35 “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. 36 You are to be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 Blessed will be those servants the master finds alert when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Luke 12:35-40
Have you ever noticed a change in yourself at work when one of the higher-ups suddenly enters the room? Maybe you feel your posture improve just a little, or you subconsciously find yourself attempting to look busier than you already are? I can count plenty of times when I’ve been caught off guard at an impromptu encounter like this one, and the frazzled state that I was left to operate in revealed a lack of awareness and preparation on my own part.
God’s Word describes how we, as believers, are called to be on our A-game as stewards of the time we’ve been given for His service here on the earth, though it’s not so much like the employee-employer dynamic I just described. Our readiness as servants to the master stems from our reverence rather than the result of any fear. In Luke 12, Jesus describes the only acceptable response we can have towards His return on that unsuspected day: expectant, ready hearts—unlike those who had fallen asleep upon the master’s promised arrival. In verses 35-36, Jesus commands us, too, to be ready for His return, just as the servants in the house of the master are likewise called to be stewarding their time well and in active service that will bring honor to their master’s name.
Scripture tells us that those whom the master finds readily awaiting with expectant hearts will be called blessed. We are not to be caught off guard or by surprise, but rather found awake and watching, prepared and primed to immediately open the door at His first knock! We will watch with mouths agape as He transforms His servants into those He is now waiting on in humble service! This passage shows us how our service in the kingdom is viewed so honorably by the Lord, as Jesus Himself takes on this very role as we are finally and at long last reunited with Him in His presence.
For us as believers, Christ’s return is the ultimate source and object of our hope. It is not to our dismay or with the great fear of having run out of earthly time. We can’t help but to earnestly desire His presence and to have our lamps lit in preparation for the cause of the great service He has so graciously invited us into.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Do you believe the posture of your heart is one of readiness and expectation?
- What does this “active service” look like for you as you expectantly await Christ’s arrival?