JESUS SPEAKING
“Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes […] But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12: 35-37, 39-40.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Jewish weddings were long engagements; often lasting many days. The guests reclined on pillows, feasting day and night; often falling asleep beside the table. The length of the celebration was uncertain; it could end at one in the morning, or three in the afternoon. When the master of a household attended a wedding, his servants had to be prepared for his return at any moment. Therefore, Jesus used this parable as an illustration of his second coming. After ascending in to heaven he promised to return; yet gave no specific day or hour. He could return today; in one month; or a hundred years from now. Consequently, his servants must eagerly await his arrival every second of every day.
Many years ago, prior to my conversion, I practiced a life of sinful disobedience. I lived alone, in an apartment paid for by my Dad. He would occasionally pop in to make sure the apartment was clean and in proper condition. One evening, while hosting a drunken bash, things got out of hand. We smashed beer bottles in my living room with a golf club. I shattered an exterior window, and another partygoer broke my car window with an empty beer bottle. The toilet clogged and overflowed; and someone used shaving cream to scribble an obscenity across my bathroom wall. Eventually, I passed out; thinking I could clean up in the morning before anyone noticed. However, early the following day, I was rousted from sleep by the shouts of an angry man. “Get up,” my dad yelled in my ear! I sprang from the mattress, in shock. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and filled with fear. I hadn’t expected him; never contemplating that he might witness the carnage of my drunken debauchery. He stood by, patiently watching as I picked up every shard of broken glass.
Much like my Dad, the Lord is coming at an hour when we least expect Him. We must always be ready for his return at any moment. Those who obey the teachings of Jesus Christ are prepared to meet him. If we continually love and serve others, then when our savior arrives, he will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant […] enter in to the joy of the Lord.”
“Lord Heavenly Father, may our hearts be filled with the expectation of Your return. Reveal to us any areas where we are being selfish, rather than selfless. Convict our hearts and give us the strength to repent. May we always be giving, kind, and obedient; that we might better serve You and our fellows. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 