I'm I'm Bishop Julian Dobbs of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word, and we're in an Advent study looking at Luke chapter 12. We began 2 weeks ago thinking about, beware, the challenge of hypocrisy. We look secondly at be not afraid or do not fear. And then today, in our studies from Luke's gospel chapter 12 in this advent season, we're looking at being ready. Would you turn with me in your bibles to Luke chapter 12 verses 35 to 48?
Julian Dobbs:Jesus said, stay dressed for action, and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch or in the third and finds them awake, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house be let let his left his house be broken into.
Julian Dobbs:You also must be ready, for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? And the Lord said, who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set over the household to give them the portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is is the servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set them over all his possessions.
Julian Dobbs:But if that servant says to himself, my master is delayed in coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more. So we're thinking in this session about being ready.
Julian Dobbs:We've been reminded throughout Luke chapter 12 thus far in these studies that what we do here and what we do now counts not just for the here and now, but counts for eternity. And here in the passage, Jesus comes to his disciples and those who are listening on and speaks to them about, what might we call them, the characteristics of being ready and being a faithful servant. What is it the wise servant, the faithful servant, the servant of the Lord does? What does he or she look like? What is exemplified in the way they think and live and act and in what they do?
Julian Dobbs:Well, Jesus sets those characteristics forth for us here in Luke chapter 12. He says, this is how you will recognize the faithful servant. Before we dive into these verses, I want you to notice the orientation of the faithful servant, and this can be seen in contrast with the foolish servant. Notice these two things. First of all, the focus of the faithful servant is where?
Julian Dobbs:It is it is on the master. He is anticipating the master, preparing for the master, diligently serving the master. He's being rewarded by the master. But then the second orientation is that the faithful servant has his heart and his mind directed to a future orientation rather than being consumed with the immediate things before him or her, rather than just being focused on the right here and the right now. The faithful servant has a long term perspective.
Julian Dobbs:He's got a focus on the horizon. He's looking forward, as Saint Paul would say to the Philippians, towards the skopos, that's the Greek word, towards the vista, the goal for the prize of the upward call of God. So have that orientation with your minds as we look at these verses together. Three things, not all original to me, but three things about the faithful servant. Firstly, look, verses 3540, readiness.
Julian Dobbs:Stay dressed for action, and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. Now this is incredible, really. It's one of the great reversals of the scriptures.
Julian Dobbs:Jesus begins, look, in verse 35 of Luke chapter 12 by giving us the picture of one who is dressed for action. This is a popular phrase in the Septuagint and the Greek translation of the old testament. It is a an imagery that we have of being ready for battle. Dress yourself for action. The older translations more accurately translate, this passage.
Julian Dobbs:Let your loins be girded about. So picture here the the garments of men in the in the, days of Jesus. Men wore a garment like a long flowing robe. They would have taken that up that robe up and tucked it or tied it into their belt that was around their waist so that it wasn't loose, and that would enable them to get up and work without getting tangled up in their robes. You see some cultures where the men still dress like this today.
Julian Dobbs:In fact, later in the same gospel, in Luke's gospel, we read about a man who does exactly this. You might recall it. A man who takes up his robes, he girds it up in order to run after someone who is approaching him. Girded loins. That's the first thing.
Julian Dobbs:But, also, do you notice in Luke 12 in our text, girded loins and lights that are to be what? They are to be burning. And, immediately, those of us who have a familiarity with the scriptures, we immediately think of the parable of the 10 virgins, and the parallel is found here in this passage. But the idea of their lights burning is also a beautiful imagery that is that necessitates preparation. Lights just don't burn on their own.
Julian Dobbs:The picture is of servants in a house waiting for their master, and their lights are on. So that as the master comes, there is a warm glow of light to greet him. He's able to come in, not to a dark house, but to a house that's ready and prepared to receive him. And so they're ready to serve, ready to move. Their their their their their garments are caught up, tied up, ready to be active, and the lights are burning.
Julian Dobbs:Look again in our passage, verses 3637 of Luke's gospel. Take a look with me, as we go to the scriptures. Luke 1236 and 37. The master comes home, and the imagery here is of a Jewish wedding, which took place over the course of a number of days. The Jewish wedding, process was lengthy, extended ceremonies, all sorts of things going on, celebrations, the couple who were being wed, and there are the servants at home waiting for the master to return from such an occasion, not knowing precisely when he would show up, and so they're watching, they're alert, they're they're prepared, and they're looking to receive their master.
Julian Dobbs:And whether he comes soon or whether he's delayed or comes later, they are what? They are exemplifying readiness. So we see in verse 37 something that's really remarkable. Jesus is describing the fact that these faithful servants, they live with a readiness, a watchfulness. He refers to them as being abundantly blessed.
Julian Dobbs:He he he and so he says several times, this is what characterizes them. They are blessed. Do you see that in the passage? Look. Verse 37, blessed are those servants.
Julian Dobbs:Look again, verse 38, we're Luke 12. If he comes in the second watch or in the 3rd and finds them awake, what how does he describe them? Blessed are those servants. And look at the illustration that Jesus gives us. It's it's truly unbelievable.
Julian Dobbs:He says, these faithful servants who have a readiness will be so blessed. The master himself will come home, and he will he will take them and say, don't don't trouble yourself anymore. Come with me. Sit down at the table with me, and he, the master, the master will serve the servants. I mean, this is incredible.
Julian Dobbs:Blows our minds, doesn't it, to think about this? This would be culturally unthinkable for Jesus listeners, and in many respects, it's culturally unthinkable for us. But this is the nature of Jesus. It is the nature of the Messiah to his people. Yes.
Julian Dobbs:We spend ourselves in love and gratitude for all that Christ is to us. We have a watchfulness. We're ready in our service, and Jesus says, I came not to be served, but to serve you, to serve washing feet 1 by 1. This is the kind of savior we serve. This is the kind of lord we serve.
Julian Dobbs:The blessing of having him as our god is that he rewards us by tending to us. And notice there's a promise given with this because there's another illustration, and it's it's important to mention this. Look back in the text, Luke 12 verses 39 and 40. Do you see it there? It's the illustration of a burglar.
Julian Dobbs:Jesus says if you're fast asleep and a burglar comes quietly into your house and loots your house and you wake up and surprise, surprise, your house has been robbed, If you knew that the burglar was coming, let's say, at 2:30 AM or 3:20 AM, and you would set your alarm and you were sitting up in the living room, waiting for him to crack open the windows, what's going to happen? You will protect your house. Your house would not be looted. You'd put the lights on. Jesus is saying, be ready, and this readiness imply implies watching.
Julian Dobbs:Yes. And it implies waiting. Watching and waiting also indicates something of a delay or a length of time. So be ready. That's the first characteristic of the faithful servant here in Luke chapter 12, readiness.
Julian Dobbs:What's the next one? Do you see it there? Well, I'm calling it diligence. Look in verse 41 to 46. Peter said, lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?
Julian Dobbs:And the Lord said, who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set over his household to give them portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is the servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes. So Jesus says, the servant who is faithful and praiseworthy is the diligent servant. He's ready, yes, but he's also diligent. He describes a servant who is busy and active at work.
Julian Dobbs:Look down in verse 43. Do you see it there? Blessed is the servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes. The life of the Christian is one of labor, not nervous apprehension, not lukewarmness or indifference. It's a life of diligence.
Julian Dobbs:Do you notice Jesus also gives the flip side? The servant who is not diligent. Look look in our text at verses, 4546. But if that servant says to himself, my master is delayed in coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants and eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. Notice that the the section starts by saying that the servant says to himself that's interesting.
Julian Dobbs:It's an interesting phrase, isn't it? It reminds us that what we say to ourselves is is often far more important than what what what we say to others. What we say to others within the quietness of our own minds and hearts, How we talk to ourselves has a lot more to do with truth than than often what we say out loud to others. That's why we must remember God's hand is the hand that always writes. The Puritans speak of that.
Julian Dobbs:And what's the sum of what this man says to himself? Well, he basically says, it'll be a long time before my master comes. I've got tons of time to get things done that I'm supposed to do, so let's have some fun. And the servant, who was a supervisor and a manager, begins beating the male and female servants to, decides to throw his own weight around, and interestingly, he's characterized by his eating and getting drunk. But the master returns, and the servant is found out.
Julian Dobbs:He's played the fall, and he is caught. Look with me. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, he will cut him to pieces and put him with the unfaithful. But the wise servant, the faithful servant, what's he doing? He's diligent.
Julian Dobbs:He's looking to the future. So the characteristics we've discovered already of the faithful servant, the first is readiness. The second is diligent diligence. Look in verse 46, finally, in this study, and we discover that the faithful servant is also accountable. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful, and that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will will receive a severe beating.
Julian Dobbs:But the one who did not know and did what was deserved and did and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required. And from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more. In verse 46, we see the severity of punishment that awaits the unfaithful servant cut into pieces, given an allotment with unbelievers. Verse 47, so the severity of this.
Julian Dobbs:The servant knew the master's will. The servant was aware of what the master required, and so the severity of the punishment is attached to the knowledge that the servant had. He knew what he ought to be doing, but he didn't do it. And throughout the Bible, the Old Testament and the New, you see this principle over and over again, to whom much is given, much is required. We are more responsible if we have more gifts, more knowledge, more opportunity.
Julian Dobbs:James says as of teachers of the word in chapter 3 in verse 1, he says, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with stricter with greater strictness. Think about this in terms of knowledge. We are each accountable for all that we have been taught to know. You think of the opportunities God's given you and given me, the opportunities to serve him, And if we disregard those, opportunities, there's more accountability for us. And so you can say of the profession Christian, he or she has a greater responsibility because of what they know.
Julian Dobbs:Children, I believe, of Christian parents have a greater measure of responsibility than those children who grow up with no knowledge of god's truth and his gospel. What about those of who have never heard the gospel? Well well, Paul says where in Romans? We all have a conscience. We all have a conscience given to us by God, and we know right from wrong.
Julian Dobbs:So the faithful servant is one who has a sense of accountability. They know what they ought to be doing. Accountability to whom? To the master. And that means that the faithful servant is desirous to take the talents, the gifts, the knowledge, everything that we have given to us by God to serve him and to serve others.
Julian Dobbs:We're in the season of Advent. It's a season of preparation. How is it that we are to be ready? Firstly, the faithful servant is to be ready, being watchful. Secondly, the faithful servant is to be diligent, to be a servant of the master, to be about his business.
Julian Dobbs:And thirdly, the faithful servant must be accountable, knowing the master's will and doing it. These verses speak of a person with a Christ centered orientation. That's how we began this study. One who is desirous, as as Canon Mark Steele in our diocese says, of losing themselves as they serve the master, the lord Jesus Christ. Will you pray with me?
Julian Dobbs:We love you, lord Jesus Christ, and we love serving you. Deliver us from all that would drag us downward. Free us, oh lord, to be able to serve you with liberating life, the joy, the blessing of love for you. And we ask, oh lord, that you would come and give us a sense of that blessedness, that there is a day coming when the lord of glory will gird up his loins and take, as it were, the basin and the towel and serve us beyond our comprehension, lord. Grant us, lord Jesus, we ask, this joyous, this blessed life as we live unto the lord.
Julian Dobbs:We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. And now may the grace of our lord Jesus Christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with us all even more.