Luke 12:40

Jesus said in Luke 12:40, “Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.” One of the most important practical truths about life is the necessity of being prepared for what lies ahead. People go to school in order to be prepared for their future occupation. People save to prepare for retirement. A wise person prepares for the future. You always have a future, and you always have things that you need to do to get ready for that future.

In this passage of scripture Jesus is emphasizing the fact that one of the most important things for people to be ready for is the return of Christ. Jesus can return for the rapture of believers, and if you are not ready for His return, according to Jesus there will be some very negative consequences. Are you ready? Peter asked a question about the return of Christ. The Bible says in Luke 12:41, “Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?”

Peter was not sure who Jesus was talking to. Was Jesus only telling the disciples to be ready for His return, or was Jesus telling the entire human race to be ready? What’s interesting is that Jesus did not answer Peter’s question directly. But Jesus did answer the question in Luke 12:42-48. The Bible says, “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. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delays 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 looks 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. 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.”

In order to answer Peter’s question, Jesus makes it clear that what He is talking about is the relationship between servants and their master. Some people in this world are servants to God. Others are not. If you consider yourself a servant of God through Christ, then this passage of scripture refers especially to you. It’s talking about the judgement of believers. When we speak of the judgement to come, sometimes we are speaking of the judgement of unbelievers when they stand before God in the awful condition of still being under the guilt of their sins. But there will also be a judgement of believers. Believers will not be under the guilt of their sins, but they will give an account for how well and how faithfully and how completely they have fulfilled their service to God while on the earth.

First Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks of this judgement of believers and says, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Paul also referred to his own judgement in Second Timothy 4:8 where he said, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

For believers there are honors and privileges and opportunities in eternity that will be gained or lost depending upon our service while on earth. Paul said that these rewards are for “all them also that love his appearing.” Just like Jesus, he equated rewards to how much we love and look forward to the return of Christ.

It is interesting to note what Jesus said that this judgement will be based upon. Jesus said, “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.” God has given something to every believer. He ascended to heaven and He gave gifts unto men. You have at least one important gift and maybe others. The reason that you were gifted by Christ was so that you would be equipped to do what God gives you opportunity to do in this life. He did not leave us comfortless, and He did not leave us without the gifts and abilities required to do His will.

Because God has given to each different gifts and abilities, we will not be compared to each other when we are judged. But we will be compared to what we could have done if we had recognized our gifts and used them because of loving His appearing. This is a whole different way of looking at things compared to how human beings often look at things. Human beings too often compare each other to each other. That’s a form of competition that can be negative. You are not wise to compare yourself to someone else. You should compare yourself to yourself: to what you could accomplish if you used your time and your gifts more efficiently.

That is how the Lord is going to judge you. To whom much is given, shall much be required; and to whom little is given shall little be required. The measure of your opportunity is the measure of your responsibility. You can do nothing except that God gives you the ability and the opportunity to do. That’s why He deserves all the glory and all the praise for anything that gets accomplished. But if He gives you the ability and the opportunity and you do not do as He directed, there will come a day when you will greatly regret missing what otherwise could have been. Ask God to forgive you where you have failed Him, but be careful to take advantage of every opportunity that you have left. God has kept you here for a reason. You still have time. You still have a chance to do the will of God. But at the judgment the time of opportunities will be past. It will be the time for the servants to give an answer to their Master.

In Luke 12:49-53 Jesus said, “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straightened until it be accomplished! Suppose you that I am come to give peace on the earth? I tell you, No, but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother in law against the daughter in law, and the daughter in law against the mother in law.” Why is it that people cannot get along? Why is it that there is anger and contention and mistrust and division? One of the main reasons for such a circumstance was given by Jesus. The reason for these problems can be traced to what Jesus brought into the world.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He can give a peace that passes understanding. But for those who do not come to know Jesus, there is no such peace. They are by nature the children of wrath, even as we once were. There is a spiritual barrier between those who do not know Jesus and those who do. The spirit of the unbeliever does not bear witness to the spirit of the believer. If it were not for the Gospel of Christ and the spiritual birth that He alone can give, this division between people would not exist. But it does exist because Jesus said, “I am come to send fire on the earth.” Have you ever heard anyone quote Luke 12:51 on Christmas day? Probably not, but it’s just as true as the message contained in the Christmas carols. Maybe someone should make a Christmas carol out of these words of Christ, “Suppose you that I am come to give peace on the earth? I tell you No, but rather division.” For believers there is peace within their soul, there is peace in their relationship with God, and there is the prospect of eternal peace in heaven. But since the birth of Christ, one of the general characteristics of life on earth is division, hatred, and bloodshed between believers and unbelievers.

Jesus Himself experienced it. He was hated and eventually murdered. He knew it was going to happen. He knew what was in man. He knew what life on this earth is too often about. Jesus said, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with: and how am I straightened until it be accomplished!” He showed us how He faceed His destiny just as we must face ours: with submission to the will of God, with resolve to accept it and be faithful to the end, and finally with compassion for those who hated him. When He hung on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Jesus tried to prepare us to understand the division and contention that would exist between ourselves and others. This will happen even in what should be the closest of relationships. Jesus used the example of a family in order to make this point clear. Family ties should be close and warm and enjoyable. Sin can separate the members of families. So can the scars of old and horrible sins. But truth can also separate the members of families, especially when some of the members love the truth and others run from it. In our day and age you can read a lot of books telling you how to have a perfect family, but Jesus told us to expect that there will be divisions in families because of what He brought into the world. Do not be surprised. It may very well happen to your family just like Jesus said in Luke 12:52, “For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three.”

In telling us about the divisions that can so easily happen in the world in which we live, Jesus is educating us about the world around us so that we will understand the world and not be caught off-guard and not expect something or desire something that just is not going to happen. In the next few verses Jesus gives us a more general emphasis on the fact that there are characteristics of the age in which we live that we should be aware of, and if we look for them, we will see them and observe them. The Bible says in Luke 12:54-57, “And he said also to the people, When you see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway you say, There comes a shower, and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, There shall be heat; and it comes to pass. You hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that you do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge you not what is right?”

The people of Jesus’ day were able to observe the weather patterns and understand somewhat what was happening and understand when it was going to get warmer or when a rain shower was on the way. We do the same thing with even more accuracy because of the development of satellite monitoring equipment and doppler radar. There is information available. It’s just a matter of observing the information and correctly interpreting it. The same is true about the age in which we live. Jesus said that there is observable information about the time in which we live and information about what is right. God has given this information so that we would not be unwise but understanding truth. Romans 1:19 says, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it unto them.” Proverbs 1:20 says, “Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets.” The information is there. One day we will all give an answer as to why we did or did not observe the information and interpret it. There will be no excuses. Notice that in Luke 12:56 Jesus called those who did not understand their time and did not discern what was right: “hypocrites.” James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally.”

In Luke 13:58-59 Jesus said, “When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, as you are in the way, give diligence that you may be delivered from him; lest he hail thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there, till you have paid the very last mite.” In this passage of scripture in the context, we are on the subject of one of the characteristics of the age in which we live: division and contrariness and competition between people. One of the ways in which this manifests itself is lawsuits. Some people say that we live in a very litigious society. People express their grievances by suing one another. Jesus is telling his believers to try and avoid this negative aspect to the age in which we live. Jesus recommends that in such cases you try and get out-of-court settlements. If it goes to court and you lose, you may get a very stiff penalty. It is usually better to come to some kind of agreement without going before a judge. There are enough troublemakers in the world. Followers of Christ should be peace-makers.

Of course, there may also be a spiritual meaning here. It’s better to make your peace with God now than to one day die and stand before Him to be judged for your sins. It’s better to have Christ as your Savior than as your Judge. You will have Him as one or the other.

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