THE READINESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
LUKE 12:35-59
Have you ever had visitors drop by unexpectedly? Perhaps there were dirty dishes in the kitchen or the laundry was out or the ironing board was in the middle of the living room. In our household, when we know that visitors are coming, it causes us to straighten up the house to a state of readiness.
The point that Jesus is going to make in this passage is that there are visitors coming. Because of this, we are to live lives of readiness.
THE PARABLE OF THE WATCHFUL SLAVES
"Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.
36 And 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.Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall 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.
37 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (Luke 12:35-38).This passage begin with a command to be dressed in readiness. The thundering diction of the King James Version is closer to the Greek text -- "Let your loins be girded about..."
Men in that day wore long, flowing robes. When they wanted to get some work done, they would tuck these robes into a belt around their waist so that they would not get in the way. Today we would say, "Let your sleeves be rolled up."
Notice what the master does on behalf of the faithful slaves. He takes the place of a servant. The master takes on the clothing of the servant and has the servant sit at the table and then the master waits on the servant. He has the right to demand that we wait upon him and serve him. But he does not use that right. Instead he becomes the servant.
Do you remember what Jesus did on the night of the Last Supper? He took the role of a servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He was demonstrating the role that He would soon be playing on the cross as He washed away our sins.
Max Lucado calls you to imagine what it would be like if there is a knock at your door tomorrow and you go to open it and several men are standing there in business suits. They show you their identification cards indicating that they are White House Staff.
They hand you an envelope. In it, written on expensive-looking stationary is a letter - an invitation. It is an invitation to dinner at the White House.
On the appointed day, a plane takes you to Washington. A limousine meets you at the airport and takes you to the White House. There you are met by more black suits and ushered into the presidential dining room. You sit in the dining room amidst all of the splendor of the residence.
And then, in comes the president. He is just the way you have seen him on television (perhaps a bit shorter). The square jaw, the flashing eyes, the blue suit, the apron. The apron. The president is wearing an apron and he begins to serve you dinner.
Sounds a little far-fetched? The most exalted VIP in the nation serving a meal? Not really. He says, "This is My body," as he breaks the bread.
You thought that is was just...
It is much more. It is a meal that He has with us. We serve a King who has put on an apron. Think about that the next time you go to the Lord’s Table.
The Romans divided each night into four watches (The Jews divided them into three watches, Judges 7:19). Both Matthew and Mark utilize the Roman system (Matthew 14:25; Mark 13:35) and it is likely that Luke does the same.
The important point is that we do not know when Christ is going to return. We are assured that it will take us by surprise. People who speculate on the nearness or remoteness of the date of His return are lessons on futility. What is important is that you always be ready. This brings us to the next parable.
THE PARABLE OF THE THIEF
"And 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.
40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." (Luke 12:39-40).This second parable is directly related to the one that preceded it. Both of these parables make a point of an unexpected visit.
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Luke 12:35-38 |
Luke 12:39-40 |
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Watchful slaves waiting for the coming of a Master from the Wedding Feast |
The watchful Head of the House waiting for the coming of the Thief |
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A Joyful Occasion |
A Sorrowful Occasion |
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The slaves do not know exactly when the Master is coming |
The Head of the House does not know when the Thief is coming |
Thieves do not make reservations or RSVP’s. The nature of the work of a thief is that he gives no forewarning. If he did, then you would be ready with the police.
The main point of this parable is the unexpectedness of the coming of the Lord. He is going to come with the unexpectedness of a thief in the night. This assertion is repeated throughout the New Testament (Matthew 24:42-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).
FAITHFUL & UNFAITHFUL STEWARDS
And Peter said, "Lord, are you addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"
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?
43 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds doing so when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions."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."And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes,
48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more." (Luke 12:41-48).Don’t you just love Peter? He asked the question that everyone else was thinking but was too afraid to voice: "Is this a warning for us or only for the pagans out there?"
You see, Jesus had started out at the beginning of Luke 12 speaking to the multitudes. But since verse 22, He has been addressing Himself to His disciples. Peter is saying, "Lord, are you preaching to the choir?"
Jesus answers with another parable. This parable presents both the faithful and the unfaithful. What He is saying to Peter and to us is that we are one of these two slaves. He does not say which one we are. That choice is left up to us.
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The Master leaves his servants in charge of other servants with instructions to care for the household until his return |
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The Faithful Steward |
The Unfaithful Steward |
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He follows the instructions of the master |
He knew the master’s will and did not follow it |
He did not know the master’s will |
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As a result, he is put in charge of all of the master’s possessions |
He will receive many lashes |
He shall receive few lashes |
The first slave is faithful. One definition of faithfulness is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. His master goes on a long trip, possibly to Rome or some other distant city. The faithful slave does not know when his master will return. But that does not matter because he works faithfully, no matter where his master is.
The second slave is not faithful. He begins to act in an irresponsible manner. When the master returns, this slave will be punished.
Notice that there are two types of unfaithful slave. They are both unfaithful. They are both deserving of punishment. But one receives a greater punishment because he had greater knowledge of what he ought to be doing. Do you see the point.? God judges you according to how much you know.
You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. (Amos 3:2).
...And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13).
Now, it might be argued: Why should the servant who did not know his master’s will be punished at all? The answer is that all men are given a measure of knowledge about the will of God (Romans 1:20; 2:14-16).
A PROMISE OF JUDGMENT
1. A Fire to Cast: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12:49).
Fire is an awesome thing. It can destroy a home in just a few minutes. It can destroy an entire forest in just a few hours. The Bible tells us that "our God is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24).
What kind of fire is Jesus talking about? What kind of fire has He come to cast upon the earth? I want to suggest that it is a fire of judgment.
"And also the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (Luke 3:9).
John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Every time that Luke has spoken of fire, it has been reference to the fire of judgment. James and John had already picked up on this in Luke 9:54 when they asked whether they should pray for fire to fall from heaven and consume those Samaritan cities that had rejected their message.
This brings us to a question. Why would Jesus wish that the fires of judgment were already kindled? I think that it because He knows that once the fires of judgment are kindled, it will mark the end of sin.
2. A Baptism to Undergo: "But I have a baptism to undergo" (Luke 12:50).
Having used the metaphor of fire, Jesus now turns to a second metaphor - that of baptism. The Greek text says, "I have a BAPTISM with which to BE BAPTIZED." When we hear the word baptism, we tend to naturally think of water. But the baptism mentioned here has nothing to do with water or emersion. Indeed, the Scriptures speak elsewhere of a baptism of fire and if there is one thing that I have learned as a fire fighter, it is that fire and water are mutually exclusive.
The primary idea behind baptism is always IDENTIFICATION. Jesus is describing a coming identification that shall take place. This verse should be seen as the parallel to the previous verse.
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Luke 12:49 |
Luke 12:50 |
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I have come to cast fire upon the earth |
I have a baptism to undergo |
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...and how I wish it were already kindled! |
...and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! |
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Fire represents the judgment of God |
Baptism represents Jesus’ identification with the wrath of God |
There is a parallel between...
These two verses are talking about two elements of the same thing. They are both speaking of the cross. Both the fire and the baptism point to the cross.
The cross serves two purposes. To the believer it is the source of salvation. But to the unbeliever it is a stumbling block and a source of judgment. This means it is possible to speak of both fire and baptism in a way that looks both to the salvation provided upon the cross as well as to the judgment upon those who reject the grace that is offered in the gospel.
This is brought out by the closing phrase of verse 50. It is a phrase which points to the cross.
"...until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50).
This literally says, "...until it is FINISHED." It is the root word telos. It is the same word that Jesus spoke on the cross when He said, "It is FINISHED!"
As far as the Christian is concerned, God’s judgment against sin was finished upon the cross. The penalty demanded of that sin was paid in full. But those who reject Christ await a future and everlasting penalty.
3. A Division to Bring.
"Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members 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 daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53).
Jesus came to cause division. He always divides. It is impossible to be neutral toward Jesus. He demands that you must take sides. You are either with Him or you are against Him.
Do you remember the time that Joshua was getting ready to lead the army of Israel against Jericho? As he was going out to look at the city, he was confronted with the Captain of the Lord’s army. Not one to run from a confrontation, Joshua goes up to meet Him and asks, "Are you for us or are you against us?" The Captain of the Lord’s army replies, "You have the question wrong. It is not a matter of whether I am on your side, but rather a question of whether you are on MY side."
Does that sound familiar? It should. That is the same thing that Jesus says. Perhaps that tells us exactly who is this Captain of the Lord’s army.
By the way, when you join with Christ, you do not have to worry about dividing and separating from the world. If you are really following Christ, then they will divide and separate from you.
STORM WARNINGS
And He was also saying to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out.
55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way."You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?
57 And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?"For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, in order that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison.
59 I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent." (Luke 12:54-59).Now Jesus turns back to the multitudes. He has a message to speak to them. It is a message of warning. There was both a political and a spiritual storm on the horizon and He warns them that they have seen the signs and have been ignoring them.
The people were in the habit of examining the sky and the wind to determine what the weather would be like. We have similar armchair forecasting. When we see a wind blowing from the north, we say that it is going to get cold. The Jews were able to do the same. But they had missed the changes in the weather of history. They had seen the coming of Jesus and they had missed its significance. Why was this the case? Why had they missed Him?
I am not talking about the scribes and the Pharisees and the religious leaders. They missed Him because they had a vested interest in things remaining the same.
But why did the multitudes miss Him? It was because they had fallen into the trap of letting the religious leaders do their thinking for them.
"And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?" (Luke 12:57).
We often fall into the same trap. Our faith is not based upon the Word of God or the Spirit that teaches us, but from upon the last good sermon we heard or the last good commentary we read. As such, we have become unfaithful servants, not utilizing the gifts which were entrusted to us.
This chapter opened with Jesus charging the scribes and Pharisees with hypocrisy. Now that same charge is leveled against the multitudes. Their hypocrisy was essentially the same as the scribes and the Pharisees. They had knowledge, but they did not live in a way that was consistent with that knowledge.
They had all of that and they did not live in a manner that was consistent with that which had been revealed to them. Before we jump to condemn them, we need to pause and ask whether we are guilty of the same hypocrisy. Have I lived my life in a way that has been totally consistent with that which has been revealed by the Scriptures and the prophets and the Son and the indwelling Spirit?
We do things a bit differently in our modern system of lawyers and courts and jurisprudence, but in the ancient world, once you went before the judge, it was too late to settle out of court. There is coming a day when we shall stand before the Judge of the Universe. In that day, it will be too late to settle out of court. But today there is still time.