Stay Ready

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 12:32–40.

Where do you find your comfort and security? We may look to our homes, our families, or perhaps our government to ensure that we are safe and secure. However, the reality is that none of these can ever fully protect us from the uncertainty that surrounds us. Natural disasters hit and destroy land and homes, while war and violence strike even in the areas that many once thought safe, and yet there is also disease that could hit even when you do everything right. We have labeled an entire type of meal as comfort food. When you are down, feel as if you are missing home, or just need some comfort, a good percentage of us look to a meal to bring us to a place where we feel secure and know everything will be alright. The food doesn’t have any mystical properties, but rather, it reminds us of a time when the worries of the world took a back seat, when you sat around a table and shared a meal with those you loved and those who loved you. The love of God can be as simple as this, allowing all that the world demands of us to be filtered through the comfort that Christ offers. However, we cannot allow the worries and influences of the world to interfere with the life that God calls us to live. We cannot have dual priorities, as life in Christ must be the primary focus, allowing everything else to be filtered through our mindset for Christ. For everything in the world will fade away, but life following God is enduring.

This is not a kingdom we earn or achieve, but one that is given according to the sovereign, good pleasure of our Heavenly Father. This promise profoundly counters any worry about our earthly sustenance or security. Why should we fret over what we shall eat or wear when our Father, who provides even for animals and plants, has determined in His divine benevolence to bestow upon us the Kingdom itself?. The foundational comfort Christ offers is an unwavering trust in God’s pervasive care and provision, rooted in His divine will to grant us our ultimate inheritance. Jesus is not condemning property as inherently sinful, as some have mistakenly interpreted. Instead, He commends radical generosity, urging us to see our possessions not as ends in themselves, but as means to a greater end. By giving to the needy, we are, in essence, creating a positive ledger with God, storing up  a treasure whose contents are not vulnerable to the world and time. Earthly treasures, no matter how vast, are vulnerable to corrosion, thieves, and the natural world. This contrasts with treasure secured through the Almighty God that makes us truly rich, and will not fail. This teaching, while concrete in its ethical demand, is ultimately a law for the spirit, calling us to prioritize the eternal over the temporal. Indeed, the world and its demands will always be present, but our Lord reminds us that everything in the world will fade away. The rich man’s ample goods were useless on the night his soul was required of him. But the treasure laid up in heaven is a treasure that will not be destroyed. As we walk this journey of faith, Christ calls us to radical discipleship. Let our generosity be a testament to our hope, and let our hearts fix upon the eternal treasure that awaits us in Christ Jesus. For where our treasure is, there our heart will truly be. Let us ensure, by God’s grace, that our treasure is in Him, for in Him alone is true life, enduring and eternal.

Our Lord urges immediate, practical readiness. “Let your waists be girded” refers to the practice of fastening up one’s long outer garment, which was essential before engaging in work, travel, or even warfare, symbolizing being dressed for the occasion. The image here is likely one of being ready to go once the time has arrived, and not waiting until the last minute to pack or get dressed. Coupled with this, Jesus commands, “and your lamps burning”. In a world without widespread electric light, a burning lamp was crucial for navigating the darkness, especially at night. Spiritually, this ensures us to be in a state of constant vigilance, not being caught in darkness or unpreparedness. These two images together speak powerfully to the need for continuous readiness in every aspect of our lives as disciples. Christ compares His disciples to servants diligently awaiting their master’s return from a celebration, specifically a wedding banquet. The imagery of returning “from the wedding” is distinct from coming to it, yet both carry spiritual significance regarding Christ’s coming. This readiness is ultimately a call to preparedness for the glorious return of Jesus. On the lips of Jesus, this could also link to the imminent arrival of the kingdom of God. The expectation is that when the master comes and knocks, the servants will open to him immediately. This immediate response emphasizes a heart and life constantly aligned with the Master’s will, with no delay, no frantic last-minute tidying, but a settled and consistent state of readiness. The broader context reminds us to “sell your possessions, and give to the needy”. This act of generous giving is a concrete outworking of readiness. It demonstrates that our heart is where our treasure exists, based upon enduring heavenly realities. Trust in God frees us from paralyzing worry, allowing us to serve Him without reservation. If we are ready God’s glorious promise transforms all our striving as the Master will serve His faithful servants. In a world that often measures worth by what one has or how much one is served, our Lord promises that the greatest honor is to be served by Him. This profound comfort and assurance fuels our vigilance and zeal. It reminds us that our diligent service here is not a burden, but a joyful anticipation of the eternal banquet where Christ Himself will minister to us.

Christ’s coming means the present is the time in which the Son of Man could come at any moment and thus cannot be predicted. This means that the future exerts its pressure on the present. We cannot live as if we have an endless supply of tomorrows to mend relationships or obey God’s will. The urgency is in recognizing that now is the time of decisive significance. If we know something is worth doing, we must absolutely do it now. This applies directly to sharing the Gospel and acting out Christ’s love because the opportunities are present now, not to be deferred until a more convenient or certain time. The danger is that impatience and worldliness creep in, and the church loses its sense of accountability and readiness to meet the Lord. This creates a profound urgency as there are things we know we should be doing, and we are not to be lulled into inactivity by the fact that the Lord has not yet come back. We have no choice but to recognize that our sanctification, our diligent service, and our active love are not optional but essential responses to God’s grace. We know the Master’s will, we know of His coming, and we know of the precious opportunities to advance His Kingdom and demonstrate His love. This knowledge increases our accountability. The urgency, then, is born not of fear, but of the immense privilege and responsibility bestowed upon us by our gracious Lord to serve Him faithfully and to be instruments of His love and truth in a world desperately in need.

As we contemplate Christ’s instruction my thoughts and visions revolve around a small church and how they would react to a sudden influx of people that would double, triple, or even quadruple the size of the congregation. Would they be ready to accept an influx of people that come from a variety of backgrounds and a myriad of understandings of the Gospel? Jesus told His disciples that they had to be ready for His return, and that being ready for His return meant that they must set aside the worldly worries and priorities to be ready to give their all for the Gospel. In giving to those that are poor and poor in spirit, we will show our priorities to the world and also to God. If we give our hearts and minds to the things of this world that will ultimately disintegrate and die, then we will not be ready for the eternal blessings that God has for us. Therefore, Christ calls on us to prepare our hearts for honoring him by giving up our focus on worldly matters, and focus upon getting ready to serve people, and in turn serve the Kingdom of God. Christ shares with us the imperative that we stay ready for the coming of the Kingdom; therefore, when the churches have an influx of outsiders enter their doors, the people must be ready to welcome them to the Gospel no matter who they are, where they are from, and what their background is. Stay ready to love, to give, and to listen. For the church is a place where we come together for comfort, just like coming to the table to eat with one another and let the worries of the world fade into the background.