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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 12:35-38 (NLT)
‘“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.’
I have to confess that I don’t like being late for anything. Generally, I like to be at least 10 minutes early for any event and most of the time I’m ready much, much earlier than that! However, there are moments when I’m not so keen. Such as when I have to go shopping.
If Cath and I agree that we’ll leave at, say 10:30 a.m., you can guarantee that I will still be doing something else right up until 10:25. Then, I have to rush to get ready so that we’re not late leaving. There are a few occasions when I’ve had to pick people up to go somewhere and they’re late, so I’m sitting in the car, getting more and more impatient with every passing minute. It’s quite frustrating for me as we had arranged a time after all. It’s not as if I’ve just turned up out of the blue.
Jesus talks about ‘being ready’ for something that doesn’t have a pre-defined time. He tells His disciples a parable about ‘a master’ who is returning from a wedding feast. He says some very, very strange things that don’t make a lot of sense in the cultural context. He mentions the master who is prepared to serve the servants! That certainly doesn’t fit into any cultural context. Can you imagine being invited to work as a servant at Buckingham Palace and on the first day, the Queen turns up in her apron and starts waiting on you? It’s absurd to think that this is possible, yet Jesus is saying precisely that.
Of course, anyone who has read the New Testament will recognise that this kind of servanthood is EXACTLY what Jesus came to show. He says that if anyone wants to be great, he must first become the servant of all. Jesus is illustrating in this parable that He really is ‘The Servant King’.
One more question remains: Who are the people whom Jesus is going to serve? The short answer is, those who are faithful and are ready for His return. Being ready in this passage means that they are dressed and fully prepared to go at a moment’s notice. The long flowing robes that were normally worn would be tucked in their belts ready to run! That’s the image Jesus wants us to have about His return. When He calls, be ready to run! Don’t allow anything to hinder our preparation. Be prepared and be ready!
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