Luke 12:41-48 (3)

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-As always, let me encourage you...

…to turn in your Bibles to Luke 12...

...and to follow along.

We’re going to be jumping back in, at Verse 41.

-For the last couple of weeks...

…we’ve been looking at a section...

…wherein, Jesus was telling His disciples...

…that to be faithful servants...

…they would need to...

…set their hearts on Him in such a way...

…that they would be CONSTANTLY...

Watching

Awaiting

Longing for...

...His return!

-Well, in our text this morning...

He goes beyond the emphasis on watching and waiting...

…and tells them

…what he expects them to be doing...

…while they wait...

And, He gives some very compelling reasons...

...to motivate them to...

…work diligently in those things.

-There’s some deep and difficult stuff in these verses, brethren.

-Some of it is not going to easy to hear.

But, if our Lord took the time to say it...

And, the Holy Spirit made the effort to...

Inspire it...

Record it in the Canon of Scripture...

Then we need hear and receive it!

Amen?

-Alright, let’s read over it together.

Luke 12, Beginning in Verse 41.

This is the Holy and Inspired Word of God!

Luke 12:41–48 (ESV)

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, 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 will find so doing when he comes.

44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

46 the 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 cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.

48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

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Pray

In order for us to properly understand...

...Peter’s question in Verse 41...

...We need to remember the context...

…in which it was asked.

First of all, remember that...

…Jesus had changed audiences...

…multiple times since the beginning of Chapter 12:

Luke 12:1 (ESV)

1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Then, in Verse 13:

Luke 12:13–14 (ESV)

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

And then, He had broadened out its application...

...to the crowds:

Luke 12:15 (ESV)

15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness...

Then:

Luke 12:22 (ESV)

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...

And that address...

…appears to have gone on...

…all the way to the last few verses...

…where Jesus had told these very similar parables:

Luke 12:35–40 (ESV)

36 ...be like men who are waiting for their master to come home...

37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes...

39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into.

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

So, in light of these parabolic lessons...

…and in light of the previous changes in audience...

..Peter asks this:

Luke 12:41 (ESV)

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”

In other words...

…to whom does this apply?

To the Twelve Apostles only?

To all the THEN disciples?

To the Jewish Crowds?

To all Christians of all time?

To every human image-bearer of God?

You see, the intended scope, here...

…is going to be very important...

…in how we understand what’s being said.

(And I should probably state up front, that...

…I think he’s directly addressing Christian Leaders...

…but that the principles, here too...

…are applicable to...

All Christians in particular

All People in general)

-Now, as I’ve mentioned to you before...

(Jesus, as He often did...

…when the disciples asked misguided questions)...

…doesn’t give Peter a direct answer.

Instead, He responds with another parable.

Luke 12:42 (ESV)

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household...

So, the word Jesus uses here...

…is much more specific...

…than what He had been using...

…to describe the watchful servants...

…in the previous parables.

Here, He uses a word that specifically denotes...

…a servant, who was...

The manager (steward) of the house

The overseer of all the other servants.

Now, that sounds very much like...

…the role of an Apostle...

...over the rest of the church, right?

At the very least...

…what’s being connoted...

…is the idea of...

A leader among servants

A servant who is under the master...

But given charge over his fellow servants.

If so, then, that principle would also apply...

…to the surviving office of elder/pastor as well.

And that means, that...

...there’s extant application for us today.

-Now, what is the Lord telling them/us...

…about His expectations...

…for His servant-leaders...

…in this parable?

Well, we already saw, that...

…they were to be...

Luke 12:42 (ESV)

42 . . . “Who then is the faithful and wise manager...

“wise” = “prudent”

(These attributes, of course, hearken back...

…to the expectations...

…of the previous parables).

So, that speaks to their character.

What follows, speaks to the nature of their work.

In other words...

…it shows us what that prudent faithfulness looks like...

…in the context of church leadership:

Jesus says...

Luke 12:42 (ESV)

42 . . .his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

So, the steward of the house...

…was responsible for the well-being...

…of all the other servants of the house...

And all the more so...

…while the Master (who was ultimately responsible) was himself away!

So, what would this mean for the Apostles?

How do they serve as stewards of Christ’s house?

1 Corinthians 4:1 (ESV)

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

So, how do they provide for the other servants:

Faithfully preaching and testifying to Christ...

(Death, Burial, Resurrection)

(Meaning, intent and scope of the Cross)

And laying down the Apostolic Deposit of Truth (i.e., the New Testament Canon)

-What does the same principle imply...

…for pastors, today?

2 Timothy 4:1–5 (ESV)

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus...

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching...

5 ...always be sober-minded, endure suffering . . . fulfill your ministry.

It looks like this:

Acts 20:28 (ESV)

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

This is why the author of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning...

-Brethren, this first response...

…is directed specifically at church leaders.

But, does it have an application (in principle)...

…to every single Christian?

I think it does:

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

-Now, look at the Beatitude that follow, in Verse 43.

To exhort them to faithfulness...

…Jesus (continuing the parable) says this:

Luke 12:43 (ESV)

43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

Here that same manager...

…is referred to as a common servant

(reminding us that, the greatest of Pastors and Apostles...

…are still but slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ)

“So doing” what?

Luke 12:42 (ESV)

42 ...give them their portion of food at the proper time...

If the overseers (stewards) of the Church...

…are faithful and diligent...

…in their oversight and watch-care...

…of the church, while its Master is away...

Then, when He returns...

…they will be numbered among those...

…whom the Master regards as “Bless-ed”

And, not only that...

...He goes on to say:

Luke 12:44 (ESV)

44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

Signifying, not just the Church...

(those called out from among the world)

…but over all the world, itself.

No, I haven’t gone postmill...

…or subscribed to the misguided notions of Sacralism...

I’m actually referring to an idea...

… that comes directly from the Word of God:

For starters, Jesus elsewhere said:

Luke 22:28–30 (ESV)

28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials,

29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom,

30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Paul said:

1 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)

2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? . . .

1 Corinthians 6:3 (ESV)

3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? . . .

And this isn’t just...

…some obscure 1 Corinthians thing.

He told the church at Thyatira:

Revelation 2:26–27 (ESV)

26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,

27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.

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And on and on we could go.

-Now, in Verses 45 & 46...

…Jesus states the antithesis:

i.e., the Master’s response to unfaithful and neglectful stewardship

(and it ought to make a lot of...

…so-called gospel “ministers” today...

…tremble in their very bones)

But, before we read it...

Let me give you a couple of things...

…to notice as we come to them:

What we’re going to see, is...

3 Categories of unfaithful servants;

Three degrees of punishment.

1. Verse 45: An overtly wicked and oppressive servant

2.) Verse 47: The willfully disobedient, but not malicious servant

3.) Verse 48: The ignorantly disobedient servant

Point:

Obedience is owed to God.

The greater light that is sinned against, the greater our guilt and punishment.

And, notice this as well:

Theres was only one type of faithful servant and one type of reward.

(This refutes the notions of a two, or multi-tiered Christianity)

-Alright, let’s read Verse 45:

Luke 12:45 (ESV)

45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

“to himself” = literally: “in his heart”

Before we read about his fate...

…notice the contrasts:

He isn’t desiring his Master’s return

He likes that He appears to be delayed.

He isn’t disciplined, vigilant, and focused

He is self-indulgent (Drunkard and a glutton)

He isn’t concerned about the eternal good...

…of his fellow servants...

…who are under his auspices.

He’s rude, belittling, arrogant, and abusive toward them.

-Brethren, I want to be clear, here:

This is NOT a sincere, but misguided pastor...

This is a wolf in SHEPHERD’S clothing!

And, what does the Real Shepherd do...

…when he returns to the sheepfold...

…and finds a wolf ravaging it?

Luke 12:46 (ESV)

46 the 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 cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

“put him” = “assign him a place”

“unfaithful” = literally: “unbelievers”

In Matthew’s account of the Olivet Discourse...

…and after giving the same parable...

...Jesus said:

Matthew 24:51 (ESV)

51 ...will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Brethren, that is NOT...

…any place within, or part of, the Celestial City!

That is the place of Eternal Torment.

Let me prove that to you:

Matthew 25:41 (ESV)

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:45–46 (ESV)

45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

That is the...

Revelation 20:10 (ESV)

10 ...the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

This isn’t an option for the true Christian...

…or for the true Church leader.

This is the destiny of the Hypocrite:

This is the sobering reality:

Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

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Not all that glitters is gold, brethren...

And not all who wear a suit and tie...

…and can speak the language of Zion...

…are true servants of Christ!

A tree is known by its fruits...

And a true Christian leader...

…will be genuinely and sacrificially concerned...

…with the spiritual and eternal well-being...

…of those who are under his charge.

And, while some may be able to fool us...

…for a time on this earth...

NONE… will be able to fool the true Shepherd/King...

…when He returns to collect what is His!

-Now, watch this:

Luke 12:47–48 (ESV)

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.

48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating...

Do you recognize the principle here?

It’s nothing new.

Numbers 15:27–31 (ESV)

27 “If one person sins unintentionally, . . .

28 ...the priest shall make atonement before the Lord . . . and he shall be forgiven....

30 But the person who does anything with a high hand . . . reviles the Lord...

31 ...that person shall be utterly cut off...

This principle is shows up all over the NT...

…including places like:

Matthew 11:21–24 (ESV)

23 And you, Capernaum . . . if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

That’s the universal principle of divine justice:

The greater the light that is sinned against:

The greater the guilt

The greater the punishment that is deserved

The greater the punishment that will be meeted out

-Now, look at that last sentence of Verse 48.

Jesus applies this principle positively…

…and gives the concluding statement...

…of the entire parable.

And, in so doing...

…He answers Peter’s question:

Luke 12:48 (ESV)

48 ...Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

So, to whom is this applicable?

Everyone who has received light and responsibility!

And to what degree is it applicable?

To the degree that they’ve received it!

Alright, let’s finish by...

…addressing the elephant in the room.

This is from Mike McKinley:

It may seem hard to reconcile Jesus’ words here with the message of grace and forgiveness that is at the heart of the gospel message.

It is certainly true that when Jesus returns, the only hope that any of us have is located in Christ’s mercy and forgiveness, not in our own merit.

It is his faithfulness that saves us, not our own. And believers in Christ never need to fear that they might be condemned in the final judgment (see John 5:24).

John 5:24 (ESV)

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

We’ve skipped over that

How?

Penal Substitution!

But Jesus never allows us to separate our trust in him from our obedience to him (see Luke 6:43–46);

following Jesus’ commands is a mark that distinguishes a true believer from someone who merely pays lip service to Jesus as his or her master.

A servant who is fundamentally disobedient is a faithless (or unbelieving) servant.

Faithful servants can anticipate their master’s pleasure and gracious reward (see Matthew 25:23); faithless servants can expect only punishment (see Matthew 25:45–46). — Mike McKinley

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And to that I’ll simply add my “amen”

Let’s pray