The Gospel for October 30, 2004
Luke 12:32-48
‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. ‘Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be too. ‘See that you have your belts done up and your lamps lit. Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch that he comes, or in the third, but blessed are those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy steward whom the master will place over his household to give them at the proper time their allowance of food? Blessed that servant if his master’s arrival finds him doing exactly that. I tell you truly, he will put him in charge of everything that he owns. But if the servant says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the servant–girls, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. ‘The servant who knows what his master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing in accord with those wishes, will be given a great many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be given fewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
The Oxford Bible Commentary nails this one cold:
Jesus then turns from this more general teaching to address the disciples. They are ‘not to worry about’ their life (v. 22) Whilst this might mean ‘put no effort into’ and thus commend an eschatological detachment from the world, more likely in Luke’s context it means ‘do not be unduly concerned about’. The parable has pointed out that one has but limited control over one’s future, and the teaching which follows stresses God’s care. Undue striving for the things of this life actually leads one into the way of the ‘nations of the world’ which becomes a forgetfulness of God and of the things of the Kingdom. As Evans (1990) expresses it, ‘The question then at issue is when a proper concern has become an improper anxiety’. Modern life would suggest the importance of the question, though the ongoing existence of the world and its responsibilities might place the move from one to another at a different point from Luke. Luke sees undue concern for the things of the body and of ‘life’, that is the business of living in the world, as a definite hindrance to striving for God’s Kingdom. Though it is God’s ‘good pleasure’ to give the Kingdom, entry into its sphere demands considerable effort on the part of men and women. It certainly does not allow for one’s primary drive to be in the direction of the things of this world. Luke sees a definite either/or, though his challenge to exclusiveness is undermined by his inclusion of Jesus’ promise that striving for the Kingdom will bring with it the bonus of these material benefits ‘as well’. v. 34 gives the rationale of the antithesis which dominates the whole passage.
Jesus now (v. 35) warns the ‘little flock’ to be alert and ready for their master when he returns from the wedding banquet. ‘The wedding banquet’ would seem to be a symbol here for Jesus’ enthronement in heaven and points to his return at the parousia. The whole passage carries two convictions. First, the disciples must be ready for a return of Jesus at any moment (v. 40). Secondly, they must allow for a delay that must neither reduce their expectancy nor impede their preparedness (v. 38). Peter’s question at v. 41 makes it clear that ‘the Lord’, that is Jesus as he is worshipped and believed in by those whom Luke addresses, is speaking directly to Luke’s contemporaries. The warning is directed to them, in the light of the belief, however (v. 32), that God is anxious to give the Kingdom to them. The urgency of the response demanded is controlled by the greatness of the gift that they are promised. The promise is real, and this suggests that it will not be long delayed. The element of delay points not to the future but to the past. Time has gone on. Luke’s readers are in danger of losing hope and that preparedness that characterized the earliest Christians (1 Thess 4:13–18). -- Barton, J., & Muddiman, J. 2001. Oxford Bible commentary . Oxford University Press: New York
A Reflection
These last few readings have had at their center warnings and cautions, thoughts of the end time, the promise of things soon to come, and perhaps delayed -- but above all, anxiety, and worry.
The parables, one of which has God shouting, "Fool, tonight your life will be demanded of you!" are not the warm and cuddly religion that we would like to have. On the other hand, Jesus is almost constantly telling His "little flock" not to worry, because they know what's coming.
But the Oxford commentary picks up on something that we often forget: God is anxious, too, to give us the Great Gift He has in store for us, the Kingdom to come. We are in His Kingdom on earth, already, when we allow the Spirit to settle into us and over us and act through us. How much greater, then, is the Kingdom to come?
Screwtape, of course, would prefer that we concentrate on other things. When the bank balance is low, taxes are due, and a sudden emergency arises, the evil one wants us to panic and squirm and worry and forget what we're supposed to be about. It is exceptionally easy for us sheep to forget that we're in His little flock, and that He is there to send His Spirit into our hearts to displace what the evil one has planted.
Consider: if we truly believe that He is for us, then who can stand against us? Not the evil one, whom He has conquered, nor the fallout from the evil one's presence. Not worry, not anxiety, not fear. Neither panic nor poverty can hurt us. We are His. There's the warm feeling, hugged into His arms, back again. It's not only sheep who can wander off from the shepherd, is it?
A Collect
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
10:21:27 PM 
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