The Expectant Servant
Notes
Transcript
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Throughout Luke 12 we have seen that Jesus is showing us that to follow His requires that we reorient our lives, our priorities. Because of our fallen condition and our finite small mindedness mankind has gotten his priorities all backwards. We value the temporal, we seek security in the material which Jesus summed up in seeking what you eat what you will drink, and what you will wear.
This has been a trait of man since the fall. It was evident in Israel after the exodus. When the people hurled accusations against Moses and Aaron and thus God himself that they had brought them out of Egypt only to let the die of hunger and thirst in the wilderness. Despite the fact that God through Moses and Arron had lead them out of Egypt through many powerful signs, plagues that He brought o the Egyptians until the Pharaoh himself was brought to his knees to bow the the demands of the God of the Hebrews. And then through the Red Sea making a highway for them through the depths. With should mighty works how could they think that this same God would let them die for lack of food and water?
But God has saved you delivering you from sin and death through the victory of Christ on the Cross. The Father no sparing the Son wills that He die on the cross for your you. How then will He neglect your daily needs?
We saw the Rich fool in verses 13-21 who was so fixated on storing up reserves so that he would be secure and yet gave no thought to being rich toward God or the kingdom of God. A fool because all his efforts were on the temporal things of this world without thought for the eternal Kingdom of God and all that He laid up in store would be for another and He would find himself before God naked.
So Jesus says don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink, these are the things that the nations of the world seek after, but your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things. Rather seek the Kingdom of God! Which as we saw the Apostle Paul said, the kingdom is not food and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
So if it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom “if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children then how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Then we do not require the security of temporal things. Sell what you have and give alms because if you seek the kingdom of God you have a treasure in heaven that will never fade away and no one can take it from you.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The issue in our text is in what do you treasure Because where your treasure is there your heart will be also. If you treasure the temporal things and pleasures then your heart will be set here on earthly things.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
However, if we have set our treasure in Heaven then we will eagerly wait for the Savior. Christian if you become too comfortable in this world, too secure in your possessions, too entertained with the pleasures of this world then you may find that you no longer wait expectantly for the return of Jesus. You may find yourself hoping that He holds off a bit longer.
Our passage gives us a warning of this very issue.
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
The picture here is of a master who has traveled to a wedding feast. Why a wedding feast? Well it perhaps connects on many levels as the image of the wedding is found throughout the scriptures. Particularly in the future wedding feast of the Lamb. But certainly one reason for this being a wedding feast that the master is attending is because it creates the scenario for a return at an unknown time. The Jewish weddings of the first century could last for days. Usually between 2-7 days. Often based on when the wine and food runs out. This would mean that the servants of the house would be unaware of exactly when their master would return. So they would have to remain ready in order that they could greet and tend to their master when he did arrive.
So Jesus says that we should be like these servants ready for His return.
“Let your waist be girded and lamps burning” shows that this waiting is not passive waiting but active waiting.
Peter perhaps in recollection of this teaching tells us in his epistle.
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
Here we find a twist in the story. Typically the servants wait for the master to immediately greet him and tend to his needs. But here the parable takes an unexpected turn because Jesus says that these faithful expectant servants are blessed because when the master returns he himself will gird himself and have his servants sit down to eat and he will serve them.
this points to that aspect of the Kingdom of God that is contrary to our culture. That those who are the greatest will be the servants of others. No where was this displayed more clearly than when Christ Himself girded up His loins and took a towel and washed His disciples feet.
He also taught that the Son of Man came not to be served but to served, meaning His great sacrificial death on the cross to serve as the payment for our sins.
But Jesus did not serve us through His death that we might become fat lazy servants who are continually waited on. No, He said as I have served you so you serve one another. Meaning if our Master humbled Himself, and took on the form of a servant that we must also humble ourselves and serve one another. If He sacrificed for us then we must take up our cross and sacrifice for one another. These are the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God which we are to seek.
In verse 39 the image shifts to a master of a house be is a home owner or steward who was burgled. Unfortunately as those who have been burgled know, thieves don’t tend to make appointments. Obviously if they did then security would be a far easier prospect as you could simple have the police meet the prospective thief at the appointed time. If the master of the house had known when then he could have easily prevented the incident. But thieve wait, in fact they will often study your movements and schedules precisely so that they can break in when you least expect it.
Jesus says His return is just like that thief in that He will came when you least expect it so to try and prepare at the last minute will set you up for failure.
If you are waiting to follow Jesus until you are done enjoying the so call pleasures of this world then you are playing a fools game. He is coming at an hour you do not expect. Don’t play games with God. If you are a believer and you know that you need to get your life right with God but you are holding off because you want to enjoy the worldly life a bit longer, then heed this warning this morning. The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
