Have you ever heard this term, “out of sight; out of mind?” Meaning that if there is something going on that pertains to you but there is no evidence of that thing anywhere you look, you simply forget about it. Maybe you need to pay the power bill but the lights are on, so you forget. Or perhaps you need to get your oil changed but the car is driving fine and your odometer broke, so you forget. In the last section of Luke chapter 12, Jesus is preaching to people who live life like there is no sovereign judge over the universe who will hold each person accountable for every thought, word, and deed. And who at any moment will come to judge the earth and demand a reckoning from you, me, and everyone who has ever lived.

Verses 35-53.

Have you ever had this scenario? The kitchen is a mess, stuff is strewn everywhere, you’re in your pajamas, and your teeth haven’t been brushed in almost 24 hours. Then, a knock at the door. It’s your dinner guests. They have just driven an hour and a half, are dressed to the nine’s, and have brought delicious desserts you asked them to bring. But here’s the problem. You forgot about this entire thing because you were binging the latest sitcom and fell asleep. These types of scenarios we try to block out of our minds because of the shame and embarrassment they bring. After all, nobody likes to be exposed. 

In this passage, Jesus switches gears from teaching about trusting God with money to being a faithful servant. In the culture of the day, it was common for servants to live in a large house that was owned by a master. Amongst these servants, there would be a lead servant called a steward who would oversee the business of the home while the master was away. 

At certain times, the master would leave his home without giving the servants a set amount of time that he would be away. It may be a long time or a brief period that he was gone and there was no way to communicate with him. But when he returned, he would expect to see his house in order and his servants doing their jobs. To have your waist girded was a term that meant having your robe pulled up and fastened tightly so you could move around easily, and if your lamps were burning it would mean you were being watchful of your surroundings even at night.

If you’ve even been robbed while at home, you usually don’t even know anything happened until later. Then after the fact you wish you had a security system. Jesus is saying to have the security system installed beforehand.

In sports, an athlete is always to be in ready position even when the ball is not in his vicinity, because it could be at any second. In the Christian life, Jesus expects us to always be in ready position for His arrival, because His arrival will come at a time we don’t expect. 

In verse 41, Peter interjects with a question, asking if this parable is only for the disciples or for all people. Without skipping a beat, Jesus continues His teaching and seems to be applying it to all people as He focuses on the steward of the house in verse 42 by asking this question, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household?” 

As is the case with much of Jesus’ teaching, He contrasts two types of people, a faithful steward and an unfaithful steward. A faithful steward will be doing the will of the master, in this case making sure the whole household is fed. If the master sees this then he will make that servant a ruler over everything that he has. This ought to be an encouragement to anyone who is faithfully following the heavenly Master, even if it seems like nobody sees. He sees. 

Contrastly, the unfaithful servant says this from his heart, “My master is delaying his coming,” (45). Then he begins to beat his male and female servants and eats and gets drunk. As the rich fool speaks to his soul, so the wicked servant speaks from his heart. Biblically, the core of a person is their heart and soul, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. This servant was presumptuous, somehow thinking his master was oblivious.

In this parable, it seems obvious that the wicked servant will be found out and punished. Yet we live in a world that thinks the same way as this servant, like it’s no big deal and God doesn’t really mind. Every single person has stewardship in one thing or another in this world. It may be a lot of responsibility or it may be as small as a child entrusted with the care of their toys. We are all stewards. Yet how is our stewardship? We may not be beating people up physically but we do it verbally all the time, and the United States spends in the hundreds of billions each year on alcohol alone, not to mention a marijuana epidemic that leaves its stench everywhere you go. And this sadly also happens in the church. 

The illustration starting in verse 45 is vivid. The steward is beating both his male and female servants, and is stuffing his face and getting drunk. You can picture the master opening up the door to find a drunken steward with a raised fist over a helpless bloodied servant. Other servants are bloodied and bruised, sitting terrified in the corner. The kitchen table is full of meat scraps and empty wine vessels, consumed only by this wicked steward while all the other servants went hungry. 

The master stands in the doorway, coming at an unexpected time. The steward slowly turns his head while letting go of his victim and relaxing his fist. The one standing in the doorway is Jesus, and He is coming in judgment. While this servant inflicted drunken evil abuse over the other servants for a season, he will be cut in two and suffer eternal judgment. 

This servant knew his master’s will and still committed evil, therefore his punishment will be severe. Yet there are those who do not know the will of the master and their punishment will be reduced. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (48). 

God is just. He knows there are various amounts of Biblical understanding given to people. Some have never read the Bible or stepped into a church while there are others who have been in church their whole lives. Some have grown up in horrifically abusive environments while others have been surrounded by godly and caring people. God does not condemn based on our lack of understanding. He judges based on our response to the understanding being allotted to us. God wills that none perish and all come to repentance, but every single one of us must make a choice to gird our waist, light our lamps, and wait for His coming. 

As Jesus continues, His emotion is palpable: “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” (49-50)

Jesus sees the end of His Jerusalem journey at the cross. He comes to bring fire on the earth, and most likely this is in reference to judgment. Before He began His ministry, He was baptized in water. Yet at the end of His ministry He will be baptized in blood. The climax of redemptive history was approaching at the cross and Jesus just wanted to be through with it. If you have ever had something really difficult in front of you that you needed to do, it is understandable that it weighs on you. Jesus had the sins of the world weighing upon Him. 

If Isaiah 9:6 says that the messiah will be called the Prince of Peace, then why does Jesus refute that and say He came to bring division? Is there a misunderstanding? Not at all. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, yet most people want nothing to do with Him. The division is caused by divided hearts. A parent believes yet the child is rebellious. A spouse turns from the faith and abandons their family. One child loves Jesus and her siblings mock her. The father is a faithful pastor yet his son turns to doctrines of demons. This happens all the time. 

Verses 54-59.

The eruption of Mount Saint Helens in May, 1980 was not a surprise. The mountain was spitting volcanic debris into the sky for weeks before the mountain finally blew completely. The evidence was clear, the people were warned, most people left, yet a few stayed behind. Thankfully, casualties were few in this eruption especially because of its potential devastation. It could have been much worse. Overall, people listened to the warnings. 

In Jesus’ time, weather patterns were very important to follow. In some cases it was a matter of life and death. When clouds formed in the west of the Mediterranean, the people knew rain was coming. When the south wind blew from the Arabian desert, they knew a heat wave was on its way. Whatever the weather was, the multitudes Jesus was addressing would react accordingly.

There was no lack of discernment regarding interpreting and reacting to weather patterns. Yet when it came to discerning the time of the Messiah’s visitation, they were clueless. They had the law and the prophets and the very fulfillment standing right in front of them, yet they pretended like He wasn’t who He claimed to be. Jesus doesn’t give them the option of ignorance. He calls them hypocrites, or play actors. They should know who Jesus is because they have the wherewithal to understand the seasons, yet they pretend like they don’t understand the spiritual season they are in. The season of judgment.

He ends the chapter using a legal illustration. Oftentimes, people settle out of court in order to avoid going to trial and putting their fate in the hands of a judge. Jesus is telling the people that they are on the way to face the judge of the universe who will hold them accountable for every thought, word, and deed in this life. They have a chance to settle out of court by repenting from their sins and following Jesus. But if they miss the opportunity, they will have to pay for their sins themselves, up to the very last coin. 

We live in the last days. Jesus can come any moment. Are you ready? Can you discern the time? The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is to face the judgment seat of Christ without receiving His forgiveness. “And those names that were not found written in the Book of Life were cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Make peace while there is still time. 

Questions:

1. What can be learned from verse 3, “whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light?” 
2. How is the fear of God different from the fear of man? (verses 4-12)
3. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is an ongoing continual rejection of the Holy Spirit’s conviction in one’s life. How is this different from stumbling and repenting? (10)