LUKE 12:41-48 MUCH ENTRUSTED: MUCH EXPECTED

MUCH ENTRUSTED: MUCH EXPECTED

LUKE 12:41-48

(see also Matthew 24:45-51)

Luke 12:41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

Susie: Peter was wondering if the promise of reward for being faithfully prepared applied only to the apostles or to everyone in general. Was the warning about being prepared for them only or for everyone? Although Jesus did not answer Peter’s question directly, He applied the following answer to the faithful (believers) and the unfaithful (non-believers).

Susan: Jesus’s answer shows that everyone is given the opportunity to behave as the trusted servant or the one who proved untrustworthy. Our choices define us.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Luke 12:42-43 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Susie: The master put a servant in charge of the other household servants to supervise them and to be sure they received what they needed at appropriate times. Then he left on a journey. This steward of the masters house would be expected to follow the instructions he had been given meticulously to make sure the master’s household continued to run like a well-oiled machine even when he was away.

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Susan: Jesus expects us to be faithful stewards of all He has placed in our care both as individuals and as His bride, the church. When He returns, those who have been faithful will be rewarded abundantly as God’s cherished children.

Luke 12:44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

Susie: Even while we are on this earth, when we are faithful in the small tasks the Lord assigns us, He will bless us and enable us to do even greater things to advance His Kingdom.

Luke 12:45-46 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Susan: The evil servant, the unbeliever, is not serving Jesus, but is, instead, completely self-serving.

Susie: Rather than taking care of the other servants, he is treating them like his personal slaves and abusing them.

Susan: The evil servant is not nurturing the master’s servants as he was instructed. He instills fear in the servants, expecting them to serve him instead of the master. He is using them for his own purposes while the master’s house becomes run down. He is getting fat and drunk on the master’s food and wine. He is enjoying these things without putting in the work to earn them.

Susie: The master returns suddenly and unexpectedly to find his house in disarray and the one he had placed as steward abusing the servants and being lazy. Jesus says the master will cut this lazy bum in two!

Susan: You can’t bounce back from being cut in two! When Jesus returns for the final judgment, the punishment for those who have never surrendered their lives to Him will be irreversible and permanent.

Susie: The key point here is that the Lord’s return will be sudden and unexpected. Today is the day to turn your life over to Him if you haven’t already because you may not have another chance tomorrow.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Luke 12:47-48 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Susan: Willful disobedience when the person clearly knows what is expected and required carries a greater penalty than disobedience in ignorance of one who has not been taught the Lord’s boundaries.

Susie: Many commentators point to varying degrees of punishment in hell as suggested by the following two verses among others:

Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Ponder this and Apply it: Many times, we emphasize God’s love as our Father to the point of forgetting that Jesus is also our Lord, our Master. We in the USA are blessed to have the Bible readily accessible and the opportunity to worship and study with other believers freely. We have been given much which means much is required of us. Ask yourself if you are being a good steward of all the Lord has placed in your care—money, time, and knowledge of His word. Are we being faithful to use our blessings to serve our Master rather than just ourselves?