Luke 12:35-48

Butler's Comments

SECTION 3

Action as Alertness (Luke 12:35-48)

35 Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, 36and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! 39But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour.

41 Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? 42And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 44Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45But if that servant says to himself, -My master is delayed in coming,-' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. 47And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 48But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

Luke 12:35-44 Watchful Servants: In describing what spiritual alterness is, Jesus makes a parabolic contrast between wise and wicked servants. These two parables continue His teaching about proper attitudes toward the things of this world. No servant of the Lord knows when the Lord will return. The Lord's servant must be constantly alert to his spiritual servanthood. In the first parable the lord (Gr. kurion) of the house went away to a marriage feast. Hour after hour passes, and the master does not return. This man's faithful servants never go to sleep nor even relax while he is gone. They are watchful. The Greek word gregorountas is translated awake; it means watchful, alert, vigilant. It is the word from which we get the English name, Gregory. Watchfulness in the N.T. means spiritual alertness (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Peter 5:8; Colossians 4:2; Acts 20:31; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; Revelation 3:2-3; Revelation 16:15, etc.). Watchfulness involves:

a.

Preparation: Common dress in those days (and even among some Arabs today) was long, loose-flowing outer robes. When strenuous labor and alacrity was required, these robes had to be gathered up and the skirt fastened under the belt (girdle). Lamp wicks must be constantly trimmed of the black, sooty burnt portion lest the flame sputter and smoke and the lamp's light grow dim.

b.

Maturity: Be like men. not like boys, playing at the job. The watchful servant must have enough maturity to stay awake and on the job. They spend their time readying the house for the master's return. They do not have to be supervised like children; they involve themselves in all kinds of activities even though the night wears on and on.

c.

Alertness: In Jesus-' day the old Jewish division of the night into three watches had given way to the Roman division of four watches, divided thusly: first watch from six to nine p.m.; second watch from nine to midnight; third watch from midnight to three a.m.; fourth watch from three to six a.m. The faithful servants, and especially the house-master (Gr. oikodespotes, despot-of-the-house) or chief-servant, are on guard even in the midnight hours. Any chief-servant worth trusting would know you cannot anticipate when the thief will decide to break in (Gr. dioruchthenai, dig through the adobe walls of Palestinian houses). The master's servant must be on guard every moment.

The servants who are watchful will be ready to receive their master the very moment he returns. The master, pleased to find such faithful servants, will treat his servants as friends and equals bidding them to sit (Gr. anaklinei, recline) at his own table and he will minister to their wants. (cf. Revelation 3:21, To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne).

Jesus abruptly applies the lesson of the parable to His own Second Coming. All the servants of Christ must constantly apply the principles of these two parables to their discipleship. The Lord's Second Coming will come as a thief in the night, unexpectedly, unanticipated (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15; Matthew 24:36 -Matthew 25:30).

Peter, impressed by the part of the parable that pictured the lord serving the servants, wants to know if this glorious promotion to equality with the Lord was going to be given to all the apostles, or just a few (like himself). Peter evidently anticipated the same kind of promotion to equality when Jesus was trying to teach humility by washing Peter's feet (John 13:6-9). Jesus, apparently disregarding Peter's ambitious question, goes on with His parable, actually answering Peter by correcting his concept of who deserves to be rewarded:

d.

Following Instructions: Who is the faithful servant? It is interesting to note how the Lord started the parable by using the word for slave (Gr. doulosLuke 12:37) and now uses the word for steward or house-servant (Gr. oikonomosLuke 12:42) and the word for attendants (Gr. therapeias, from which we get the English word therapeutic, but translated, household in Luke 12:42). Faithful servants of the Lord are of more value than mere bond-slaves, but they are servants nonetheless. The servants who are considered true friends by the Master are those who administer His affairs (give them their portion) according to His instructions (at the proper time). They do not presume to change the portion or the time on their own-they follow His will, realizing they are only stewardsnot masters.

e.

Serving: Who is the faithful servant. ? The one found so doing. Blessedness will come to those who do faithfulness. Faithfulness starts with an attitude but does not end thereit ends in doing and being. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:17). When the Lord returns and finds His servants being faithful in the small stewardship they have been given, He will then put them in charge of everything He has, for whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much (cf. Luke 16:10).

Watchfulness is not trying to guess when the Master may return-but it is serving faithfully until He does return.

Luke 12:45-48 Wicked Servants: In the second parable (or the second part of the one parable) Jesus characterizes spiritual negligence:

a.

Subjectivism: The wicked servant says to himself (Gr. en te kardia autou, in his heart). The only righteous and infallible guidance for spiritual alertness is in the revealed will of the Lordnot in the subjective thoughts of a man's own mind (cf. Jeremiah 17:5-6; Jeremiah 17:9-10). This was the wicked servant's first mistakeand so it is of many a man. To follow human reason and human emotion is spiritual disaster.

b.

Unbelieving: The wicked servant said, My master is delaying. he is not coming very soon. This servant does not believe the master's warning that he may return at any moment. This servant's company is with the unfaithful (Luke 12:46), the unbelieving, the distrusting and distrustful.

c.

Exploitation: The wicked servant began to cruelly abuse his fellowservants. This wicked servant lives only by force. When his master is absent and no longer controlling him by force, he is ungovernable. Motivated only by force himself, he thinks that all others must be forced to serve. He is of a perverse and an unmerciful nature. He will use and abuse people and things for his own disadvantage.

d.

Self-Indulgent: The wicked servant began to eat and drink and get drunk. The master had left him in charge of his house to protect his possessions and promote the well-being of his estate. The wicked servant shows how little he cares for the master by indulging himself until he is senselessly drunk. The servant is not only of no benefit to his master, he is a menace.

e.

Unprepared: The wicked servant did not make ready (Luke 12:47). How could hehe was too busy abusing the other servants and drinking himself into a stupor. Either the servant watches for his master's return which requires sobriety and honor and respector he becomes engrossed in watching out for himself. Self-indulgence tends to blind a person to reality. The master surprised the wicked servant.

f.

Not Following Instructions: The wicked servant did not act according to his knowledge of the master's will. All servants are responsible to know the master's will. If they do not know his will, they will be punished; if they do know his will and disobey it they will be punished.

Wicked servants who take what their master has entrusted to them as stewards and try to use it, abuse it and hoard it for themselves, will be punished. The Greek word translated punished is dichotomesei and means, to cut asunderit is the word from which we get the English word, dichotomy.

Jesus makes it plain (Luke 12:47-48) that reward will be according to faithfulness. Much has been conjectured about reward and punishment in the life to come. Certain things are clearly perceived from the scriptures:

a.

God does not judge according to human standards (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7; Isaiah 55:8; John 7:27; Jeremiah 17:10; 2 Corinthians 10:12). God judges according to motives (cf. Matthew 6:1 ff.; Matthew 23:27; Hebrews 4:12-13), and intentions.

b.

Faithfulness is God's criterion for judgment; not how much was known or how much was accomplished. The wicked servant was punished because he was unfaithful to what he did know. The servants of the parables of the Talents and Pounds were rewarded according to faithful use of what they had been givennot according to what they had not been given.

c.

It is a fact of life that some people are given greater opportunities and capacities to know the will of God and to use it than others are. Perhaps reward and punishment will have to do with a man's capacity and opportunity to desire, appreciate and give himself to goodor to evil.

d.

One thing is certainall who do not believe and prepare for the Master's return are considered to be wicked servants and they will be punished according to their choice to disregard His return.

One very important thing a faithful servant will do continually is take inventory of how much he has been entrusted with in order that he may calculate how much he will be called to account forand he will act according to his inventory!

Applebury's Comments

The Coming of the Son of Man
Scripture

Luke 12:35-48 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; 36 and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through. 40 Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.

41 And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 45 But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant, who knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48 but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.

Comments

Let your loins be girded.This is the familiar figure of one gathering up the long flowing robes worn in that day and binding them about the body so as to be able to move without hindrance. It came to be a symbol of alertness and readiness for action. Jesus warned of the need to be alert, since His coming is at an unknown time.

The rich fool of the parable is still under consideration, for he illustrates the one who is not prepared for the future life. The account of the marriage feast and the coming of the bridegroom as given in Matthew 25:1-13 illustrates the point.

in what hour the thief was coming.Paul used this figure in relation to the Second Coming: For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Since His coming is at an unknown hour, it is necessary to watch and be ready at all times. The rich fool of the parable did not know when his life would end or when he would be called upon to give account of himself to God. The Lord has delayed His coming through this time of God's longsuffering, but no one knows when it will end or when his time to prepare will be over. Of one thing we are sure: the Lord is coming! Be ye also ready.

unto us, or even unto all?Peter's question had to do with the story of the thief at night that showed the necessity of faithfulness in view of the unknown time of Christ's coming. Did it refer to the apostles or to all the people?

Jesus did not answer directly with no or yes. He did answer in a manner that let Peter know that He was talking primarily to the apostles. They were to be wise stewards taking care of the Master's household while He was away. See 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 for Paul's lesson on the necessity of faithfulness on the part of the apostles and others who share the responsibility of caring for the church of the Lord.

But if that servant shall say in his heart.Jesus often presented both sides of an issue. His disciples were to be faithful and wise stewards, but if they should be unfaithful there was punishment awaiting them, Did Peter remember this lesson when he denied that he had never known such a person as Jesus?

many stripes. few stripes.The degrees of punishment have to do with the servants: willful unfaithfulness merits many stripes; ignorance, few. But all unfaithfulness is punishable.

Does this passage teach degrees of punishment in hell? No wise servant should have to learn the lesson by experience. That punishment is too awful for the mind to fully appreciate just how terrible it is. The wise person will do all that is necessary to avoid it completely. Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels. No one who commits himself to the Lord and remains faithful will experience its pain and anguish, for there is the crown of life for those who are faithful to the Lord until death (Revelation 2:10).

The Parable of the Pounds (Luke 19:11-27) suggests that there will be a difference in the rewards to the faithful, perhaps that they are to be in proportion to the ability to enjoy them. But to be in the kingdom of heaven will be reward enough (2 Peter 1:10-11).