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Continuing our studies of Luke 12, this week are considering verses 35-48. Please read them every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 12:39-40 (NLT)
‘“Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”’
Christmas Eve at our house is normally quite predictable. There are some things that we do almost as a tradition but as the children have grown older and this year, as both will have houses of their own, we will have to do things quite differently. However, up until this point, I guarantee you that Cath will have thought one thing in particular and will ensure that we take a specific course of action. She will make sure that the lounge curtains are closed if there are any Christmas presents on show. She will also double check that every door and every window is locked. She doesn’t do this normally, but on this one night of the year, she is especially keen.
The reason of course is that she’s afraid that someone will take an interest in our home and decide to break in and steal the presents. We have read the horror stories of people whose Christmas has been ruined because of burglars. Because of this, Cath will do everything in her power to prevent any theft or attempted burglary.
It’s relatively easy to be on our guard because we know that this one night is a special night and therefore prone to burglaries. We are protecting ourselves because of something that MAY happen. If we knew exactly when the burglar was coming, we’d be even more prepared and definitely stop the person breaking in.
This is exactly Jesus’ point in this parable. He’s saying that it would be very, very easy to be prepared for something if you know exactly what is happening and are aware of exactly when it will happen. In my example earlier, it would be ludicrous to think that if Cath and I knew that we would be robbed at precisely 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, that we would leave the house empty and leave the front door open! We would make sure that we were home, that all the doors were locked, we would switch on all the lights and maybe even call the police asking them to be on site also.
Every one of us would do all we can to be prepared for Jesus’ return if we knew exactly when it was going to happen. Many, many people have ‘guessed’ at the date based on their interpretation of certain scriptures and their perception of world events. Jesus said ‘No-one knows the hour’, so it’s futile to even suggest a date or time. We are just being asked in this parable to ‘be prepared’.
I know of so many people who say that they will give their lives to Jesus at their death-bed. I’m aware of others who insist that they will surrender all to Him at some point in the future but just not now. In the same way as the man who decided to build bigger barns for a secure future, none of us can be sure that we’ll have time to make those kind of plans. Jesus wants a faithful people who submit their lives to His Lordship daily and are looking for His return. He has promised that He will return when we least expect it.
With that in mind, take a few minutes each day to spend time with Him and as someone once said, ‘keep short accounts’. Offer praise to Him and maintain a heart of repentance. Take His forgiveness and use it to look forward to His return. He’s coming back!
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