Opening illustration: A teacher tells her young students, “Class, I’m going down the hall for a few minutes. I don’t expect to be away long. I’m sure there won’t be any trouble. I trust you to work on your assignments while I’m gone.”
Fifteen minutes pass, then 20, then 40. Suddenly the teacher returns. Dennis has just thrown an eraser at Carol who is doing her math. Steven is standing on the teacher’s desk making faces. The students carrying out the teacher’s instructions are delighted at the teacher’s return, but Dennis and Steven wish she hadn’t come back at all.
Jesus Christ is coming back! That stands as both a warning and a promise throughout the New Testament. It’s good news or bad, depending on who hears it.
Let us turn to Luke 12 and catch up with the narrative of Christ’s return.
Introduction: I doubt that there is anything I dislike more than waiting. It may be that you can identify with me in my annoyance with waiting, especially when it is prolonged awaiting someone’s arrival. Husbands sometimes come to church in a mental “miff” because they have sat in the car, waiting for wife and/or family to get out to the car. Wives can get upset waiting for their husband to get home from work, especially if they have dinner in the oven getting extra crispy or on the table getting cold. I was watching the news a couple of weeks ago, during the ice storm, and much was made of the thousands who were forced to spend a day or more in the airport, waiting for the weather to clear and for the airline schedules to be untangled.
Our culture is not inclined to wait, either. Think, for example, of how many “fast food” restaurants there are in our city, as compared with those which cook food the slow, old-fashioned way. TV dinners are the solution for those who wish to eat at home, quickly. Credit cards have a great appeal to us because we can buy the things we want without having to wait till we have the cash to do so. The “sexual revolution” has also given our society a convenient philosophical rational for not “waiting” for sexual enjoyment, within marriage.
Let's keep away from arguing various theories of the Second Coming. We probably might have different views. These arguments will cause us to miss the point of JESUS' teaching, and transfer our thinking to someone else's teaching. Let us stay focused on the scripture before us.
(A) How to be ready for Christ’s return?
1. Waiting like a Waiter (v. 35-36)
I see three distinct characteristics of the “good waiter” as described by our Lord:
(i) Preparation—“be dressed ready”
(ii) Maintenance—“keep your lamps burning”
(iii) Expectation—“[and be] like men waiting for their master”
The preparation of the waiter consists of a readiness for action. In the imagery of our Lord it has to do with one’s clothing. Literally, one is to be ready by “having their loins girded.” One could hardly work with a flowing robe in the way, so it would be tucked in. In our culture we might say, “having your sleeves rolled up.”
Second, the “good waiter” is to “keep his lamp burning.” They did not have street lights in those days, nor did they have a porch light to keep on, so that the master could easily find and enter his door. The lamps (Greek luchnos) referred to are the small clay lamps. To keep them burning requires both an expenditure of effort and resources. Lamps kept burning must be refilled periodically with olive oil, the wicks must be trimmed occasionally, and they must be checked lest the wind were to blow one out.
Third, the “good waiter” is to be like a devoted servant, who eagerly awaits his master’s return, as if he were coming from a wedding banquet. The master shouldn't have to bang on the door and wait while his servants get up and come sleepily to the door, stumbling over things in the dark. When the master arrives, the servants are to be ready. His coming is their most important priority; their own weariness and self-indulgence isn't to take over. They are servants. Jesus did not suggest that the master was himself married, but only that he attended the banquet. It was both profitable and delightful activity, a good reason to be gone and even to be delayed in returning. The mood, then, of his arrival would be joyful and festive. The eager servant would be ready, able to immediately open the door to the master.
2. Watching out for Christ (vs. 37-38)
The word rendered "watching" is Greek gregoreo, "to stay awake, 'be watchful,' to be in constant readiness, 'be on the alert.' “It comes from a word meaning "to wake or rouse up someone."
If we are to wait expectantly for our Lord’s return, doing so will result in the reward of “blessedness.” The nature of that reward is absolutely astounding. Those servants who are found waiting for the Master will be blessed by the Master serving them. My understanding is that behind this figurative speech is a literal meaning: when He comes again, the Master will serve His servants! Is this not amazing?
To us, such an act seems inconsistent with His role at His second coming. Serving seems to be a contradiction to leading, to act a servant inconsistent with being the Master. Here is a lesson for us. If it is not demeaning for our Lord to serve, then surely it is not to be viewed as demeaning to us. Indeed, it is our glory. Some of us look at serving as the unpleasant path to glory, but our Lord’s words strongly imply that serving is our glory.
In verse 38, Jesus repeated the promise of blessing to those who wait for His return, even if it is delayed (“second or third watch”). Jesus thus implies that His return may well be later than we would wish or suppose. History has born this out, for nearly 2,000 years have passed since the Lord’s ascension. But even if His return is delayed, the blessings which accompany this return are in no way diminished. They are as certain as His word. Thus, waiting, for the saint, only enhances his expectation.
Illustration: Have you ever tried to drive late at night and struggled to stay awake? I have. Perhaps the best thing to do is to stop and take a break. Get out of the car into the brisk air of night. Walk or run back and forth to get the blood circulating. Then when you begin to drive again, leave the window open so the air blasts into your face. Chew gum. Listen to the radio. Talk, pray, or sing out loud. Staying awake when you are weary is work. It is discipline. It requires diligence. But if you are driving, your life, and the life of your passengers, depends upon you staying awake.
3. Beware of the Warning “As A Thief in the Night” (vs. 39-40; 1 Thessalonians 5:2)
Jesus moves to a very different image here, and we need to note the differences. The master/servant image (above) was intended as an encouragement to those who would wait as Jesus described. The owner/thief image is a warning to those who do not expectantly await the Lord’s return. In the first image, Jesus is portrayed as the master who is welcomed and comes with a reward. In the second, Jesus comes as a thief, who is not welcomed and whose arrival spells disaster (he is “ripped off”). In the first story the master owns the house, but in the second the man owns the house (and Jesus is viewed as the unwanted, unauthorized taker). The owner of the house loses his possessions. In the first image, the master is welcomed and let in the door. In the second, the thief is not welcome, and he enters by digging through the wall.
What is it that makes the difference? What determines whether Jesus is a “welcome Master” or a “dreaded thief”? I think the answer is suggested by the two stories, but is made clear by the gospel. The difference is a relationship. There is a loving bond between the Master and His servants. They know and love each other. The servants await His return because of who He is. The home owner does not know the thief, nor does he wish to. He hopes the Lord never comes, for His coming is viewed as bringing a loss.
The gospel fills in the blanks. Those who have trusted in Jesus as the promised Messiah love Him and see Him as the source of “every good and perfect gift” (cf. James 1:17). They await His return and know that it will bring them blessedness. Those who have rejected God and His Messiah do not wish to see Him, for His coming only spells the loss of those things which they value most, but which will be taken away, just as the “rich fool” lost his possessions.
What is certain is that the Lord is going to return, to reward some and to judge others. What is not certain is exactly what “day” or “hour” that will be. This delay and the uncertainly as to the precise timing of His coming can be a test of our faithfulness and a stimulus to our expectation. May it be so for each of us.
Illustration: On February 9, 2001, the U.S.S. Greenville submarine surfaced underneath the Japanese fishing boat Ehime Maru, killing nine persons. How could this happen. The Greenville had a marvelously trained crew, the envy of the fleet. One contributing factor: the presence of 16 civilians in the control room made communications less open, less easy. Officers were in a hurry to complete a maneuver and impress the guests, and the fire-control technician didn't communicate his concern with the position of a nearby ship. They were preoccupied with the visitors. They were in a hurry. They weren't fully alert. And the result was tragic.
(B) What destroys our Readiness?
Partly, it has to do with sin. When we indulge ourselves certain sins, we immediately dull the edge of our lives and our awareness. Sometimes we can fool ourselves. We know something is wrong. We know something isn't exactly pleasing to the Lord, but we indulge ourselves and do it anyway. He'll forgive us, we tell ourselves. And he will. But this self-indulgence, this moral compromise, prevents us from walking closely with him and being alert to his voice. We exchange the minor sin for intimacy with Jesus -- and the trade is never worth it. It is a deception of the devil to neutralize our influence.
Partly, it has to do with prayer. We must take time, spend time in prayer and communion with Jesus if we are to be spiritually alert, spiritually awake. When we're too busy, too preoccupied for that, our guard is down. If this becomes a pattern -- even though we may attend church -- we can become spiritually sleepy.
Application: In church we sing songs like “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” As we take the Lord’s Supper, the minister says that we “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). On Sunday morning, the second coming of Christ sounds like great news. But during the rest of the week are we as ready for His return? Jesus is coming back! It may be soon. It will be sudden. Is that good news or bad? It’s up to you.
One other comment from Luke and that is to ask the question. So what are we supposed to do now in the light of this? And that's how Jesus begins that verse, verse 40. "You too be ready." Be ready. How do you get ready? Abandon false religion, fear God, confess Christ, trust the Holy Spirit, be rich toward God, leave the world behind, seek His spiritual Kingdom, that's how you get ready. He's coming and His coming is certain and powerfully and for the purpose of motivation...motivating every generation, its timing is uncertain. And so the message is, you better be ready...you better be ready.
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. —Jesus (Mt. 24:42)
