“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, 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 does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more."
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, 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 does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more."
- Luke 12:35-48 ESV
“Ready,” what does it mean? Does it mean patient? Does it mean steadfast? Two thousand some odd years have passed since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Does this mean the church grows impatient? Does this mean the church grows weary or lazy? But this is exactly the point of the above parable, spoken by Jesus in the book of Luke. The parable is an interesting one in that it remains chronologically and preemptively ambiguous, foreshadowing an event certain in time, yet uncertain in execution. But beyond that, it is not an admonition, but rather a reality check. We as Christians often live a life I would call “teenage,” which I would define as a feeling of invincibility and a sense of time lost. The Bible, though, through the words of the Apostles and Christ himself, paints a picture of a rather slim timeline, one that takes two thousand years and reduces it to a sliver. The truth of the Gospel, however, is one of dire and desperate urgency. Spoken in this parable, Christ exalts the servant who remained ready for his master, even though he did not know when his master would arrive. Regardless, he lived as if the master could return at any moment. It is the same as Christians should await the return of Christ. This is echoed in the words of Paul in the first epistle to the Thessalonians:
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2 ESV
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2 ESV
There is a unique diction here that serves as a metaphor. A thief steals, he takes away, as such, the King returns to steal away his people, his Sons and Daughters. But where does this leave us? It leaves us in action. The parable is reminiscent of the entirety of the Book of James, a book that deals with how a Christian should live. The moral of the parable cannot be lost: that we must not simply wait upon the return of our blessed God; instead, we must go out into the world and prepare it for him. Move forward, in the words of John the Baptist: make straight the crooked path; spread the Gospel and bring the lost to him; love this world as he has loved you, and when he returns, all will be prepared.
To Him be the power, the glory, and the kingdom forever.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.