Parable of the Watchful Slaves - Luke 12: 35-40

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Commentary

“You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

We often hear this statement with reference to a second coming of Christ. I want to suggest that if we are concentrating on that big finale, we may miss the real show. Jesus was one man, his teachings, which we get chopped up in 4 different gospels, were in fact one view of reality. So I want to add to our reading for today some verses from Matthew 25:37-40.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

If we contemplate “You must be ready!” in the context of these words, we get a much broader opportunity and responsibility, than just waiting for the second coming. I think what Jesus is asking of us, is that we be ready, at any moment, to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and visit the sick. With or without notice. The Son of Man who is coming at an unexpected hour is ANY person who crosses our path. Not just when we have dressed up to go out, but equally when we are snug at home in our pajamas.

Jesus tells us, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.” I don't think this means we can't ever put our pajamas on, but I do think it means we need to be ready to get dressed again, or take action as we are. At any time, day or night. If someone is in need, we are to take action. Not when it is convenient, but when it is needed.

Now this may just sound like a huge burden. It is, but as Jesus also tells us, His burden is light. The first verse of our reading today tells us, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” If we are to understand correctly the scope of this burden, we must pay attention to who it is that may show up. It is not Jesus the carpenter from Nazareth, but the Son of Man. We are not dealing with a flesh and blood person here, but with the resurrected spirit. The Son of Man is an important concept. The Son of Man is in fact the spirit of all of us. The Son of Man is universal. It is us, just as much as the stranger at the door. The kingdom God is so anxious to give us, is a kingdom in which we are all part of each other in a mysterious and beautiful way. The stranger at my door, is, in the kingdom of God, also me. And I am him. Of course I want to welcome him, or feed her, or do whatever else might be helpful and appropriate. And the part that makes this burden light is that we are not only the giver but also the receiver.

In a material world, that statement may sound ridiculous. In a material world, it is. Once again, we most remember, our home is with God.

Amen