The focus of what we've been talking about in our sermon series through Luke for the past number of weeks.
Of course there are many things we could say to answer that question.
We've heard from Luke that Jesus doesn't want us to live as hypocrites like the Pharisees.
He doesn't want us to live for greed, seeking after the stuff of this earth and how to please ourselves to the max.
We've heard that he doesn't want us to be anxious about what we need.
And these are all the ways that he doesn't want us to live.
But how does Jesus want us to live?
Well we've heard from Luke that he wants us to be honest and sincere.
That we are to fear God and live for his approval instead of the approval of people.
To be rich toward God.
And to trust God to provide for our needs.
And then last Sunday we heard that Jesus wants us to seek God's kingdom.
And to store up treasure in heaven.
Well Jesus continues on with this theme of how we are to live as his followers in Luke chapter 12.
So we're going to pick up his words in verse 35.
And Jesus gives us three analogies in the passage we're looking at today.
That just sort of are illustrations of how he wants us to live.
Let me start by reading the first one.
Be dressed, ready for service, and keep your lamps burning.
Like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet.
So that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
Truly I tell you.
He will dress himself to serve.
Will have them recline at the table.
And will come and wait on them.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready.
Even if he comes in the middle of the night.
Or toward daybreak.
So this first analogy that we get is of a servant that's ready and waiting.
Jesus tells his disciples to be dressed.
Ready for service and keep your lamps burning.
Like servants waiting for their master to return.
From a wedding banquet.
He gives them this illustration.
And probably at first if we're honest this illustration might not feel as illuminating to us.
As maybe it did to them back then.
Because of all the cultural differences.
Back then many households had slaves.
It was embedded in the culture of Jesus' day.
And there was different reasons a person might find themselves in that position.
Some sold themselves into slavery.
To pay off debts.
Others surrendered themselves to it after being conquered during war.
Some were born into it.
And it was even regulated by the governments.
And by the laws of the day.
Many households had slaves.
And of course the obligation of a slave was just to do the work that the master assigned to them.
And a good master would look after them.
And provide for their needs.
And in a sense they'd be considered members of the household.
But basically their role.
Their job was just to serve their master.
Now of course we all know Jesus isn't endorsing slavery here with this teaching.
He's not saying that it's good for society to have it.
But he's using something that everybody in his day would understand as an illustration.
He gives them this scenario.
Think about a slave or a servant who has been given the job of watching and waiting for his master to return.
The master is going out to a wedding banquet.
Which just like today can go well into the evening.
And of course back then they didn't have cars or electricity.
They didn't have street lights or light bulbs.
And so the servant's job in this situation was to keep the lights on at the house.
Until the master returned from the banquet.
Just imagine yourself coming home in the night.
It's late. It's dark.
There's no street lights.
There's no headlights.
There's no flashlights.
And so it's difficult to find your way.
But if the lamps are lit and burning.
You can see them.
And where the house is in the distance.
And you can find your way.
It was also customary back then to bolt and bar the doors.
Of course thieves and thugs came out at night.
And many of us lock our doors at night too.
And so the servant in this story is assigned that job of opening, unlocking the door for the master when he returns.
If the banquet goes late, everybody else in the house may be asleep.
And so there's need of at least one person to wait up, keep the lamps lit, unbar the door when the master returns.
And who knows, maybe when the master returns he wants to wash his hands or feet or something in some hot water before bed.
So the servant's job was also to wait on the master until he went to sleep.
Now this is all analogy.
Jesus tells his disciples,
Be dressed, ready for service,
And keep your lamps burning like servants waiting for their master to return.
He goes on in verse 37.
He says,
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
Why would it be good?
Because that's what the master asked them to do before he left.
It's not quite the same, but I think of this in context of family life.
Mom or dad sends a child to a room to clean up a mess that they've made.
And maybe ten minutes later we wander by that room to check on the progress.
It will be good for that kid whose parents find that the cleaning is either in progress or done.
It will not be good for that kid if there's even more mess and nothing's been done.
You could also think of this in the context of an employer and employee relationship.
You're paying that employee to do a job for you.
And so it will be good for that employee if when you swing by to check on them,
they've done it or they're at least in the process of doing it.
And of course we can flip that around too.
If you work for someone else, then they're paying you.
And it will be good for you if when they come, they find that you've made progress
since their last time checking in with you.
Whatever the case, whether slave or free, child, parent, adult,
it is commendable to do your work.
It's commendable to look after your responsibilities.
Even in the shows that we watch and in the books that we read,
we think well of that character who is faithful to do the thing that they were assigned to do or given to do.
I haven't watched any kind of Batman show in a long time,
but my favorite character in the show isn't Batman.
It's the butler, Alfred.
Alfred's always thinking ahead to what Bruce Wayne might need.
He keeps the house running like a Swiss timepiece.
He's always ready to stitch Batman up when he comes home bleeding.
He faithfully guards Batman's secret identity.
He's a true hero in the story.
And just think of where Batman would be if it were not for Alfred, his faithful butler.
Whether servant or the head of the household,
it's commendable to do your work and to do it well.
It will be good for that servant whose master finds him watching when he comes.
But then Jesus says something unexpected here.
He says,
Truly, I tell you, the master will dress himself to serve,
will have the servants recline at the table,
and will come and wait on them.
Now I think at this point, all who are listening probably went,
Wait.
What?
Because this is not how things usually go between master and servant.
Between master and slave.
I mean, imagine this.
The master comes home.
He says,
Oh, I've had plenty to eat and drink already.
I just came from a wedding banquet.
But since you guys are such good servants,
always looking after me.
Here, give me that apron.
You go sit down at the table.
I'll get you something to eat and to drink.
I'm sure the people listening were perplexed when Jesus said this.
Because this just never happens.
And so this analogy starts with something really familiar.
But then it ends with this surprise.
And we're going to unpack that surprise and the meaning of the twist in just a minute.
Verse 38.
So back to the servant for a second.
Can you imagine him just sitting at the door, waiting for hours?
It's getting darker.
It's getting later into the night.
In this part of the world, midnight happens about six hours after sunset.
And so if the master returns at midnight,
we're talking six hours of refilling lamps
and just sitting there by the door, waiting and watching.
How easy would it be to just sort of lay down on this couch
and maybe just take this little cushion
and nestle it under my head a little bit
and take a little nap?
But then what if I fall fast asleep
and the lamps go out
and I wake up to the pounding of my master's fist at the door?
Or worse, what if it takes me a few minutes
even just to hear that he's knocking?
Jesus says it will be good for those servants
whose master finds them ready
even if he comes toward daybreak.
Yikes.
What if the master stays out nearly all night
at this banquet?
Does he still expect the servant to have the lights on
and to unbar the door in the wee hours of the morning?
Yeah.
Because that's his job.
And it really doesn't matter when the master comes back,
how long he's out,
what time he arrives.
The point is
that his job,
his assignment as a servant
is to be ready
and watching
for the master's return.
And it's at this moment
Jesus shifts very quickly
to his second analogy.
Verse 39.
He says,
But understand this,
if the owner of the house
had known
at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house
be broken into.
What's the point?
The point is
that people
usually don't know
when
thieves are going to strike.
If they knew the thief was coming
at 3 a.m.
on Friday night,
they would do whatever was needed
to prevent the robbery.
They would be ready.
But since people
usually don't know
when thieves are going to strike,
they must in a sense
be ready always.
It's why we lock things up
as habit
when leaving valuables unattended
or when going away on vacation.
It's just part of being ready
because we don't know
when the thief will strike.
Maybe it won't be
tonight,
but maybe it will be tonight.
Well, finally,
Jesus gets to the point,
verse 40.
He says,
You also
must be ready
because the Son of Man
will come
at an hour
when you do not expect Him.
This is the statement.
This is the big point
that ties everything together.
It helps us see
what these illustrations
apply to.
Just like the servant
didn't know
when his master
would return
from the wedding banquet,
just like the homeowner
doesn't know
when the thief
is going to come,
there's coming a day,
says Jesus,
when the Son of Man
will return.
He will come
and we,
his followers,
don't know
when
that will be.
Jesus is saying,
I'm going to come
at an hour
when you do not expect me.
And so,
what does Jesus
want his followers
to do?
Be ready.
And,
more specifically,
be ready
always.
at all times.
That theme
of always
runs through
both of these
analogies.
In that first analogy,
the servants
didn't know
when the master
would return
from the wedding banquet.
Would it be in two hours?
Would it be in four?
Would it be at midnight?
Would it be
almost in the morning
towards daybreak?
They didn't know
when,
and so they had
to stay awake.
They had to stay alert.
They had to keep
the lamps burning
at all times
until it happened.
The homeowner
didn't know
what day
or hour
the thief is coming
and so he has
to be prepared
in one way
or another
for that visit
every night.
But what does it
mean to be ready
for Jesus'
return?
he's the son
of man.
How do these
illustrations relate
to that?
Well, one thing
that we can pick
up on here
is that servant
idea.
Jesus uses
the analogy
of a servant
and a master.
And there's
a sort of
relation,
there's a reason
I think it relates
to our relationship
with him.
All of us
who believe
in Jesus
are servants
of Jesus.
He is the Messiah,
he's our king
and so yes,
we are servants.
He is the master
and when Jesus
says,
be dressed
and ready
for service,
he really does
mean that we,
his followers,
should be
ready to serve
him
with our lives,
to do things
for him
because he
is our master.
father.
I think too
that we can
also remember
that that word
as I mentioned
earlier is more
accurately translated
not servant
but slave.
Yes,
the Bible
does describe
our relationship
with God
and Jesus
as that of a
slave.
We're not
merely employed
by God
but we belong
to God.
Now,
we shouldn't
just take
everything bad
that we know
about slavery
from human history
and read it
into this
because remember
the twist
in the analogy
at the end.
What does
the master
do for his
slave
if the slave
is found
watching
when he returns?
Jesus says,
truly I tell you
he will dress
himself,
the master
will dress
himself to serve
will have
them recline
at the table
and will come
and wait
on them.
And so
Jesus is not
like the slave
owners in human
history.
He loves
those who
belong to
him.
Even though
we're lower
than Jesus
in status
and under
his authority
he has promised
to serve
us,
to wait
on us
when he
returns
provided
that we've
kept
watch
as he
asked us
to.
And I'm
going to be
honest
here,
I'm not
even really
sure
what this
part of the
analogy is
pointing to
specifically.
We do see a
little picture of
this later on
in the story
when Jesus
takes up the
servant's towel
and gets down
and washes
the feet of
his disciples
the night
before he
dies.
He really
is a good
master.
The kind
of master
who would
humbly
and lovingly
scrub the
dirt off
our feet.
Not because
we deserve
it,
but just
because that's
the kind
of person
that he
is.
But this
is talking
about the
future when
he returns.
There's coming
a day when
he will come
back to this
earth.
And if we
have been
ready to
serve and
done what
he assigned
to us in
some way,
figuratively
speaking,
he will
seat us
around his
own table
and do
for us
what we
have done
for him.
He will
serve us.
What a
thought.
And it
won't mean
that he's
any less
the king
or that
we're any
more than
subjects.
not
but he
has promised
to serve
his
servants
as a
reward for
their
faithfulness
to him.
This is a
promise that
we can
cling to,
especially
when life
is hard
or when
we're
tempted to
sort of
take it
easy
in how
we serve
the Lord.
We can
remember
he is
coming back
and he
will reward
us specially
for being
vigilant
and faithful.
Let's move
on now to
the third
and final
illustration.
This one's a
little bit
longer and
has a little
more detail
in it.
And then
we'll talk
more about
what it
really means
to be
ready for
Jesus'
return.
verse 41.
Peter asked,
Lord,
are you
telling this
parable to
us or
to everyone?
The Lord
answered,
Who then
is the
faithful and
wise manager
whom the
master puts
in charge
of his
servants
to give
them their
food allowance
at the
proper time?
It will
be good
for that
servant
whom the
master
finds doing
so when
he returns?
Truly,
I tell
you,
he will
put him
in charge
of all
his
possessions.
But
suppose the
servant says
to himself,
my master
is taking a
long time
in coming.
And he
then begins
to beat
the other
servants,
both men
and women,
and to
eat and
drink and
get drunk.
the
master of
that
servant
will
come on
a day
when he
does not
expect
him,
and at
an hour
he is
not
aware
of,
he will
cut him
to pieces
and assign
him a
place
with the
unbelievers.
So this
third
illustration
is similar
to the
first.
We got a
master and
a slave
again,
but instead
of being
tasked with
keeping watch
for the
master to
return and
opening the
door,
we have a
different
situation
here.
In this
one,
the master
will be
gone for
a while.
And while
he's gone,
he's put
one of his
servants,
again literally
slaves,
in charge
of the
household.
And this
one slave's
job is to
be the
steward or
manager of
the household
while the
master is
gone.
To ensure
that the
other slaves
receive their
food at the
proper time.
And so we
might envision
it as he
gets the
key to
the storeroom
of the
house where
all the
food and
all the
wine and
perhaps even
the money
probably are
kept.
And Jesus
frames this
in the
form of a
question.
Who then
is the
faithful and
wise manager
manager in
a situation
such as
this?
And the
answer is
the faithful
and wise
manager is
the servant
who does
what his
master asked
him to do
while the
master is
gone.
And Jesus
again uses
that same
language we
heard before
in verse
43.
It will
be good
for that
servant
whom the
master finds
doing so
when he
returns.
And then
listen to the
outcome for
this guy if
he's faithful
and does it.
Truly I
tell you
says Jesus
the master
will put him
in charge of
all his
possessions.
So he's
proved himself
trustworthy
wise
faithful
and he
gets entrusted
with more.
I'll never
forget what
it said on
the back of
my old
boss's
business cards.
He had a
quote there
and it
was the
reward for
work well
done is
the opportunity
to do
more.
And it
took me a
while to
understand that
because of
course in my
late teenage
years I
couldn't figure
out how the
opportunity to
do more
work could
be a
reward.
Like who
wants to
do more
work?
That's like a
punishment isn't
it?
But of
course there's
some truth to
it.
Those who
can be trusted
to do the
job well
are often
sought after
by others.
People are
even willing to
pay a little
more for their
services.
And then
with that
comes more
freedom,
more profit,
more privilege,
more honor.
Think of
the slave
for a moment
in this
situation
who's been
manager.
His master
comes back,
he's done a
good job of
everything,
no longer is
this guy
just carrying
water and
cleaning the
chamber pots
for the
master.
He's now
second in
command over
the whole
house.
Truly I
tell you,
he will put
him in
charge of
all his
possessions.
And so
Jesus wants
his followers,
he wants us
to know
that he
will reward
us for
our faithful
service of
him.
All we
do for
Jesus in
this life
will not
go unrecognized
or unnoticed.
It will be
rewarded.
The things
that we do
here and now
will matter
big time
on the day
that Jesus
returns.
if we
have proven
faithful and
wise with
the life
that he's
given us,
he will
give us
even greater
things to
do for
him in
his kingdom
when he
comes back.
Now,
down here
on earth,
the way
things are,
that may
not always
sound like
a blessing
to be
responsible
for more.
but when
Christ comes
back,
that's not
going to
be the
case.
Everything's
going to
be made
new.
There'll
be no
more sin.
There'll
be no
more
frustration.
Serving
the Lord
with greater
responsibilities
will be
glorious
and deeply
satisfying.
let's
come back
to that
question
of what
it means
to be
ready
for
Jesus'
return.
What it
means to
keep the
lamps
burning
for his
arrival.
I think
as Christians
sometimes
we get
some wrong
ideas about
this.
Maybe we
think that
being ready
simply means
feeling ready
for Jesus
to return.
having a
peace in
our hearts
about it.
But I
don't think
that's what
Jesus means
here.
I don't
think he
wants us
just to be
cheerful and
accepting of
that truth
that he's
coming back.
We should
be,
but there's
more to
being ready
than just
feelings about
it.
Another way
we sometimes
get this
wrong is
that we
think being
ready for
Jesus and
keeping
watch for
him means
staying on
top of
the news
and watching
for signs
of the
end.
And Jesus
did tell us
that there
will be
signs and
that if we're
wise we will
discern the
nearness of
his coming
by them.
But knowing
that his
coming is
near is
not the
same thing
as being
ready for
it.
look at
the first
analogy
again of
the master
who went
to the
wedding.
The point
is not
that we
should be
literally
dressed all
the time,
have the
lights on
always,
and be
watching out
our window
always as
followers of
Jesus.
Being ready
is related
to what was
asked of
the servant.
all the
master was
away.
Did the
master find
the servant
doing what
was asked
of him
when he
returned?
That's what
it means to
be ready.
To be
found doing,
to be doing
what was
asked when
he returns.
We see it
again in the
third example.
The master
who left
the servant
in charge
of the
household,
they gave
him those
specific
duties to
ensure the
other servants
in the
house got
their portions
of food
from the
storeroom
at the
proper times.
And we
hear that
same thing
again.
It will be
good for
that servant
whom the
master finds
doing so
when he
returns.
And so
this is what
it means to
be ready.
This is what
it means to
be faithful
and wise.
it means
that while
Jesus,
the Son of
Man,
is away,
we are
busy doing
what he
has asked
of us.
And since
like the
thief,
we don't
know when
he's coming
back,
we are
to always
be ready.
We're to
always be
busy doing
what he
has asked
of us
at all
times.
because
Jesus
really
will
return.
And when
he does,
it will
be obvious
what we
have done
or what
we have
failed to
do.
This is
where even
Jesus'
illustration
has a
limitation.
It's not
as though
he doesn't
know what
we're up
to right
now and
he'll see
it when
he comes
back,
like in
the examples
here.
He sees
everything that
we do
constantly
right now
from his
throne in
heaven.
But he
will come
back and
we will
give an
account face
to face
for what
we have
done,
for whether
we have
done what
he has
asked us
to do.
Unless,
of course,
we die
before he
returns,
in which
case we'll
have to
give that
account even
sooner.
are you
ready for
Jesus'
return?
For that
face-to-face
meeting?
Are you
right now
every day
busying
yourself
with doing
what Jesus
has asked
you to
do?
Are you
pouring your
effort and
your time
and your
attention
into
obeying
the
commands
that
Jesus
has
given?
Into
obeying
the
master's
instructions?
Now,
that's kind
of general.
That's not
very specific.
You might
wonder,
well,
what is it
that Jesus
wants me
to do?
What are
we talking
about here?
And I'm
not going
to spend
too much
time on
this,
but the
short answer
is that
this book
contains
it all.
It explains
the
master's
will.
It has
his
instructions
for us.
It tells
us what
our
priorities
should be
in life.
And just
as a quick
summary,
our lives
are to be
spent for
God's
glory,
worshiping
him,
praying to
him,
gathering
together
regularly,
loving
each
other,
spreading
his
good
news,
making
disciples
for
Jesus,
doing
our
work,
whatever
it is,
with all
our
heart,
is working
for the
Lord,
showing
hospitality
to others,
living
holy,
pure,
and righteous
lives,
raising our
children in
the fear
and instruction
of the
Lord,
being good
husbands and
wives,
as Christ
has commanded
us.
And the
list goes
on.
It covers
every aspect
of our
lives.
We learn
all of
this in
the Bible.
God has
made his
will clear
and he
shows us
plainly what
he's commanded
us to do.
Well,
what happens
if we
ignore all
this?
And just
sort of do
whatever we
feel like
doing?
Jesus
tells us
what the
outcome will
be for
us.
But suppose
the servant
says to
himself,
my
master's
taking
a long
time in
coming.
And he
then begins
to beat
the other
servants,
both men
and women,
and to
eat and
drink and
get drunk.
So the
picture here
is of this
wicked,
selfish,
indulgent
man who
just kind
of takes
over as
the new
master of
the house.
After all,
he's got the
key to the
storeroom,
right?
So he
decides to
have a little
fun with
it and to
enjoy his
authority and
his position
and to
lord it
over the
fellow
slaves.
He decides
to indulge
himself with
the master's
food and
drink and
acts as a
glutton and
a drunkard.
And Jesus
says,
the master of
that servant
will come on
a day when
he does not
expect him
and at an
hour he is
not aware
of, he
will cut
him to
pieces and
assign him a
place with
the
unbelievers.
That word
unbelievers can
also be
translated as
the unfaithful.
Faithful
manager,
unfaithful,
same word
just negated
in this
part.
Cut him
to pieces
is probably
a figure of
speech.
If it's
literal, it's
kind of an
interesting
sequence.
First you
get cut to
pieces,
then you
get assigned
a place with
the unfaithful,
and then you
get beaten
with many
blows.
So I'm
not sure
how that
works, but
we do this
all the time.
You know,
when Bob
backed into
Steve's car,
Steve came
out and
ripped him
to shreds,
we'll say.
Well, of
course it's
not literal,
but it
means he
was furious
and he
gave him
a severe
tongue
lashing.
Jesus will
not be
happy.
In fact,
Jesus goes
on to
describe
what would
normally be
done to
slaves who
did such
things as
this back
in those
days in
verse 47
and 48.
The servant
who knows
the master's
will and
does not
get ready
or does
not do
what the
master wants
will be
beaten with
many blows.
But the
one who does
not know
and does
things deserving
punishment
will be
beaten with
few blows.
From
everyone who
has been
given much,
much will
be demanded.
And from
the one who
has been
entrusted
with much,
much more
will be
asked.
So the
master would
see to it
that the
punishment
fit the
offense.
And of
course he
would take
into
consideration
whether the
offense was
deliberate and
defiant or
whether it
was due to
ignorance.
In the same
way Jesus
will judge
our actions
when he
returns.
sins.
But if we
have been
faithful,
then we
have nothing
to worry
about.
We'll be
rewarded by
him.
But if we've
been unfaithful
and if we
have persistently
acted
selfishly,
sinfully,
wickedly,
then Jesus
will give us
what we
deserve.
He will
pour out on
us the
punishment that
fits and
will assign
us a place
with the
unfaithful.
And I
think yes,
Jesus is
talking here
about heaven
and hell.
The mark
of every
true believer
in Jesus,
every genuine
follower of
Jesus is
persistent
faithfulness.
Not that we
live perfectly,
it's not
perfect faithfulness
of course,
but that we
press on
continually in
obedience to
Jesus,
doing what
our master
has asked of
us.
We
regularly
confess and
repent of
our failings
and we
strive to
obey Jesus
as much as
possible in
every area of
our lives,
to do our
master's will.
That's what
true faith in
Jesus leads us
to do.
Because at the
end of this
world story,
Jesus really
is coming
back.
And there
are only two
outcomes here.
The outcome
of the faithful
and the wise,
being entrusted
with all his
possessions,
or the outcome
of the unfaithful
and the foolish.
Are you ready
for Jesus'
return?
Are you busy
doing what he
has asked?
let's pray.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven,
thank you for
these words,
and I pray that
our hearts would be
open and receptive
to them.
Convict us of the
sins that we have
committed recently
in our lives,
where we have
been like that
wicked,
unfaithful servant,
and bring us
back to walking
in the light
with you.
Even the things
we've done right,
Lord, we give you
the credit and the
glory for that.
It's your spirit
in us.
And we thank you
that there is
coming that day
when you return
and when you
reward us
for everything
that we have
done,
even though we
don't deserve
it.
We long for
that day,
Lord.
Come quickly.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.