Lesson 42L Luke 12:41-52, Faithulness and Fire

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.”

Faithfulness is expected. Fire comes when least expected. The first exchange with Peter concerns faithfulness. The end of the lesson takes on the fire. Hang onto your seats.

This day Jesus explains what He was telling everyone around him. It goes back to verse 35. Really, He is actively explaining it to us today through His Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals Christ Jesus our Lord. This passage urges faithfulness in regards to your accountability as a believer. More specifically the apostles wanted the Savior to personalize their responsibilities to them, instead He gives the doctrine for all servants who are hearing/reading/ listening! The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility.

Peter is named as the questioner starting at verse 41. You can say that he is being a spokesman for the situation, this parable. The fuller answer to this is found in Mark 13:37 “And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be on the alert!” In this verse of response Jesus indirectly is talking to everyone. In Mark, the question is answered directly with an exclamation point: “Be on the alert!” The Lord then says, that the real question is who is going to be in charge as the CEO, CFO,and COO when the Master takes His journey. They were definitely expecting something to happen as He has been telling them about His death for some time. (BTW, CEO is Chief Operating Officer. CFO is Chief Financial Officer, and COO is Chief Operating Officer.)

Aren’t we all in similar fashion as the apostles? What are you trying to tell me through his situation? Is there someone who can answer this or ask the right questions? How shall we move on in an uncertain time? In this hour, a leader needs to speak up. Peter was always willing to speak up until the immediate events of the crucifixion. The response by the Savior is intended to teach by way of a principle that enables us to use our God given skills of thinking and decision making. Instead of exactness, here is a story of principle. Use it in the future for more than one occasion. Let’s give them credit where credit is due. They were not silent. Peter did ask the question before it was too late. This is a teachable moment. Let’s listen more closely.

Jesus basically says, “Who gets to be boss when I am not around?” He then mentions a manager who is over the household to give everyone in the house their meals at the proper time. It is a house that needs a manager because there more than enough responsibility and duties that demands servants and employees. This is not a small household. When the Master goes on a business trip and does not have an exact time of return, He expects his main man to go about the duties, over all of his possessions. Now suppose the servant makes some wrong choices based on a travel delay of the master. This manager beats the male and female servants. He is partying and gets drunk. Then the master returns unexpectedly and finds the servant manager in gross negligence. The Master responds with cutting him in pieces. I believe you would call that a permanent termination. He was put to death.

The servant was a slave, a “doulos”. His was in a precarious situation. Watching and waiting were not his only responsibilities. He had work to do. People depended on them for their food, even family members of the master. Apparently the responsibility to feed, in this case the apostles in their taking care of God’s household carried with it special and serious responsibility. When one of them shirked his duty and sold out the Master, his life was required of him and he was counted with the unfaithful, just as the story shows. Unfaithfulness rarely carries with it a true understanding of the passion with which a position was entrusted. There are degrees of punishment here. One was for blatant disregard, and the other is punished for not getting ready, or act according to the masters will: a severe beating. A third beating listed is a light beating for the one who did not know, but deserved a beating.

The moral of the parable is:

English Standard Version (Chapter 12)

“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.”

The rule of stewardship is that there are more than one steward in the same ship. But the one who is over all is seriously obligated to fulfill his duties. One does not lightly walk away from the will of God. There will be a day when the faithful servants will receive rewards. But unfaithful ones will receive loss and lose rewards, but still be saved.

Fire on Earth Lk 12:40-53

English Standard Version (Chapter 12)

49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus names three expectations of His coming: fire on Earth, the baptism of distress, and division. The Jews understood Jesus to be talking about the fire of judgement. There is the Lake of fire in Revelation 21, in addition to fire that rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah. The fire of the temple sacrifice pictured God’s judgement on sin. The baptism of distress that Jesus was speaking of pictured His death on the cross, burial and resurrection. It is good for us today and it was His joy set before him, but He still sweat great amounts of blood, wore a thorny crown, took lashes to His back, spitting, bleeding, and nailed to a cross where He died in shame. That was what His baptism portrayed. It was a baptism of distress that paid for our sins.

The peace on Earth that everyone still expects today, may not come in their lifetime. Peoples expectations may not coincide with the Savior’s timeline of return. Until that time and even today, the question of “who is on the Lord’s side” causes division even in God’s church. Jesus is revealing that not everyone in the house is at peace, but rather divided, or maybe unsaved. The division runs deep in he family. Jesus said, His return is going to cause it. Are you and are we ready for His return and the expectation of our Master?

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