Luke 12:35-40 35“Be dressed with your loins girded and lamps burning, 36and you be like people who are waiting for their own master when he might come home from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open the door to him. 37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will dress himself and recline at table with them and when he comes he will serve them. 38And if in the second watch, or if in the third, he might he come and find thus, blessed are those ones.
Jesus moves to a new topic of being ready, but it fits under the wider theme of life in the kingdom. The major themes have been to trust God for our needs and, when we have extra, care for those in need. Jesus moves on to use eschatological words and illustrations to stress the next step of development in discipleship. He challenged his disciples to look around them at that moment to care for one another. But always, their view is to the future and eternity. Having girded loins means being dressed for action and ready at any moment for when Jesus comes again. The readiness is emphasized with burning lamps. The disciples should be vigilant and prepared, ready to be obedient to the Master’s commands.
Jesus builds on the images in verse 35 with a story of a wedding feast. The story is in the form of a similitude that is introduced with the word like that compares disciples to people who are waiting for their master. The master had been away at a wedding feast, with the assumption it was his own wedding. Jesus knocking at the door recalls the letter to Laodicea in Revelation 3:20. The knock is an invitation for the servants to open the door and let the master come in. The door is intended to keep unwelcome people on the outside. At once shows the readiness of the servants to respond quickly because they have been watching and waiting, dressed and with lamps burning, not asleep in the dark.
Those servants awake and ready will receive a blessing. The blessing is to join the master in a celebration of the wedding, having a feast with these prepared servants. The position of honor is reversed. Whereas the servants honored the master by being vigilant, watching, and being ready, the master now takes the place of a servant and honors the faithful servants who were waiting for him. The key thought is that the servants were prepared for the master’s return at any moment, day or night. Because the lamps were burning, they had stayed away far into the night if necessary.
In this story, it is possible that the master could be delayed. No reason is given for that here. Second Peter 3:9 gives a good reason for Jesus’ delay in coming: “The Lord does not delay about his promise, as some count slowness, but he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The master in this story could return late in the night. The second and third watches in the Roman system were 9 pm –12 am, 12 – 3 am, so the master could potentially come around midnight. It would be more challenging to stay awake the later the master was. But being awake and ready would bring the blessing of honor. Disciples must be ready for Jesus’ return by being watching and prepared.
For older posts, click here.