“What does it take to be ready? - Luke 12:35-59”
Gladstone Baptist Church - 21/1/07 am
It is embarrassing when we are caught off guard by our bosses.
Do you remember that TV commercial that was airing a couple of years ago about 2 young guys who were playing a computer game across their work computer network at the end of the day. It was one of those hunt down and shoot your opponent type of games.
Well the boss walks into the room of one of the first guy and this guy quickly manages to flick across to a work program and his boss is oblivious to the game he has just been playing. Meanwhile his mate in another office has tracked down the first guy’s character in the computer game and just blasted him to kingdom come. Excited and pumped up with adrenaline, this second guy mate races into the first guy’s office yelling and screaming in victory and comes to a screeching halt when he bursts in on his boss and his friend. There is an uncomfortable silence and then the boss turns to the first guy and says - “You will go a long way in this company” or something like that.
Have you ever had one of those moments when your boss has caught you doing something at work that you shouldn’t. I think we probably have all had some of these moments - doing some personal stuff on the computer or doing a foreigner during work time. For those not in the know - a foreigner is is an outside job.
Oh we all try to ensure we don’t get busted don’t we. I always positioned my desk and computer so that I could see my door, but others couldn’t see my computer. I didn’t like people creeping up on me - even if I was doing valid work. - which was most of the time - really. But every now and then, you would get caught. As much as you think you will have the time to prepare for your boss’ coming - sometimes you don’t and he catches us doing something we probably shouldn’t be.
It feels pretty embarrassing doesn’t it. And depending on what you were doing, you may even get reprimanded or punished for it.
We need to be prepared so we don’t get caught off guard by Jesus.
Though Jesus is not our boss, he calls us to watch out and be ready for his coming because if he catches us unawares, it will be embarrassing at best and extremely costly at worst. If you have your bibles there, turn with me again to Luke 12. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been delving into this chapter and I hope you have been challenged - I have. Luke reminds us in this chapter that we need to be fearful of God not man - not fearful unnecessarily, but fearful because He sees all and knows all things. That is a motivation to live lives of authenticity - not of hypocricy. We say we are Christians, so we need to live like Christians and not be scared what men will say or do to us. We need to be authentic & courageous. Last week, we looked at Jesus’ teaching about planning for the Kingdom of God. He urged his followers not to be consumed with material things which will last for our short earthly lives. He instead recommended that we focus on things that can be changed into eternal treasure - things that will last into eternity. Who can remember one of the 2 things we talked about last week which are eternal in value?
1. There was our service. Jesus said, that what ever you do for the least of my brethren, you do it to me. Paul told Timothy to command his congregation to “do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that it truly life.” (1 Tim 6:18-19). Service can take the form of sharing money or possessions or it can take the form of giving your time and energies. Service done for God advances his kingdom and stores up reward for you in eternity.
2. Then there was evangelism. Jesus left us the task of spreading his gospel. His aim was that no one should perish. When we share the gospel with another, we give them the chance to accept Christ and join us in heaven for eternity. We can’t take things to heaven, but we can take people.
The challenge Jesus’ teaching has for us as we enter 2007 is to ensure that we are planning for eternity, not this life. Planning for the line not the dot is how we put it last week. He says in vs 33 “Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not eb exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We need to intentionally plan to serve and intentionally plan to share Christ. Doing so will be planning appropriately for the future. It will show that our heart is set on eternity instead of the present.
Well Jesus continues along the same theme in his teaching in vs 35 of chp 12. He says we need to watch and work.
Watchfulness
. 35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men 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. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 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. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 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? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ¡¥My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 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.
47 “That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 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.
Not Peace but Division
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, 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.”
Interpreting the Times
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ¡¥It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ¡¥It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Jesus starts off in this passage with an emphatic plea. It carries the force of “You must” be dressed. You must be waiting. You must be ready. Who is Jesus talking to? “You who worry and fear, to you who cling to your fading possessions, you [must] make yourself ready and take your eyes off the world and focus on me .” 2 things Jesus told his disciples to do to get ready
1) to literally gird their loins. In those days, men wore long flowing robes which hindered them if they were do any real work. So what they’d do would be to gather up their robe and tuck them into their belt so they would be ready to travel, or fight or to work. Their actions showed their mindset of preparedness. They were working at being prepared. I wonder whether our actions show that we are serving Jesus now and prepared to serve Him when he comes again?
2) To keep the lamps burning. Even today, when you are expecting a visitor at night, you put a front light on. It is inviting and welcoming. It shows you are expecting them, watching out for them. Jesus was challenging his followers to live in expectation of his arrival.
Jesus likens being prepared to servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding. They aren’t sure when he’ll return. Middle eastern weddings could go on for a week or more and so we are talking about an on going patience. The Servants are called to be ready - to have their robes tucked up in their belts and the lamps burning ready for their master no matter what the hour. They were to be watching and working. Notice that the servant in this parable was both working and was prepared to work. He was working as he was waiting - he had to keep the house ready for the master, it had to be cleaned, food fresh was needed, water had to be at the ready, the lights needed to be maintained. But while he was working as he was waiting, he was also waiting to work. When the master finally came, when ever that would be, further work would occur.
The Romans had 4 watches during the night and the Jews adopted this after their overthrow. So the second watch began a 9:00o’clock and the third watch began and 12 midnight and went to 3am.. This is the hour we are normally in bed. And so too were typical Palestinians. It wasn’t normal to travel at night, so it would be unusual for a guest - even a master to arrive home during the second or third watch. But Jesus paints a picture of a dedicated servant who was ready despite the hour.
Who here didn’t stay up to midnight on new-year’s eve? Staying up late into the morning is hard - particularly if you have to get up the next day for work as per usual.
Jesus says, that a servant who is found ready is a servant who is watching and working. And such a servant is a welcome sight for his Master. The Master is pleased - so pleased that he unexpectedly reverses the roles and serves the servant. The servant receives a reward. What an amazing thing that will be. I wonder What Jesus will find when he returns to this earth. Will he find us watching and working - with our robes tucked up and the lamps lit. Or will he find us sitting on our backsides waiting. Oh, we are waiting for Him, I know, but we aren’t ready. When we are ready, we can expect to be rewarded for our diligence. But if we are found wanting, we will surely miss out on God’s reward.
We don’t know when Jesus is coming back. He’ll be like a thief in the night. If you expected the thief, you wouldn’t get robbed. We need therefore to live prepared and in expectancy of Christ’s return - watching and working.
Leaders especially need to be ready.
Peter, God bless him, as spokesman for the disciples seeks some clarification here. Vs 41. He asks “Are you talking to us, your disciples or to the crowd?”
Jesus responds by addressing some specific comments to his disciples. While there is nothing specifically said, Jesus doesn’t excuse the crowd from the need to be watchful. In fact in Mark 13:37, Jesus commands all people to be watchful So it is likely that his words up to this point were applicable to all the crowd also.
But the disciples, as the future leaders of his young church had additional responsibilities. A servant who is put in charge of other servants is responsible for caring for them. If his master returns and finds him working diligently, he will be praised and promoted. He is rewarded for his work. But if he is found to be neglecting his work and abusing his position and those that he is over, then he will be punished and the punishment is severe. Jesus says he will literally be cut up and the portions of him put with the unbelievers. That is scary for us as leaders. If we lead others astray, if we are not found ready and serving God, then it seems as though we will be severely punished.
In some of your bibles, it may read something like Jesus will “put the portions with the unbelievers.” That gives us some consternation doesn’t it, because the place of the unbelievers is hell. Can a leader lose his salvation by misusing his position and abusing those who he should be caring for? The Greek word used here for these people is apistos ƒÑƒàƒÙƒãƒäƒßƒã which has 2 meanings. It sometimes means faithless or untrustworthy. In that case it would mean that these servants would be relegated to the place of the unfaithful servants. The other meaning is unbelieving. In this case, it would mean that these servants would be relegated to the place of unbelievers - or hell.
Another piece to the puzzle comes from Matthew’s gospel. This conversation of Jesus is repeated in Matthew 24 and Matthew uses another Greek word altogether. He uses the word hupokrites ƒØƒåƒàƒßƒÛƒâƒÙƒäƒÕƒã which means hypocrite. This is the same word that Luke used at the beginning of chapter 12. It means people who pretend to be one thing, but act another way. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were commonly labelled as hypocrites. But were they saved or not.
It is difficult in this context to split these two interpretations and commentators are divided themselves as to what it means. I don’t know whether this passage teachers that an unfaithful leader can lose their salvation. Or whether they are just going to be punished so severely as to make them think they had. Which ever is the case, the seriousness of this threat is significant and gives us more than adequate motive to be found faithful. Leaders, you have a responsibility to be faithfully doing your job of caring for your sheep and living a life that is prepared - that is watching and working. Not to do so is pure stupidity.
Jesus tells us in vs 47 that more will be expected from those servants who know what god expects of them. Leaders presumably, know more than those that follow them. They are therefore expected to live in the light of their knowledge.
The principle is this (vs 48)...
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.
But this principle applies not just to leaders. It applies to you and me also. We are aware of God’s will. We’ve been talking about it over the last 2 weeks. His will for us is to expand his kingdom through service and witness. He wants us to be watching and working now in preparation for His coming. We know this and so Jesus expects us to live this. Not to do so will bring us under the discipline of Christ when he returns.
Living ready
So how can we live ready? We’ve talked about this over the last couple of weeks. It is all about living according to God’s will and serving him on this earth. How do we work for Christ and his kingdom - by serving others and witnessing to the gospel. It is as simple as that. Let us be about the work of the Kingdom of God. Working our butts off to expand His kingdom because we expect his return at any moment. No one knows the time or day he will return so we need to live ready, watching for his coming. And when he does come, he will bring judgment.
Jesus actually says in vs 49 that when he came to earth the first time, he came to bring fire too. In the Bible, Fire is typically symbolic of judgment. Jesus is saying when he came 2000 years ago, he came to bring judgment. But he wasn’t going to be judging, but rather to be judged by God. God’s wrath was poured out on him and as a result, salvation came to this world. He brought God’s judgment and God’s salvation - seems like a contradiction doesn’t it, but it isn’t. God’s salvation was brought to the world, but this salvation is not automatic. People have to choose whether to accept God’s salvation. Some will choose to follow Him, but others would refuse to. Even in a single family, some would choose salvation and some would reject salvation, reject God and reject anything to do with him. The need to make a choice about Jesus would lead to conflict and enmity within families, within communities, within our world.
Actually, we need to make 2 decisions in our life regarding Christ. 2 decisions which will determine whether we are ready or not to meet Christ face to face.
Firstly, we need to decide whether we will give our lives to Christ or Not. Everyone on earth has to make this decision. If we don’t accept Christ, we have made a decision we have decided we don’t need Him. Jesus challenges his audience to look around at the signs of the times and act accordingly. They do this all the time - they look at the weather - the clouds forming or the direction of the wind and from that they predict the weather for the day. But when it comes to the signs of the times, they don’t seem to recognise that judgment is ahead and that they need to live in readiness for that judgment. This is the advice Jesus gives to these people. 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Jesus is coming at a time nobody knows and he will usher us into our judgment. If we were wise, we would seek to reconcile ourselves to him before it is too late. When we are judged, we will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. That is the first decision we need to make - a decision whether we will give our lives to Christ. Some of you sitting here this morning, need to make this decision to give your life to Christ. There is no time to lose - you are on your way to the court of the almighty God. If you leave it too late, you will feel his wrath for all eternity. Don’t leave it too late or it will be too late. I would counsel you not to leave here this morning until you have talked to someone and been reconciled to God.
But there is another decision to make once we accept Christ. This is the decision of how we will live our lives. It is a choice of whether we will live our lives ready for Christ’s return or not. Whether we will be a faithful servant or an unfaithful one. A servant who is prepared is a servant who is watching and working. He has a certain set of attitudes and actions. Their attitude is one of expectancy - they are looking forward eagerly to Christ’s return - they are watching and waiting. They believe it will be at any moment and this motivates them to act. They have hitched up their robes - they are ready for work, but more than that, they are working now in service of God. Service and Witness is the work of the kingdom and servants who are prepared are faithfully doing both. Last week I challenged to begin to plan how you are going to serve others and witness for Christ in this your community and your world. If you haven’t done this already, I urge you to spend some time this week doing this. Make sure that in 2007 your actions and attitudes reflect your preparedness - watch and work. Then when the master does come in glory and power or come to take you to heaven, you will be rewarded by Jesus himself.
Are you living a life that is ready for the boss’ appearance? Watching and working. I hope so. I pray so.
