Luke 12:38

“And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”

And they must be in a state of readiness whenever he returns, whether in the second watch or the third. The Jews had three ‘watches' to the night (as against the Romans with four), at which point guards would be changed, and new sentries posted. And the night was thought of in terms of those three periods of watching. Thus the idea is that they should be ready all night. (No servant could go to bed until the lord had returned from the wedding feast).

Note the ‘second' and ‘third'. Compare Luke 13:32. It denotes the passage of time to a final conclusion. It could be soon or it could be long. For the night indicates the whole period of time until the consummation. While there is the idea of imminence (they do not know when he will come) there is no thought of his necessary soon coming. It may well not be until the end of the third watch just before morning. Indeed it is a warning that His coming may not be as soon as they expected.

And blessed would be those servants who proved their loyalty and faithfulness by being ready every watch of the night.

The Significance of the Parable.

Jesus mainly preached His parables openly before all, the crowds, the disciples and the Pharisees, and they had a message for all. That is why one Gospel writer can see a parable as directed at the one of these, while another might see it as directed at another. Both are right. They were directed at all three, but with a significant message for each, for while not all followed Jesus directly, all claimed to be serving God.

The main idea behind the parable is that of loyal service, hard work and readiness. To many of His listeners who were not ‘in the know', whether Pharisee or of the general crowd, that is precisely what it would have conveyed.

Its lessons could therefore be seen as follows:

1). To the crowds and the Pharisees it would indicate that men and women had to live in the light of God's requirements. They had to live loyally and industriously like servants waiting for their lord's return from a wedding, not an uncommon occurrence. In the Old Testament the favour or otherwise of God was regularly connected with brides and bridegrooms (Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9; Jeremiah 25:10; Jeremiah 33:11; Joel 2:16). And the result would be that one day God would reward them in His day of blessing. These were ideas of which the Pharisees would heartily have approved. Jesus probably hoped that some of them might even notice the detail of the parable and come and ask about it.

2). Some may have gone further. They may also have thought in terms of the coming of the Messiah. God had promised His Messiah and that one day He would come. So they might have seen it as indicating that they must keep in readiness for that event, and that then they would have their part in the Messianic banquet. Many Pharisees would agree with this too. His parable thus had very much a present application for the Pharisees and the crowds even though they did not know of His second coming.

3). To those disciples who had been observant of Jesus teaching and knew that He was the Messiah of God, and that He was to die and rise again, it should have meant more (it certainly would do later). They were intended to recognise that it was confirmation of the fact that He would be leaving them but that He would then return. Thus it was not only an indication that they must be diligent in service (and it was that) but it was also reminding them that He must shortly leave them and that when He did go they must not cease their work of proclaiming the Kingly Rule of God but must continue it faithfully until His return whatever happened. And they must do it without restraint so that when He did return all would be in readiness.

They would also recognise the symbolism of the night of waiting which revealed a world in darkness, and the permanent lights which represented the witness of God's people to the world which had to be kept shining. Compare Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33 and see Luke 12:3 where what is in the dark will be brought to the light of God.

4). But once the death and resurrection had taken place the parable would gather new meaning, again a meaning intended by Jesus Who at this time fully knew the significance of His death and resurrection. For then all who became His would know that Jesus had risen and been enthroned in Heaven, and that one day in accordance with His promises He would return. Thus they would see that they had to labour diligently, ever ready for His return, and yet at the same time recognise that they had no idea how long it would be before He returned. (‘If he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third'). For they would recognise that the end of the third watch indicated an unending length of time, only limited by the consummation of which no man knew the date, not even Jesus (Mark 13:32).

And for them too it would promise to those who were faithful and hardworking, and who kept their light of witness and life shining brightly (Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33; Matthew 5:16), that they would be blessed in that day and sit down at His table and He would serve them. They would enjoy the Messianic feast. They would enjoy the glory of Heaven. (Not for the Gentiles any hang ups about the land. Their eyes were firmly fixed on Heaven). They would drink wine with Him under His Father's Kingly Rule (Luke 22:18; Luke 22:30).

They would also note the fact that He would serve them. This emphasised the fact that He Himself was the Servant of the Lord (Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35; Luke 22:27; Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45), and that to be in service was to be in the highest position in the kingdom. By it He would reveal Himself as their Lord. For under the Kingly Rule of God service and humility are the evidences of royalty (Luke 22:26). Sadly it was the part of the parable that many forgot.

So far from this parable as given being irrelevant to the crowds it indicates the genius of Jesus in containing a relevant message for all, from which all would benefit, a deeper message for those who would privately ask concerning its truth, and a further message for those who would follow after.