’s teaching here reminds me of the old hymn my parents always played on our record player, I’ll Be Somewhere Listening:
When he calls me I will answer,
When he calls me I will answer,
When he calls me I will answer;
I’ll be somewhere list’ning for my name.
I’ll be somewhere list’ning,
I’ll be somewhere list’ning,
I’ll be somewhere list’ning for my name.
Oh, I’ll be somewhere list’ning,
I’ll be somewhere list’ning,
I’ll be somewhere list’ning for my name.
Eduardo J. Lango (1932)
Jesus closes out this positive motivational teaching with a negative warning. Why did He do this? He did it because He knows the human condition. He knows there are always the faithful and the faithless, and also the half-hearted folks everywhere you go. Hence, in four verses He pronounced a word of caution to wake up the couch surfers.
The Caution (Luke 12:45-48)
First, let’s read the text, and then reevaluate and consider some salient observations:
45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. (Luke 12)
Whoever said that Christ is always easy to understand? His words here are ominous, spine-stiffening, and somewhat frightful. What exactly was He getting at in this parable?
For one, Jesus notes that since His return might be delayed for quite some time, some servants will be tempted to blow Him off completely. They quickly go out and are ruthless to other servants, and they live for the wild party and the opportunity to get unthinkingly drunk more often than not. When the Master suddenly appears and catches them in their drunken stupor, how does He respond? He eliminates them. Are these believers? I don’t think so because that would fly in the face of the doctrine of eternal security for salvation.
Who are they? They are probably the religious elite among the crowd He spoke to that day. They thought that they, of all people, were part of the Messiah’s house and kingdom no matter how they responded to Him. Their Jewishness and adherence to the finer points of the Law and traditions made them servants. When He returns, however, He, who knows all things, knows that they never served Him, but just themselves. He will, therefore, pronounce to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23).
The other groups listed in this parable are probably believers. One, for instance, knew his Master’s will that he be a worker, but he decided not to work. The other one was a servant, but clueless. Both of them will be disciplined, as it were, when the Lord comes a knockin’. What that will entail isn’t clearly communicated. I have a hard time believing the Lord will flog His saints for being slackers. Perhaps, as some have pointed out, His words here are somewhat hyperbolic, akin to a parent telling a disobedient child, “I’m going to tan your hide.” You don’t really mean that, but you say it to get your child’s attention. Once while traveling with the kids to Tucson for shopping on Interstate 19, Nathan kept being disruptive in the back seat, so I turned toward him and said, “If you don’t stop doing that, you are going to buy the farm.” He piped up, “But Dad, I don’t want to buy a farm.” Yikes. He didn’t get the point, but I’m sure you do.
I think Jesus, who is just, is merely being honest with us as His servants. He is going to reward those who labored hard for His home while He was away. In some fashion, He will also discipline those saints who didn’t serve as they should. Which group of saints will you be in? Number one? Number two? Or number three?
Jesus brings this parabolic teaching to a close with these sobering words:
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. (Luke 12:48)
Put differently, Jesus teaches that the more spiritual truth you know, the more will be required from you. The more He has blessed your life with spiritual and natural talents, the more He will require of you to use all of this to work hard in His home before His arrival. So, if you are a hard worker for your Lord, as you should be, realize that He just may soon be asking for you to step up to the plate and do even more for Him. Are you ready to serve? Are you ready to make Him proud of your performance with the body of Christ?
Remember, at the end of the day, the Lord is looking not for loungers but for laborers. What will it be in your life? As you leave this service, realize that we have a ministry fair in the 14,000 square foot lobby. Last week, close to 100 people signed up to serve this body. That is amazing. But today the Lord continues to speak to those saints who need to up their game, especially in light of these parables. May your new life statement be: Here I am, Lord, use me.
[1] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 198.
[2] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 198.
[3] Renald Showers, Maranantha Our Lord Come: A Definitive Study of the Rapture the Church (New Jersey: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1995), 127.
[4] Another illustration of like endings is found in 1 Peter 1:3-4. 3 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν
4 εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς.Aphtharton, uncorruptible; amianton, undefiled; amaranton . . . unfading. The first and second laws of thermodynamics will not apply here. Nothing you will receive in heaven will rust, corrode, become moth-eaten, fade because of sun exposure, rot, rust, oxidize, and so forth. After 100,000 years, your inheritance, say your home, will be as pristine and glorious as it ever was. No upkeep needed. No repairs. No substances will break down due to exposure to harmful elements. No pipes will bust. No heaters and air conditioners will have a shelf life. You won’t need them anyway because the weather will be perfect. Double-paned windows won’t lose their seals and get cloudy. A wood deck won’t rot. A roof won’t have a 25-year warranty but an eternal one. Amazing.
[5] The emphasis rests on the verb γρηγορέω, ‘to be awake, alert’, Mk. 13:34, 35, 37; Mt. 24:42f.; 25:13; Acts 20:31. The point is, again, well-taken: You are either alert and serving, or you are asleep and slacking.
