The Serving Master And The Thief

The Serving Master and the Thief

Luke 12:35-40, NIV

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like servants 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. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39But 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. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Setting the Scene

Yesterday we focused on the overall tone of Jesus’ teaching about how we should anticipate his return. Today we see two contrasting pictures Jesus added to his opening illustration of the watchful servants waiting for the master’s return.

In the first picture, the master serves the servants he finds eagerly awaiting him. Servants were expected to place themselves at the master’s disposal, but Jesus turns the tables and informs us that the delighted master will serve his servants. The reversal of roles was not only countercultural, it was consistent with the way Jesus related to his disciples. The first moments of the Last Supper (John 13:1-11) provide us with an unforgettable picture of the master “girding” himself and washing his disciples’ feet as they reclined at the table. Jesus was picturing life in God’s Kingdom, where worldly expectations related to power and position are turned on their heads. We enjoy partial glimpses of these Kingdom values as we take Jesus’ instructions seriously, but we won’t see the full scope fulfilled until Jesus returns as he promised.

In the second picture, the scene is still a household. The homeowner is in residence and is about to have a burglar visit. Instead of the tone of joy that permeates the first picture, a note of caution and even fear colors the second one. The purpose in this illustration is not to identify the thief but to focus on the unexpected arrival of the Son of Man. Will we be like the homeowner who has no concerns or inkling that he is about to be robbed? The sudden coming of the Son of Man will shatter that brittle security.

Getting Personal

How might we be like the blissfully ignorant homeowner today?

Which role most closely fits your life: the waiting servants or the clueless homeowner? Why?

Jesus didn’t hesitate to use jarring illustrations to focus people’s attention. As we will see tomorrow, it is this second picture that provoked a response. Jesus made it clear that his return would not be good news for everyone.

Talking to God

Acknowledge the love of the Lord that provides advance warning of his return. Ask him to keep you prepared so that his coming will be a great joy to you, his servant. Ask him to help you pray, with excitement for that day, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, NKJV).