Luk 12:47-48 | KingComments | STEP | Peter has a question to the Lord. It is not clear to him for whom He says all these things. Is it only for them as His disciples, or does He speak to all who hear Him? The Lord does not answer Peter directly, but answers with a question. When He asks a question, it is always with the purpose of thinking about it yourself. We cannot answer the question for others, we have to answer it ourselves. The question is not to whom He does or does not speak, but that He addresses me . The question is whether I am a faithful and sensible steward of what He has entrusted me to serve others with. We have all received something from Him and each of us is steward of it ( ). In that service we are dependent on Him because He only knows the right time to serve. He also knows with what to serve and what is appropriate for the person who is the object of our service. Whoever in dependence serves the Lord in that way by serving others, He calls “blessed”. For the third time He calls someone “blessed”, now the active servant. So it’s not only about waiting ( ) and being on the alert ( ), but also about being busy in the work that He has commanded us to do. To that He also connects a reward, which is nothing less than putting him in charge of all His possessions. In He speaks of a reward in a general sense according to any kind of waiting and being on the alert in view of His Person. The stewardship over His property ( ) is a reward in a specific sense as a result of faithfulness in the work, whereby more is entrusted. Serving is giving away, passing on, both spiritually and materially. Everything we have given away or passed on we have not lost, but it is an investment that generates a high return. The Lord rewards service we have done to others on earth by being put in charge of all His possessions. The richness of it cannot be described. There is also another possibility. It may be that in the heart of the steward there is separation between him and his Master. The wait is going to be too long for him. Slowly the coming of his Master disappears from his mind. This is expressed in his attitude toward his fellow slaves. Instead of serving he starts reigning with an iron fist. Next it also goes wrong in his personal life. He will focus on the things that make up this life and of which the Lord has said that the nations seek for it ( ). This slave merges into the world. He even gets drunk. He is no longer sober and no longer has a sound judgment about the value of life as God judges it. People who do not look beyond this life are drunk with this life. However, the condition of this slave is much more serious than that of people of the world. This slave was first a confessor, someone who was in the company of Christians and took part in Christian activities. When the waiting for the Master was going to take too long and the costs were too high, he went back to seeking his pleasure in the world. He has become an apostate, someone who has never had a life connection with Christ. Such a slave will be surprised by the coming of the Master. He banned His coming completely from his thinking, which of course did not stop the coming itself. The place assigned to that slave is in accordance with his half-hearted life. He has remained in the midst of the Christians and has claimed a position for himself and abused it. His confession was Christian, his actions were worldly. This half-heartedness is punished by cutting him in pieces. After this judgment, the Master assigns his place with that of the unbelievers, for he falls into that category. The judgment is based on the degree of responsibility. Someone who has confessed to know Christ and to live according to His will, but has given it his own interpretation, will receive many lashes. Someone who says he has read a lot in the Bible, but has distorted the truth of God’s Word, will receive many lashes. Someone who has not grown up with the Bible is less guilty, but guilty for what he knew and yet did not do. He will be beaten with few lashes. Just as there is distinction in the reward, so there is also distinction in the severity of the punishment God imposes on (confessing) people. God acts according to the principle that much can be required of the one to whom much has been given. It works the same way in society. If an employer has invested a great deal in an employee, he can also expect a great performance from him. The same goes for what has been entrusted to someone to manage and deal with. When the owner comes to pick up his property, he expects to get more than he has given. God treats every human being, and certainly the confessing Christian, as fully responsible. He is the Owner and has every right to require and ask back. On the day of judgment He will bring everything to judgment and judge righteously ( ).

‏ Luke 12:47-48

The Faithful and the Unfaithful Slave

Peter has a question to the Lord. It is not clear to him for whom He says all these things. Is it only for them as His disciples, or does He speak to all who hear Him? The Lord does not answer Peter directly, but answers with a question. When He asks a question, it is always with the purpose of thinking about it yourself. We cannot answer the question for others, we have to answer it ourselves.

The question is not to whom He does or does not speak, but that He addresses me. The question is whether I am a faithful and sensible steward of what He has entrusted me to serve others with. We have all received something from Him and each of us is steward of it (1Pet 4:10). In that service we are dependent on Him because He only knows the right time to serve. He also knows with what to serve and what is appropriate for the person who is the object of our service.

Whoever in dependence serves the Lord in that way by serving others, He calls “blessed”. For the third time He calls someone “blessed”, now the active servant. So it’s not only about waiting (Lk 12:36) and being on the alert (Lk 12:37), but also about being busy in the work that He has commanded us to do.

To that He also connects a reward, which is nothing less than putting him in charge of all His possessions. In Lk 12:37 He speaks of a reward in a general sense according to any kind of waiting and being on the alert in view of His Person. The stewardship over His property (Lk 12:44) is a reward in a specific sense as a result of faithfulness in the work, whereby more is entrusted.

Serving is giving away, passing on, both spiritually and materially. Everything we have given away or passed on we have not lost, but it is an investment that generates a high return. The Lord rewards service we have done to others on earth by being put in charge of all His possessions. The richness of it cannot be described.

There is also another possibility. It may be that in the heart of the steward there is separation between him and his Master. The wait is going to be too long for him. Slowly the coming of his Master disappears from his mind. This is expressed in his attitude toward his fellow slaves. Instead of serving he starts reigning with an iron fist. Next it also goes wrong in his personal life. He will focus on the things that make up this life and of which the Lord has said that the nations seek for it (Lk 12:30). This slave merges into the world. He even gets drunk. He is no longer sober and no longer has a sound judgment about the value of life as God judges it.

People who do not look beyond this life are drunk with this life. However, the condition of this slave is much more serious than that of people of the world. This slave was first a confessor, someone who was in the company of Christians and took part in Christian activities. When the waiting for the Master was going to take too long and the costs were too high, he went back to seeking his pleasure in the world. He has become an apostate, someone who has never had a life connection with Christ. Such a slave will be surprised by the coming of the Master. He banned His coming completely from his thinking, which of course did not stop the coming itself.

The place assigned to that slave is in accordance with his half-hearted life. He has remained in the midst of the Christians and has claimed a position for himself and abused it. His confession was Christian, his actions were worldly. This half-heartedness is punished by cutting him in pieces. After this judgment, the Master assigns his place with that of the unbelievers, for he falls into that category.

The judgment is based on the degree of responsibility. Someone who has confessed to know Christ and to live according to His will, but has given it his own interpretation, will receive many lashes. Someone who says he has read a lot in the Bible, but has distorted the truth of God’s Word, will receive many lashes. Someone who has not grown up with the Bible is less guilty, but guilty for what he knew and yet did not do. He will be beaten with few lashes.

Just as there is distinction in the reward, so there is also distinction in the severity of the punishment God imposes on (confessing) people. God acts according to the principle that much can be required of the one to whom much has been given. It works the same way in society. If an employer has invested a great deal in an employee, he can also expect a great performance from him. The same goes for what has been entrusted to someone to manage and deal with. When the owner comes to pick up his property, he expects to get more than he has given.

God treats every human being, and certainly the confessing Christian, as fully responsible. He is the Owner and has every right to require and ask back. On the day of judgment He will bring everything to judgment and judge righteously (Ecc 12:14).