Be Ready

by Zeke Flores

In Luke 12, Jesus stresses to His disciples their need for readiness in three parables. In the first, He tells of servants who await their master's return from a wedding feast. The Lord says, "Be like them" (Luke 12:36). In the second, He tells of a homeowner who is watchful for thieves who might break into his home. Finally, Jesus speaks of the "faithful and sensible steward" who is busy doing his tasks although he doesn't know when his absent master will return home. All of these share a couple of concepts - you can probably find more - that are helpful as we await the return of our Master.

There are lots of reasons why we have to wait. They usually have to do with someone else, whether a wife waiting for her husband to come home from work, a father waiting for his family in the car before church, or sitting in a doctor's office until your name pierces the air telling you your wait in the waiting room is over. You can go to the exam room where you'll wait longer.

I hate waiting, especially when there's nothing to do. And even more so when I don’t necessarily look forward to what I’m waiting for. I hate waiting even more when I’m really anxious for the thing to happen!

The parables Jesus told stress the need for watchfulness, either explicitly or implicitly. The servants watch for their master's return from the feast so they can be ready to let him in; the homeowner watches for thieves to protect his property; and the steward watches for his master so he'll find everything in order and running well when he returns.

Also, there's the faithfulness of the various men in the parables. Despite a master being gone, slaves and stewards are busy attending to their duties. No slackers here.

Those two principles - watchfulness and faithfulness - should mark the character of Christians as we busily anticipate the coming of the Master.

"You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect" (Luke 12:40).