Luke 12, 35-48
You Must Be Ready
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,
36 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.
37 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.
38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
39 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 to be broken into.
40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
45 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,
46 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.
47 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.
48 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 the more.
Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study”.
We will adopt a relaxed and enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new learning world. Each time, I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and problem discussions with everybody.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring a new knowledge experience to you all. The following is my interview with Sister Ingrid on related issues. Today is the 35th lecture on the Gospel of Luke.
Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!
2. My summary of the 35th study of Luke:
Well, everybody! Firstly, here is my personal study summary for today.
Jesus tells his followers to always be ready for his return. He says to stay alert like servants waiting for their master to come home from a wedding. If they are awake when he knocks, the master will actually serve them at the table—a surprising picture of God’s kindness.
No one knows exactly when Jesus will come back. It will be unexpected, like a thief showing up at night. So, we must be ready at all times.
Then Jesus tells another story about a manager put in charge while the master is away. If he is faithful and takes care of everyone, he will be rewarded. But if he thinks, “My master is taking forever,” and starts mistreating people and living selfishly, the master will return when he least expects it and punish him badly.
The key lesson: servants who know what their master wants but do not do it get punished more than those who did not know.
This means the more we understand about God’s will and the more we have been given, the more responsibility we have to live faithfully.
So being ready is not about being scared. It is about living with purpose—taking care of what God has trusted us with and treating people well every day.
Now let Sister Ingrid give a further summary.
3. Sister Ingrid’s comment on my study summary:
Hello sister, you already made a good summary of the text.
Today, many people are scared because of the wars in Ukraine and Iran. A lot of people are asking themselves: Is this the end? Many people are losing themselves in interpretations of biblical prophecies.
This is why Jesus gave us clear instructions on how to behave: we shall be sober and wait.
We shall not focus on the bad news we see every day, but look up to heaven, knowing he is coming soon, and behave like a servant who is working, not resting with feasts and drinking.
In the text, we see several persons: the servant and manager, the master, and the other servants. The manager must give food to the other servants and justify himself before the master.
If he is a person with many abilities, the master will treat him strictly. If he has fewer abilities, the master will treat him less strictly.
So, we should not be proud of having many gifts and abilities. The more we have, the more we have to serve the master.
4. Question list based on the 35th study of Luke:
Okay, based on the above Bible study content, now let me ask Sister Ingrid some related questions. We hope the following questions can be helpful to our brothers and sisters who have just become Christians.
1. What do you think it looks like in real life to be “dressed for action” and ready for Jesus to return? Give an example.
Being prepared for every kind of situation. For example, praying and studying the Bible. Having a relationship with God every day. When I have a daily relationship with Jesus through prayer, and if I suddenly die, for example in an accident, I go directly to paradise.
2. Why do you think Jesus used the example of servants waiting for their master at night? What is hard about waiting when you do not know the time?
At night, we all want to go to sleep. But when Jesus was in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples were sleeping. Jesus asked them: “Can’t you stay awake with me for one hour?”
He tells us to stay awake so that we do not fall into temptation. When we know the hour, it is easier to fall into all kinds of temptations, because we are tempted to prepare for a certain time, but forget that the Christian life is a race that must be run every day.
3. Verse 37 says the master will serve his servants. What does that tell you about what God is like?
We receive a reward from Jesus when we remain faithful until he comes. He is preparing a feast, and we are invited.
4. If Jesus might come back at any time, how should that affect the way you treat people tomorrow in your own life?
I have to be aware that they are servants too, and that I must serve and teach them with the gifts I have received from the Lord.
5. The thief example in verse 39 shows that Jesus’ return will be unexpected. Why is it easy to forget that and live as if we have plenty of time?
Even though there are wars now, life still seems “normal” every day. We get up in the morning, do our daily work, and go to sleep at night. It is hard to expect something different.
But Peter wrote that our days will be like the days of Noah. Nobody expected rain until Noah entered the ark, and then it was too late.
6. Peter asked if this was just for the disciples or for everyone. Why do you think people sometimes assume hard teachings are for someone else?
When a person is rebuked, we always hope that it is not for us. It is normal to hope that hard words are for somebody else. But these words are for all people in the world, because we are all responsible to repent and become Christians.
7. What is the difference between a “faithful” servant and an “unfaithful” one in the story Jesus tells?
The faithful servant gives food to his household and serves. The unfaithful one begins to beat the other servants and starts to eat and drink, because he thinks that the master is delayed.
8. The bad servant started acting selfishly because he thought, “My master is delayed.” When are you most tempted to live like no one is watching?
At the moment, I have no example.
9. Verse 48 says much will be required from those who have been given much. What has God given you that comes with responsibility?
The gift of languages, IT skills, and also writing music.
10. Based on this whole passage, what is one attitude you could change to be more ready for Jesus’ return?
Adapting daily routines—giving quality time in the morning to Jesus, instead of rushing into the day, doing many things, and only giving the remaining time to Jesus.
