This evening’s message is entitled “Always Remain Watchful,” and it’s taken from two short parables commonly called “The Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servant” and “The Parable of the Thief.” In these two short parables Jesus spoke a word about faithfulness; the kind of faithfulness that leads to perseverance in our Christian walk.
In the movie “Chariots of Fire,” young Harold Abrahams, a champion sprinter, had just suffered his first ever defeat. After the race he sat alone, pouting in the bleachers. When his girlfriend tried to encourage him, he shouted, “If I can’t win, I won’t run!” To which she wisely replied, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.” Abrahams went on to win the 1924 Olympic Gold Medal in the hundred-meter run.(1)
This is how some believers feel. They feel defeated, and so they don’t even try to run for Jesus; thereby, refusing to continue in the work of the kingdom. Sometimes Christians will take their eyes off of Jesus altogether, and fall into spiritual dryness. Some will even lose hope in believing that He will one day return to destroy the works of the devil, and bring His people home.
In the first of the following parables, Jesus told about some servants who failed to continue working for their master, because the master was late in returning home; and in the second, He spoke of a homeowner who failed to guard his house against intruding thieves. Jesus taught two lessons about persevering in our work for the kingdom, even though we don’t know when the kingdom will arrive in all its fullness. So, let’s dig in to these parables and see what message is in store for us.
The Servant Who Watches (vv. 35-38)
35 Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
In verse 35, we see the admonition to keep one’s waist girded. So, what does this expression mean? The best way to answer this question is to figure out what a person’s waist would have been girded with in ancient Palestine. The New Bible Dictionary tells us that what was worn around a person’s waist was the Hebrew hagora, which “means belt, waistband or [sash] . . . People at work commonly tucked up their clothes into their [sash], as is done in the East today.”(2) They tucked up their clothes in order to keep them out of the way while working.
Jesus was telling the disciples not to let their garments down from their sash, as though finished with their labor, but to keep their clothes tucked up, because their work was not yet through. The same meaning can be derived from keeping one’s lamp burning, which is also mentioned in verse 35. While waiting for the master to return a person may be tempted to blow out their lamp and rest, because of the seemingly long delay. Jesus told the disciples, in verse 36, to wait for the master until he returned from the wedding, so that they would be ready to let him in. So, we must now ask, who is the master to whom Jesus was referring, and what is the wedding?
The master is easy to identify, for in many of the parables the master turns out to represent the exact same person. The master in this parable is none other than Jesus. Now, what is the wedding from which the master will return? It could be the marriage ceremony of the Lamb, where Christ is joined to His bride, the Church. However, there is a slight problem with the interpretation if this is the case, because the marriage ceremony is supposed to take place after Jesus returns, and not before. Christ must bring His bride, the Church, to the wedding ceremony in order to be married to Him, and that can’t happen if He has already been to the wedding.
Both the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version state that the master had returned from a “wedding banquet,” and not a wedding. This makes a lot more sense. In ancient Palestine, a wedding banquet would have occurred before the actual wedding ceremony. Interpreting this parable according to this specific sequence of events allows us to understand that Jesus has gone away to attend a great celebration – one which has been going on ever since He ascended into heaven – and then He will one day return to gather His people, and take them to the wedding ceremony.
Verse 37 reveals that Christ’s followers who have been watching and waiting will be blessed. This verse also refers to believers as being “servants,” showing the attitude of servanthood that both the bride and groom must have for one another. Ephesians 5:24-25 says, “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” A bride should be a servant to her husband, just as a husband should be a servant to his bride. This passage from Ephesians helps in understanding the latter half of verse 37; which says that if the servants have been faithful, then the master will gird himself, have them sit down, and he will serve them.
So, how has Jesus served us? He was a servant leader for one thing. He demonstrated servanthood when He took up the basin and towel and began to wash the disciple’s feet (John 13:3-17). However, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate act of servanthood when He died on the cross. Philippians 2:7-8 tells us that He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus came and served us when He died on the cross for our sins; and to anyone who receives this act of service, Jesus declared, “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
Verse 38 speaks of different night watches. Christ will return at a time we don’t expect, so we must continually be on guard for when the master returns. We have to continually be walking in righteousness, committing ourselves to holiness, and working at building the kingdom by telling others about salvation in Jesus Christ. We can’t just give up because we haven’t seen any sign of His return. Jesus calls us to be faithful at all times. We must be faithful not only in the mountain top experiences where we see God at work, but also in the desert valley while enduring a spiritual dry spell. We are called to be persevering servants of Christ.
The Master Who Watches (vv. 39-40)
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Here, in verses 39-40, we find a different parable; one which is obviously very brief. When Jesus spoke about a master He wasn’t referring to Himself, as He did in the previous parable. He simply used an illustration of a homeowner who had let his guard down. “The Son of Man’s return is compared to a thief. This is not an image of Jesus coming to take what does not belong to Him. It is a proverb for an unpredictable or sudden event . . . Since Christians cannot know the time of the return of Jesus, it is implied they must continuously watch and be always prepared for it.”(3)
“A thief’s main advantage is surprise; he does not announce his arrival. He only succeeds when the house is inadequately protected. Since no one knows when a thief may strike, constant watchfulness is required . . . Just as alertness allows the owner of the house to prevent the secret approach of a thief, so the disciple needs to be on the watch for the unexpected coming of the Lord. Otherwise he is like a [burglarized homeowner] who suffers loss and distress.”(4) Similar to the previous parable, Jesus cautioned His people not to let their guard down.
In 2 Thessalonians, we observe how the believers of Thessalonica were preoccupied with the parousia, which is the return of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Paul noticed something disturbing that was taking place among the believers. They weren’t working at their jobs, nor were they following the Great Commission, because they felt that Christ would return in the immediate future; so, they used His return as an excuse for idleness. F. F. Bruce says, “The expectation of the parousia should not be an excuse for idleness but for vigilance and sobriety, for ‘the day of the Lord,’ [Paul] says (echoing a word of Jesus), ‘will come like a thief in the night’.”(5)
Since the believers in Thessalonica thought that Jesus would return soon, they reasoned, “If Christ is coming back, then what’s the point of working?” They also thought, “What’s the point of ministry when we’re going home soon? Our work here is almost over!” What would happen if we, as Christians, reasoned that Christ is coming back soon and there is no more need to be concerned about witnessing or working anymore? There would be people who would miss out on coming to know Jesus Christ.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Paul admonished the believers in Thessalonica, “Do not grow weary in doing good.” Let’s not quit what we’re doing because we think that Christ is coming back soon, or we think that He is not coming at all. Whatever excuse we’re using, let’s get rid of it! We know that Christ did not come in the lifetime of the Thessalonians. If Paul had not encouraged them to continue living, then they probably would have been dead in more ways than one. They would have been dead spiritually, as they failed to serve the Lord; and they would have been dead physically as they refused to work and put food on the table. Paul also told them this: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
Notice how the encouragement of “watch” and “be ready” occurs twice in this short parable. “This verb is in the present tense of continuous action. It is like our expression ‘Keep your eyes open!’ Believers are encouraged to be mindful of what is happening in world affairs, especially moral and spiritual matters, and avoid an attitude of indifference. The uncertainty of the date of the Lord’s return does not give us an excuse for being unprepared. Rather it provides a motive for right priorities, alert discipleship, and faithful service. Then our Lord’s coming will not catch us off guard and ashamed.”(6) When Jesus arrives and finds us faithful, He will declare, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
Time of Reflection
In verse 41, Peter asked, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” Both of the parables we have seen tonight apply to all of Jesus’ disciples. They serve as a word of caution to each and every believer in the body of Christ; that if we take our eyes off of Jesus and begin to slack off, then the work of the kingdom will suffer. We need to keep our waist girded and ready for work; and be alert and watchful at all times, so we don’t miss opportunities to share the love of Christ. Jesus said that we need to be diligent in all seasons.
The resurrected Lord reminded the church at Sardis: “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you” (Revelation 3:3, NIV). Sardis was built on a mountain, and had a reputation for impregnability; nevertheless, it had been conquered several times because of a lack of vigilance. These two parables serve as encouragement to those who confidently wait for the Lord’s return; however, they also serve as a warning to the unprepared.
The truly unprepared person is someone who is lost without knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. If Jesus is speaking to your heart about your need for repentance and salvation, then please surrender to Him before it is too late. Jesus told the church at Sardis to “repent, [and] if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief.” If you were to die tonight, would you have what it takes to enter into heaven? What it takes is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If Jesus were to rapture His church tomorrow morning, would you be caught up in the clouds with Him, or would you be left behind? Be certain that you are prepared by repenting of your sins and confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
NOTES
(1) Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 263.
(2) The New Bible Dictionary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1962.
(3) Jim Peacock, “The Parable of the Thief,” Cultwatch: www.cultwatch.com/Devotional39.html (Accessed November 27, 2012).
(4) Ibid.
(5) F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 230.
(6) Peacock, “The Parable of the Thief.”
