§164. Jesus Warns Against Indifference or Laziness (Luke 12:35–40)

Introduction

  1. §161. Warns Against Hypocrisy (Luke 12:1–12)

  2. §162. Warns Against Materialism (Luke 12:13–21)

  3. §163. Warns Against Anxiety (Luke 12:22–34)

  4. §164. Warns Against Indifference (Luke 12:35–40)

  5. §165. Warns Against Abuse of Authority (Luke 12:41–48)

  6. Opposite of anxiety is carelessness or lethargy and is addressed.

  7. Reflection in life - evaluation of various decisions of life.

  8. Prospective if life - looking forward and taking decisions.

  9. Parable of being prepared for the time of his coming is unknown (35–36) and the parable of waiting for the Son of Man and the time of his coming is unexpected (39–40)

Exposition

 

35. “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

  1. Waist be girded - Call for urgent and intense action.

  2. Lamps burning - Consistency even at night.

  3. Satan's strategy - agree with the demands of discipleship, but do it tomorrow: procrastination.

  4. Faith - trusting God for future.

  5. What God will do in future should affect what we will do at present.

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.

  1. Parable 1: Men who wait for the master - disciples should be ready for coming of the Lord anytime.

  2. Immediately - a constant and active waiting.

  3. Knocks: Uncertainty of the timing of his coming, but certainty of the encounter.

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.

  1. Blessedness in waiting (serving) for the master - great value in serving.

  2. Curse in the neglecting of his service

  3. Unbelievable reward - Master himself will serve the servants who are faithful. Servant is elevated to a friend! Psalm 23:5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

38. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

  1. Second or third watch: Deep night and is least expected. There is utter uncertainty of the timing of his coming.

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.

  1. Parable 2: Analogy of thief - thief comes at an unexpected time.

  2. Lord or his coming is not like a thief to steal; parable focus only on one aspect. There is no one to one correspondence with the thief and the Lord.

40. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

  1. Be ready: Call for action.

  2. You do not expect: Lord is smarter than us. Do not try to read and interpret signs.

Application

  1. Ready: always in serving. Time is unknown and unexpected. It requires faith, commitment, and priority in life.

  2. Reward: for serving is unbelievably great - servant to friend! It should motivate us. Expecting reward is faith in the promise.