Luke 12:35-48
I) READ TEXT 2 TIMES
Be Ready
35“Be dressed and ready to serve. Keep your lamps burning. 36Be like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding dinner. When he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.
37“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready when he comes. What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will then dress himself so he can serve them. He will have them take their places at the table. And he will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready. It will even be good if he comes very late at night.
39“But here is what you must understand. Suppose the owner of the house knew at what hour the robber was coming. He would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.”
41Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this story to us, or to everyone?”
42The Lord answered, “Suppose a master puts one of his servants in charge of his other servants. The servant’s job is to give them the food they are to receive at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise manager for this. 43It will be good for the servant if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns. 44What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that servant in charge of everything he owns.
45“But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back.’ Suppose he begins to beat the other servants. Suppose he feeds himself. And suppose he drinks until he gets drunk. 46The master of that servant will come back on a day the servant doesn’t expect him. He will return at an hour the servant doesn’t know. Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send him to the place where unbelievers go.
47“Suppose a servant knows his master’s wishes. But he doesn’t get ready. And he doesn’t do what his master wants. That servant will be beaten with many blows.
48“But suppose the servant does not know his master’s wishes. And suppose he does things for which he should be punished. He will be beaten with only a few blows.
“Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. Even more will be asked of the person who is supposed to take care of much. - luke 12
II) WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU?
IIV) FIVE THOUGHTS SO FAR - 1st DRAFT
1) I honestly wonder why Jesus likes to be so unpredictably hidden:
Matthew 25 - "when did we see you hungry?"
Luke 24 - "Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us"
99.99% of the whole known world did not know who Jesus was until the age of 30. Why? Even then, he came as a baby, rode on a donkey, died the death of a criminal...so much was done supernaturally, but un-extravagantly.
How often did Jesus do a miracle and say, "don't tell anyone about it" - why?
2) Why is it important to Jesus that we are not able to "expect him"?
if a servant, child, employee is doing their best work when no one is looking it shows their service is from the heart.
3) In the text we can see that stewardship of this life is defined as...
v.35 readiness to serve Christ
v47 - faithful and wise action on what you know
4) What Jesus is talking about here on the final day of all of history is something that he does in a microcosmic way for each disciple and I WISH WE COULD SEE IT EVERY DAY!!
"my food is to do the will of him who sent me" - as Jesus did his Father's will, he was receiving his father's bread
Jesus washes each of his disciples feet personally and this was not merely an object lesson - GO AND SERVE (though it was John 13:15). He was painting a picture of PRESENT REALITY in the kingdom and our FUTURE reality of his glorifying work for every believer at the end of time - Luke 12:37
5) My spiritual burden is that "Yes, we feel 'called to serve' at the Village, but what does it look like practically and dependently to let Christ serve us?
Letting Christ serve us is a fortaste of our future reality.
We have a great identity statement: "we are an intimate, intergenerational, intercultural church that thrives on serving and learning together", but this vision and call of our church will not be sustained if we cannot "taste and see" Him serving us. We see this:
Lord's supper
Adam and Eve in the garden
finished work on the cross for the complete forgiveness of all of our sins
Old testament story?
?
IV) YOUR THOUGHTS!?
NOTE: The Spirit often speaks in community. For that reason, I value group discernment on a text. The purpose of this exercise is to find the "gold gospel nugget" of the text for today. Thank you for your unique perspective and allowing the Spirit to speak through you.
A) Of all that thoughts above on the text, including your own, which 1 or 2 points speak to you most? And why?
B) I am curious about your perspective on how this passage connects with:
your story, current experience or sense of what God has been speaking to you about personally.
our broader culture today
other times, places and Scriptures
C) What do you learn in a fresh way about God, people or life that you could aspire to, ask for or act on?
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