Daily Walk Through the New Testament

July 16
Read Luke 12:35-56

The scenario of a servant waiting for his master’s return is a frequent theme in Jesus’ teaching. This particular teaching in Luke 12 portrays the servants in a household waiting for their newlywed master to return from the wedding. It was expected in such situations for the servants to be waiting at attention for the unscheduled, unannounced arrival, poised and ready to spring into action to minister to their master in any way he required.
Jesus’ story depicts the master returning in the middle of the night. He’s immediately greeted at the door by his servants. They expect him to be hungry, and are ready to serve him dinner. But the master, delighted to see such loyalty and devotion, does the unthinkable — he takes on the role of the domestic help and serves his faithful servants dinner!
When we, who represent the waiting servants, grasp the impact of what Jesus was saying, we are faced with a serious reality: it is very important to Jesus that we obediently anticipate His arrival with joy. It is that very anticipation that keeps us from forgetting who we’ve been called to be. Remember, the unfaithful servants in Jesus’ parable became cruel, self-indulgent, and careless. May we guard ourselves from developing harmful habits that would disappoint our Master and live in eager readiness for His return.