Keep Watch; Be Ready.

INTRO

Luke used the picture of Jesus as the Son of Man. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then, John 1:14 adds, “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus became human flesh so He could connect to us and we can connect to Him. In verses 1–3, Jesus warned of the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees. In verses 4–7, Jesus told His listeners to fear God, who has the authority to throw people into hell. In verses 8–12, Jesus told His listeners that if they acknowledge the Son of Man, He would acknowledge them before the angels of God. But those who deny Him will be denied before the angels. Verses 13–21 contains the Parable of the Rich Fool, and verses 22–34 consider the cure for anxiety. Verse 31 is the key verse for this passage.

TEACHING

Luke 12:35–40: Today, we’ll look at four different pictures of how we can be ready for Christ’s return.

Gird your loins. The tunic worn in the first century wouldn’t allow the wearer to do real labor, so the tunic would be pulled up through the legs and tied at the middle to allow for greater movement. The process took several steps and some time to do, so the man couldn’t respond instantly. The church today is relaxed, maybe thinking about the battle to come, but definitely not ready. Jesus emphasized to be ready (vv. 35, 40).

Have your lamps lit.The lamp needs to be already lit. There won’t be time to find matches or trim the wick (Matthew 25:1-13).

Servants waiting for the Master. Be ready to unlock and open the door when the Master arrives with His bride. Wiersbe wrote, “Jewish weddings were held at night, and a bridegroom’s servants would have to wait by the door for their master to come home with his bride.”¹Those who are found ready when Jesus returns will be blessed for their faithful and obedient service (v. 37; Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10). The servants were ready to serve the Master, and He will come to serve them. John 13:3–8 shares an example of Jesus’ servant care of His disciples. This is a glimpse of how Jesus comes to serve us. Faithfulness will be rewarded.

Be ready for the thief in the night. Wiersbe explains, “In the Roman system the second and third watch would be 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. By the Jewish method, it would be 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.”²The reality means Jesus could come at any time. If the homeowner had known when the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have let the thief get in (v. 39).

1 Thessalonians 5:2 emphasizes: “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

2 Peter 3:10: “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.”

1 John 2:28: “So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”

Romans 13:11: “Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

In Matthew 26:40 and following, the disciples were sleeping, instead of keeping watch while Jesus prayed. It’s time the church accepts the fact that Jesus is coming back sooner than we believe. We can’t be the disciples who are sleeping.

CLOSING

In verse 41, Peter asked: “Lord, are You telling this parable for us or to everyone?” Jesus responded by talking about levels of faithfulness. If you’re faithful, you will be rewarded. But if you’re blatantly disobedient, even if you know Jesus is coming back, you’ll be assigned to a place with the unbelievers. Seems to me, if you’re placed with nonbelievers, then you are a nonbeliever. There are levels of reward, and I want you to experience the full reward that is available when Jesus returns. “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more” (v. 48).

So what do we do with all this information? Bible.org gives three suggestions: (1) He must be your Master. (2) You must be His servant. (3) You must be living in expectation of His return. Luke 12:40 says, “You must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Be ready.