Prepare For His Arrival
Stewardship Series
“How should we approach life here on earth and how might we live as Disciples of Christ within it?”
“35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, 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 is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Explanation:
Any new parents can attest to the importance of choosing the right babysitter. The right person will be required to not only ensure the care of the children entrusted to them, but also be faithful keepers of the household, making sure that the house is kept in order so that the parents will arrive to a pristine scene. Such a scenario is not unlike what Jesus describes in this parable. He exhorts us to be as servants who are waiting for a master to return from a wedding. He teaches us to be “dressed for action” and our “lamps burning” so that we might be completely prepared for his arrival with our house in order and ready to receive the king who in turn will turn around and bless his servants by becoming a servant himself and opening his home to them (v. 37).
Connection:
Contrary to what many "prosperity" preachers would have you believe, the Christian life is not about the accumulation of wealth and financial blessing. God may very well grant those things to us, but it is not the objective of the one who is following Jesus. Instead, Jesus calls our attention to faith and to our perspective. How should we approach life here on earth and how might we live as Disciples of Christ within it?
The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once noted that life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards. While perspective certainly consists of looking backwards at our lives in reflection of things that have happened, there is also a component of living intentionally with regard to our future. Such things can scare us because we don't know what the future holds and always requires that we place our faith in God, and live with the conviction that he will provide for us. It demands more of us than simply determining what we will do today or where our next meal might come from. Jesus addresses the need for us all to live not strictly for today, but to live in light of his promise to return. He beckons us to be faithful stewards and keep our house in order, lest the master return as we sleep (V. 35).
Action:
1. Reflect -
A good servant always takes care to put thought into what he or she is caring for and to understand the weight of the responsibility that has been given to them. For this reason, it is good to reflect joyfully on the many gifts that are given to us, so that we might fully appreciate them and are carefully to cherish and preserve them (James 1:17).
2. Prospect -
Stewardship also requires that we keep our eyes on the future so that every action is taking the master's return into account. A good question to ask ourselves is whether any single action will bring glory to God. Such meditation and ways of thinking can help us to develop a "kingdom mindset" so that everything that we do is geared towards magnifying Christ and bringing people to him (Phil 1:15-18).
3. Serve -
It is worth noting that Jesus decided to use the example of servants in his illustration. He could easily have used different characters, such as innkeepers or guards, but he wanted to convey to us that our outlook should be that of servants, laying down our own interests in light of what he has promised to do. Therefore, ask God to shape our Intentions and desires so that we can approach our daily endeavors as servant-keepers of his gifts.