Sermon: Luke 12:35-48
12:41 for us, or also for everyone Peter asks Jesus to clarify whether His remarks about the master’s return are addressed to the entire crowd (Luke 12:1, 13) or only to the Twelve.
12:42 will put in charge Jesus responds to Peter’s question with a parable hinting at the role the apostles will play after His ascension (compare Acts 1:8; 20:28).
The faithful manager is then contrasted with the unfaithful servant who beats the household servants and gets drunk. To the surprise of the unfaithful servant, however, the master will return at an hour he does not know (v. 46), resulting in swift and harsh judgment: he will cut him in pieces (cf. Jer. 34:18) and put him with the unfaithful—a metaphorical reference to the punishment that awaits the unbeliever at the return of Christ.
People who have been entrusted by God with many abilities and responsibilities will be held to a higher standard on the last day (cf. notes on Matt. 25:29; Mark 4:24, 25).
12:47–48 Unfaithful believers will be weighed based on the level of their knowledge and responsibility, which means leaders will receive greater judgment than those who didn’t have that level of responsibility (12:48).
12:43–44 The faithful servant of Jesus is the one who is given a task, performs it, and is blessed by it (12:43).
12:37 dress himself to serve. The master reverses the normal roles and serves the servants (cf. 22:27 and note on 22:26; Mk 10:45; Jn 13:5–14 and notes).
12:47–48 beaten with many blows … beaten with few blows. The grades of punishment that the judge will mete out in proportion to both the privileges each person has enjoyed and one’s response to those privileges (see Ro 2:12–16 and notes).
12:35 keep your lamps burning: This is a picture of readiness and vigilance (Exod 27:20–21; Lev 24:2; Ps 18:28; Matt 25:1–13).
This could either mean “treat him as an unbeliever” (a temporal judgment) or “send him to hell” (an eternal judgment), depending on whether Jesus was referring to discipline for a believer or condemnation of an unbeliever. The point is that an unfaithful servant faces stringent judgment.
12:47–48 who knows … who does not know: Sins of ignorance receive less punishment than intentional sins (Num 15:22–26; Ps 19:13; cp. Luke 23:34). • When someone has been given much: Believers will be held responsible for the knowledge and resources they have been given (see Jas 3:1). A sin in ignorance is still a sin.
The concluding verse is in the form of a beatitude, “It will be blessed [NIV: ‘good’] for …” Those servants who have remained prepared and vigilant in the hours of waiting will experience a special blessing from the Lord “even if he comes in the middle of the night [the second watch] or toward daybreak [the third watch].”
Primarily addressing the disciples, Jesus in verse 42 asks whom he can count on to be “a faithful and wise steward” (NIV: “manager”; oikonomos). These are the leaders of Christ’s messianic community.
For the community of followers these people would be similar to the deacons and others who managed the care funds after the apostles handed over that duty (4:32–35; 6:3–6). These were to be faithful in discharging their responsibility and “wise” or “prudent” in the way they did so. This means they are “sensible” or steady as leaders.
Jesus in this chapter is training his followers for their future mission and summing up previous lessons. They must have nothing to do with the spreading evil of the Pharisees but realize that the words and deeds of both the wicked and the righteous are going to be made known to all, so they must make sure they are living and proclaiming the things of Christ (vv. 1–3). They need not worry about what people might do to them, for God watches over every hair on their head (vv. 4–7). They must simply acknowledge Christ in all they do, and their eternal future will be secure (vv. 8–9). They have the Holy Spirit. They are never to blaspheme his name but instead rely on him to tell them what to say in the crisis situations (vv. 10–12).
Jesus closed His discussion of the disciples’ attitudes toward the material world with a warning. Be alert!
It is not wrong to enjoy. But we do know the Master’s plan. This present world will be dissolved in fire (2 Peter 3:7–13). Thus all that we do here and now should be done in view of the fact of our Lord’s appearance. How happy for us if we never let the world around us close our eyes to God. How happy if we resist the constant temptation to build our lives on things rather than on His coming.
Misleading (Luke 12:4–12). Jesus began to teach that appearances are misleading with a simple warning. He told His disciples not to fear (that is, stand in awe of) powers that can kill the physical body. Instead, stand in awe of God, who can give life to or can destroy the living personality (see vv. 45).
This instruction might well frighten us were it not for Jesus’ next words. Not a sparrow falls, or a hair of our head is lost, but that God knows. So, Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” God’s power is used for us, not against us. We stand in awe of God not because He will destroy us, but because He who has all power cares! We are important to Him!
How important is this realization? Jesus went on to show that when a person acknowledges Christ, that person is acknowledged by Christ in the presence of the angels.
What happens on earth is important in heaven! The two worlds which seem so separated are actually linked … and God is in control of both! How wonderful to realize that God, who does control, values us and will use His power on our behalf.
Working (vv. 41–48). Lest we get the idea that watching and waiting are all that He requires, Jesus added this parable to encourage us to be working when He comes. The Apostles had a special responsibility to feed God’s household, His church; but each of us has some work to do in this world, assigned to us by the Lord.
Our responsibility is to be faithful when He comes. We may not appear successful in our own eyes, or in the eyes of others; but that is not important. The thing God wants is faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2).
Once a believer starts to think his Master is not coming back, his life begins to deteriorate. Our relationship with others depends on our relationship to the Lord; so if we stop looking for Him, we will stop loving His people. The motive for Christian life and service must be a desire to please the Lord and be found faithful at His return.
To “stay woke” in the Christian sense means to actively watch and wait for our Lord’s second coming.
#StayWoke is a slogan and a hash tag. The phrase refers to what we used to call “consciousness.” It means to be aware of the cultural, racial, ethnic, and political realities of our time.
Our Lord teaches us to “stay woke” in a different, more important sense. Here, staying awake refers to being ready for the Master’s return (v. 35).
Why should we live this life in anticipation of that day? Second Timothy 4:8 tells us, “There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.” If we love his appearing and look for that day, then when he comes he will reward us with the crown of righteousness, and joy will flood our souls. The happy ones are those who are waiting for Christ, watching for the Master’s arrival with diligence.
Here’s the principle: The knowledge of God’s will is a trust, a stewardship. The more you know of God’s will, the more you are required to do (v. 48). This suggests we must listen to God’s word eagerly. We must listen actively and expectantly. We do not wish to be like the man James describes, the man who looks into the mirror of God’s word then turns away forgetting what he saw, failing to do what he heard (Jas 1:23). We wish to be hearers and doers of the word. We do not wish to be stony ground hearers or hearers from whom ravens snatch the word of God from our hearts. So we must obediently apply God’s word in our lives.
What has God taught you about his will for you? What has the Lord called you to do? Are you doing it? Are you doing it knowing that he is coming again and he is bringing his reward with him?
Believers know that Jesus is returning and that all will give an account for their stewardship. So in this passage Jesus gives a series of three images to underline the importance of living prospectively. The parable of being prepared (vv. 35–36), the parable of waiting for the Son of Man (vv. 39–40) and the parable of the kinds of stewards (vv. 41–48) call us to reflect on our view of the future. The nature of the future helps to determine present priorities. Jesus wants to make sure disciples are prepared for what is to come. Faith means trusting God, not only for the present but also for the future, by walking faithfully with him until he returns. What God will do affects what we do.
The perfect participle, acting as an imperative, makes the point: keep yourself ready. The image of lamps burning adds to the sense of watchfulness. Even in the dark hours of the night you must be ready. Watch at all times.
Jesus has always placed a high premium on service, and here he shows that he will honor faithfulness with service. It is not at all common for masters to serve slaves, but God’s grace shows the extent of God’s love. The chief steward leads the stewards in service.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
daily obedience of the disciple shows that he is ready for the return of Jesus