Jesus is coming again
Luke 12:35-48
35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “But know 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, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. 47 That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
The followers of Jesus live life with the knowledge that the full revelation of God’s kingdom is ready to break into our world at any moment. So, the followers of Jesus are always ready for his return.
It has been so long since Jesus left that vs. 45 fits well in the present moment, “My master is delayed in coming.” Human beings, the church included, has often acted as though Jesus is not coming again.
We know the kind of life Jesus wants us to live, Luke has given us more than enough examples of the patterns of care and compassion, of humility and mercy, of generosity and forgiveness. Luke has told us enough times that we are to be servants and not bosses, that our desire is to be with the least and the lowly. That is what Jesus hopes to find when he returns, people living by those patterns.
The grave warning in this passage, is that we who know what is expected, are called to live that pattern even though we have no idea when Jesus will come again. Our hope is that we are found working when Jesus comes. We are not called to great heroic work, but the simple work highlighted in the previous paragraph of this devotional. Those who are found doing this will be blessed Jesus says.
This call in our lives is of urgent consequence, for Jesus’ return is the moment when everything changes, and so we live by the pattern of the kingdom Jesus will bring into full bloom in our world. Leaning even now, working even now, as though that kingdom is already here. We say to those who suggest Jesus is not coming back – “His promise is certain therefore I will be working when he returns.”
PRAYER:
It has been a long time since Jesus left, O Lord, and we confess at times we wonder if he is coming back again. We ask you to help us remember the promise of his return, so that we do falter but work faithfully for the kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.