Anchor My Faith

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Author: Stephen Weller
711 words, 4 minutes read time

Be Ready

Scripture: Luke 12:35-38

With the previous lesson we covered a short section about being ready and alert for the return of the Son of Man. With this lesson we begin a longer section about being ready, as a faithful steward for the Lord’s return.

^{Lk 12:35} Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ 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.

These two verses stress what is important in life. We can be so absorbed with daily life, its demands and our desires, that we neglect to stimulate a longing for the Lords return. We should be so in love with him and so desire to be with him that we continually think of his return. If that event of meeting him face to face were to occur today, whether it be in his coming or in our going through death, would we be ready? Are we ready to “open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks?” If we are to be ready, our walk with the Lord must be an active part of our daily walk.

^{Lk 12:37} 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. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!

There will be a blessing for those who are ready. If a special guest were to unexpectedly come to your home early this evening, what would they find? Would your home be ready for them? Is your life ready for the return of the Lord? We must be ready because someday it is going to happen and when it does will those who are alive be ready?

Notice that it is the master who will dress himself for service and have his servants recline at table, and he will come and serve them. This will be an end-time messianic banquet as seen in Luke 13:29 ESV: “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.”

This is also spoken of in Luke 22:27 – 30 ESV: ²⁷ “For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. ²⁸ You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, ²⁹ and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” The one being served is the greater, but in this case the Son of God is serving us. What a blessing it is to be able to know and to have a relationship with a God of such love and humility. Should we not spend more time with him?

Concerning the time of his return in terms of a watch is somewhat unclear. Are these watches in terms of Jewish understanding or Roman understanding? If Jewish the time is based on three time periods, but if it is Roman then four time periods are considered. The point that Jesus is making is that “the master” could return at any time, even when one would normally not be prepared.

Conclusion

In this lesson we were focused on the importance of servants being ready. What do you think distinguishes a desirable servant from a wayward servant? What does it mean to be a faithful servant? Why was the master, in Jesus’ parable, delighted when he returned home?  How did he show his appreciation? If your time to meet the Lord occurred today would you be ready, and would he be delighted over your readiness?