Key Verse: Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
Matthew 24:42
We've had the
example of a master being gone for a short period of time, perhaps an evening
and returning home during the night. We've had the example of the bride,
waiting with her friends for the bridegroom. Now, Jesus will give several
examples of a master who is actually gone on a journey, over a longer period of
time. Yet, the servants who are left behind are still required to remain vigilant
for the master's return.
Remember that
in Jesus' day there were no cell phones. Sending a message home to a servant
could not only be expensive and tedious, and if the servant could not read,
ineffective. The master would leave on a journey and be out of communication
with his home for the duration. It was important, therefore, to have
trustworthy servants who would keep the house running, and in good order so
that the master could come home at any time of the day or night, after a day, a
month or a year and have the peace of mind that all would be well.
Jesus makes
the consequences very clear for the servant who remains faithful to his or her
duty, and also makes clear what will happen to the servant who is not. "It
will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing his duty when he
returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his
possessions. But, suppose the servant says to himself, "My master is
taking a long time in coming," and he then begins to beat his fellow
servants and eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come
on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will
cut him into pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." (Luke
12:43-47) That wicked servant was an unbeliever because he lost faith in the
belief that his master would return.
"Faith
is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." (Hebrews
11:1) We do not see our Lord in the clouds, but He has promised that He
will return. In the meantime, He has assigned us the responsibility of caring
for what, and who, He has created. If we get distracted and take our blessings
and responsibilities to comfort and advance ourselves at the expense of our
fellow travelers, Jesus may see us as unfaithful. We may become lazy because we
didn't really believe in His return. However, if we prove ourselves trustworthy
with the tasks to which we have been assigned, then great is our reward from
the Master Himself.
What a
blessing for us that, unlike the servants of Jesus' day, our Lord does stay in
communication with us. Through prayer and Bible study, and the wise counsel of
fellow servants, we can be fully informed of His will and concerns for not only
ourselves, but those around us that He calls us to serve. We may not know the
exact time of His return, but we do remain constantly aware of His promise that
He is coming. If we truly believe this, it becomes easy to remain vigilant.
I want to be
found trustworthy.
Hymn: "If I Gained the World"
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