Luke 12:35-59
Watchful Slaves
35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “But know 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. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, 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 that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful.47 That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
Jesus the Cause of Division
49 “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided:
father against son
and son against father,
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settling with Your Opponent
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
What Does the Passage say?
Vs. 35-40 Christ is telling us to be ready for his return. That it could be at any time.
Vs. 45 There is a warning against stealing time for yourself just because the Lord has not returned in a long time. “He is a blessed man if when the Master shows up he is doing his job. But if he says to himself, The Master is certainly taking his time, begins maltreating the servants, throws parties for his friends and gets drunk, the Master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.” (The Message)
Vs 49-53 Are hard to hear words from Jesus. That he comes to divide and disrupt. That he has not come to give peace on earth but to cause strife and division. But loyalties have to be declared. Jesus is saying you are either with him or against him and this can cause even families to split apart if a mother chooses to follow him and the daughter doesn’t.
Vs 54-58 Jesus urges us to use our common sense to recognize the dangers of turning away from God and reconcile now with our master by living our life with the rules Christ has taught. To live our life showing the love of Christ to all we encounter. That is how you stay ready for Christ’s return.
What Does it Mean to Me/ Us?
I love the way the first sentence of this passage starts in The Message. “ Keep your Shirts on” I heard this a lot growing up. In the context of be patient, don’t go rushing off and make bad judgements. Jesus is using it in the context of stay ready for him, don’t take a rest. I think both contexts are correct for the passage. Don’t get weary from Christ not returning to stray from him and steal time for yourself and selfish pursuits. Christ says “ he has come to start a fire on this earth-how I wish it were blazing right now. I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up.” (The Message) This is why to be his follower will take discipline and unrelenting commitment. That is what he was talking about when he said he will bring strife and division. That even members in your own family won’t have the commitment it takes to follow him. But to all those that do, there are the immense blessings of being part of God’s restored Kingdom. However, more is expected from believers who know what it means to follow Christ. Jesus says that the more blessings God gives us the more responsibility we have to live our life to bring others into the love, grace and acceptance of Jesus Christ. What countless blessings our faith family of Raleigh Court has had over our 95 year history and what great responsibilities God has given us for those in our community. It is imperative that we don’t squander our opportunity to serve Christ with our deepest commitment to honor these responsibilities.
Prayer
Heavenly Father we pray for patience and resolute determination for Christ’s return to earth. Help us stay committed to be disciples and followers to do your will as we wait. In Christ name, we pray. Amen
*Contributed by Rich McGimsey
Click to subscribe to our Daily Devotion.
You will receive a devotion in your inbox every morning.