Jesus was urging us to be watchful

JESUS WAS URGING US TO BE WATCHFUL
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 12:35-4035 “Be dressedready for serviceand
keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waitingfor
their master to return from a wedding banquet, so
that when he comes and knocks they can immediately
open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when he
comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve,
will have them reclineat the table and will come and
wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the
middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But
understandthis: 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. 40 You also must be
ready, becausethe Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.”

BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
DeathA Divine Visitation
Luke 12:35-40
W. Clarkson
To us the coming of the Son of mart means the hour of death; that is the
practicalview and therefore the wise view of the subject· And we may well
regard our departure from this world as a coming of God to us.
I. DEATH AS A DIVINE VISITATION.
1. At death God comes to us all in judgment. Deathis the appointed penalty of
sin. It is true that the burden of that penalty is spiritual rather than material,
and that God grants us a kind reprieve before he executes it; but still, in
conformity with it, the accidents of death have to occurto us; that ancient
sentence has to be fulfilled; the shadows ofthe last hour must fall around us;
and wheneverand howeverthat may happen, with whatever mitigations, God
will come to us then in solemnpenalty, saying, "My child, thou hast sinned,
and thou must die."
2. At death God comes to us in providence.
(1) God has given to us a perishable frame, one that is only constructedto last
for a term of years, that after a certain point begins to waste and wane
(2) He suffers, if he does not send, the specialcircumstances whichlead up to
death; at the least, he withholds the interposing act or suggestionwhichwould

prolong the life that is taken· Man never "goesto his long home" but we may
say, "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of
men." On eachsuchoccasionthe Son of man comes and says, "Put off thy
tabernacle, and come within the veil."
3. At death Christ comes to us in sacredsummons· In life God's voice should
be daily heard saying, "Put out those powers;use those opportunities;
cultivate that spiritual nature I have entrusted to thee; serve thy brethren;
glorify my Name." But at death Christ comes to us and summons us to his
presence;then we hear him say, "Give accountof thy stewardship;" "Reap
what thou hast sown."
II. READINESS FOR DEATHA PART OF HUMAN WISDOM. "Letyour
loins be girded about... be like men that wait for their Lord... the Son of man
cometh at an hour when ye think not."
1. It is true that there is usually less suddenness than there seems in cases of
sudden death; on inquiry, it is nearly always found that there were
premonitory signs of danger, kindly warnings from the Author of our nature,
that the end was not far off it. But it is also and equally true that death is
unexpected when it does arrive·
(1) So do we cling to life, that we are not willing to acknowledgeconcerning
ourselves the fact which is obvious to every one else respecting us.
(2) It is our mental habit to expect continuance where we ought to look for
severance andcessation. The oftener we have crossedthe decaying and
breaking bridge, the more confidently we do cross it, though we know well
that it is nearer than everto its fall. We may be almost sure that, in whatever

form and at whateverhour the Son of man comes to us, we shall be surprised
at his appearance.
3. It will be a terrible thing to be unready; to have to do, if we can, in a few
brief hours that for which a long life is not a day too long.
4. It will be a blessedthing to be ready for this vision of our Lord; not merely,
nor chiefly, because we shallthus be enabled to cross, withcalm hopefulness,
into the other country, but because we shallthen be ready for those high
services and celestialhonors which our gracious and generous Masterintends
to confer upon us (ver. 37). - C.
All Watched
Biblical Illustrator
Luke 12:35-40
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;…
"A story that I read when a boy," says one, "made a greatimpression on me.
At a lonely country house a pedlar askedpermissionto leave a large pack of
goods. Some one looking at it in an out-of-the-way room, thought they saw it
move. A man in the house fired at it: a groanwas heard, and blood issued.
Inside the pack was the accomplice ofcoming robbers, with food, and a wind-
call. Neighbours were got in, guns were loaded, and all watched. In the night
they sounded the call;the robbers came, were welcomedwith a volley, and
fled, taking their dead and wounded with them."

Always Ready
H. O. Mackay.
Luke 12:35-40
When war was declaredbetweenFrance and Germany, Count yon Moltke,
the strategist, was fully prepared for it. The news was brought to him late one
night at Kreisau: he had already gone to bed. "Very well," he said to the
messenger, "the third portfolio on the left," and went to sleepagain until
morning.
(H. O. Mackay.)
Christian Preparedness
R. Cecil.
Luke 12:35-40
A Christian must stand in a posture to receive every messagewhich Godshall
send. He must be so prepared as to be like one who is called to setoff on a
sudden journey, and has nothing to do but to set out at a moment's notice; or
like a merchant who has goods to send abroad, and has them all packedup
and in readiness for the first vesselthat is to sail.

(R. Cecil.)
Christian Watchfulness
James Foote, M. A.
Luke 12:35-40
Let the duty of watchfulness engage yourmost carefulattention. How vigilant
is he who is appointed to keepwatch at seal"The watchful mariner," says
one, "is ever on the look out. His eyes and ears are both open. Be the
prevailing fearan enemy's force, or a sunk rock, or concealedbank, or
shelving coast, he discerns the smallestsymptoms, observes the motion of the
waves sounds with the line, and gives the alarm on the most minute alteration.
Without such watchfulness, the most precious merchandise, and the lives of
men, would be eachhour in jeopardy. Much the same is the case in warfare by
land. The sentinel on the outpost is heedful of the most inconsiderable object
within his station; and in the darkness of the night, his earlistens to every
noise, Nothing can divert his attention from fidelity to his charge. Such also is
the case withthe watchman in the besiegedcity. From the walls, as far as he
has light, he marks eachchange and alterationin the posture of the enemy,
draws a judgment from the nicestcircumstances;and, in the night, discerns
even the rustling of the leaf moved by the breath of heaven; and at every
suspicious noise he gives the alarm to the guards of the city. Without this the
cry of havoc would oft be heard in the town, when drowned in heaviness and
slumber." Thus it is that you should watchfor your ownsouls. Be watchful
lest ye make shipwreck of faith and a goodconscience. Be watchfulagainst
your spiritual enemies. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversarythe
devil, as a roaring lion, walkethabout seeking whomhe may devour." Watch
over your words and actions, and your very thoughts. "Keep your hearts with
all dilligence, for out of them are the issues of life." Beware ofthose things

which are contrary to watchfulness, suchas sloth, inconsideration,
worldliness, and sensuality. And see that you join prayer to watchfulness.
(James Foote, M. A.)
Dangerof Unwatchfulness
Luke 12:35-40
A greatcommander was engagedin besieging a strongly fortified city. After a
while he concentratedhis forces at a point where the fortifications were
strongerthan at any other, and at 2 p.m., under a bright sun and a clearsky,
ordered an assault. When expostulatedwith by an under officer, the
commander replied, "At this point such a generalis in command. At this hour
of the day he is invariably accustomedto retire for a long sleep. When
informed of our approach he will deny the fact, and send a messengerfor
information. Before the messengerreturns we shall gain possessionof the
fortress." The facts turned out exactly as predicted. "Yonder weak point,"
said the commander, "is held by General — There is no use in attempting to
surprise him; he is never for a moment off his guard."
Found Well Employed

Luke 12:35-40
Philip Henry, the father of the commentator, calledupon a tanner, who was so
briskly employed in tanning a hide that he did not notice the minister's
approach, and on looking round he apologizedfor being found thus employed.
Philip Henry replied, "Let Christ, when He comes, find me equally well
employed in the duties of my calling." "Many other ministers have made the
same reply to similar excuses.
Of the Believer's Readinessfor the Coming of Christ
F. G. Lisco.
Luke 12:35-40
This readiness stands in watchfulness and fidelity.
I. WATCHFULNESS.
1. Its nature.
2. Its ground. The servant's relation of dependence toward his Lord.

3. The motive to it. The glorious reward.
4. The difficulty of it. The long delay.
5. Its necessity. The uncertainty of the time.
II. FIDELITY.
1. Motives to it.
(1) The confidence reposedin him by the Lord;
(2) who intrusts to him a large sphere of operation;
(3) in which much goodmay be done.
2. Its nature.
(1) That is, deals justly.
(2) And in proper season.

3. Its consequences.
(1) The internal joy of a goodconscience.
(2) The Lord's approval and recompense.
4. Exhortation to fidelity from the mournful consequences ofthe opposite.
1. Source of faithlessness. Security and unbelief.
2. Nature of faithlessness.
(1) Abuse of power.
(2) Ill use of means entrusted to it.
3. Mournful consequencesoffaithlessness.
(1) He finds himself surprised in his security.
(2) He is severelypunished.

(3) And the punishment, whether more lenient or more severe, is perfectly
just.
(F. G. Lisco.)
Preparationfor Deathand Judgment
C. H. Spurgeon.
Luke 12:35-40
To die! This is the sure end of earthly life. Howeverlong our life may be, it
must terminate in death. We may struggle as we will, but the streamof time is
carrying us onwards, and we must be sweptaway; strong swimmers though
we be, we cannot contendagainstthe flood, but onward we must go, eachday
bearing us upon its bosomto the boundless Sea of Eternity. Since then, death
is so certain to eachof us, what is it to die? To die is to stand in the presence of
the King of kings. Is no preparation required to appear before the Majestyof
Heaven? And to die is not only to appearbefore the King, but to stand before
a Judge. Moreover, to die is to stamp our lot with eternity. Now if we look at
death in this light, as appearing before a King, as standing before a Judge,
and as the settling and consolidationof our future existence, whatarguments
might we draw from these facts that we should be "ready also." Manymen
say, "Oh! when I come to die I shall say, 'Lord, have mercy upon me'; and
will then getready to go to heaven." Dressing for heaven, my friends, is not
done quite so rapidly as that. Besides, how do you know that even five minutes
will ever be given to you? I have heard of such a man, who often made it his
boastthat he would so prepare for heaven;but, alas I coming home one night,
drunk, his horse leapedthe parapet of a bridge, and he was heard cursing as

he descendedto his doom. Such may be your lot; sudden death may smite you,
and there will be no time for preparation — there will be no time for you to
prepare to meet your God. And now what is the preparation that we require
to make? If death be what I have saidit is, it is needful that we should be
prepared for it; but what is- the preparation? My hearers, there are two
things necessarybefore a man can face his God without fear. The first is, that
his sins should be pardoned. When an unpardoned sinner shall come into the
presence ofGod, he shall not stand in the Judgment, for the burning wrath of
God shall consume him like stubble. "Depart" — says God — "depart, ye
cursed; ye have lived in sin againstMe;go and reap the harvest ye have
sowed;inherit the reward of your own works." Sinunpardoned clothes a man
with rags;and shall a man stand in rags before the King of Heaven? Sin
unpardoned defiles a man with filth and loathsomeness;and shall filth and
loathsomenessappearbefore perfection, or blacknessstandin the presence of
light and purity? Sin unpardoned makes man an enemy of God, and God an
enemy of man. Sinners, lay hold of Christ. Ye doves, ye who are timid, and
fear the tempest of God, hide yourselves in the cleft of the Rock of Ages, so
shall ye be shelteredin the day of the fierce angerof the Lord. Now, as I have
said, the first thing necessaryfor salvationis pardon of sin, and that is to be
had through faith in Christ. But, secondly, evenif a man's sins are pardoned,
he would not be prepared to die if his nature were not renewed. If you could
blot out all your sins in a moment, and if it could be possible for you to go to
heaven just as you are, you could not be happy there; because heavenis a
prepared place for a prepared people. An unconverted man in heavenwould
be like a fish out of water — he would be wholly out of his element. Holy Mr.
Whitfield used to say, that if an ungodly man could go to heaven as he is, he
would be so miserable there that he would ask to be allowedto run to hell for
shelter! Ye who find our places ofworship dreary prisons, and Sundays dull
days, how could you bear everlasting worship? How could you bear to have
eternal Sabbaths, and continual songs ofpraises morning, noon, and night?
Why, you would say, "Let me out; Gabriel, let me out; this is not the place for
me; let me be gone;I am not happy here." Verily, verily I say unto you, ye
must be born again. Well, cries one, "I will change my nature." My dear
friends, you cannot do it; you may alter your habits, but your nature you
cannot; there is only One that canalter nature, and that is the Holy Spirit.

Christ blots out sin, and the Holy Spirit renews the heart. You may reform,
but that will not take you to heaven. It is not being reformed; it is being
reborn; made new creatures in Christ Jesus.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Preparationfor Death
Luke 12:35-40
The Rev. Dr. Kidd was a Scotchminister of some prominence, and very
eccentric, and one who had his ownway of doing things. One of his
parishioners says:"I was busy in my shop, when, in the midst of my work, in
stepped the doctor. 'Did you expect me?'" was his abrupt inquiry, without
even waiting for a salutation. 'No,'was my reply. 'What if I had been Death?'
he asked, when at once he stepped out as abruptly as he came, and was gone
almost before I knew it." What a question! What a thought for every one of
us! Does notDeath come to most, if not to all, as unexpectedly as this? And
does not the inquiry impress the lessonfrom our Saviour's lips, "Be ye also
ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh."
Preparationfor Death
J. Alexander.
Luke 12:35-40

I. THE DESCRIPTIONOF DEATH WHICH CHRIST HERE GIVES.
1. Death, you perceive, is here representedas the coming of Jesus Christ. In
His capacityof Mediator, He comes at death, to terminate that "spacefor
repentance" which He has allotted to eachindividual; He comes to demand an
accountof our stewardship.
2. But out text refers, with peculiar emphasis, to the uncertainty in which we
are left, as to the time when our Lord will come. ThatHe will come, we are
distinctly and impressively assured:and the time, the place, and the manner
of His coming, are all foreknownto Him, and appointed by Him. But they are
all unknown to us; the year, the day, the hour are unknown; whether it shall
be "in the secondwatch, or in the third watch";whether it shall be in the
morning, or in the evening, or at noonday; "for in such an hour as ye think
not, the Son of Man cometh."
II. THE PREPARATION FOR NEATHWHICH CHRIST ENJOINS.
1. Preparationfor death is founded on a belief of the gospelof Christ.
2. It includes a devout anticipation of death, and a reference to it amidst the
concerns and engagements oflife.
3. Preparationfor death includes also a holy and habitual perseverance in the
service of Jesus Christ.

III. THE BLESSEDNESSWHICH CHRIST HERE ENSURES TO THOSE
WHO DIE IN THIS STATE OF PREPARATION.
1. They are blessedwith peace and hops in the prospectand in the actof
dying.
2. They are blessedwith an entrance into heaven immediately after death.
(J. Alexander.)
Prepare At Once
C. H. Spurgeon.
Luke 12:35-40
I was preaching in Essexbut a few months ago, and the sermonwas scarcely
finished, when a Christian woman, who was hearing it, dropped dead in her
pew. It was but a little while ago, in Kent, that during a sermon, a poor man
who had bent forward, and listened with all his ears, fell forward on his face,
and then and there appearedbefore his God. Sudden deaths are not such
common things as perpetually to keepus in alarm, yet they are common
enough, I hope, to make both young and old arise and hear the voice of God
— "Prepare, prepare, to meet your God." Oh! my hearers, it is but a short
time with the very longestlived amongstus. I see here and there a hoary head.
Is that grey hair yonder a crownof glory or a fool's cap? It is either the one or

the other. There are young persons here too, O let them look forward to the
longesttime that we may live, and how brief the period! Time — how short!
Eternity — how long! Well, since die we must, I do beseechand intreat you to
think of death. Why should all your time be spent in thinking of the things of
this world, when there is another world beyond the present? Why, why, is this
short life to have all your thoughts, and the life to come to have none of them?
I have heard of a monarch who, having a fool in his court, gave him a
walking-stick, withan injunction never to part with it, until he should meet
with a biggerfool than himself. He kept it for many a day, until at last, the
monarch dying, the fool (who was a wise man, after all) came, and said,
"Master, where are you going?" "Well," saidhe, "I am going to die." Said the
fool, "How long are you going to be there? Oh!" saidthe monarch, "for ever
and ever." "And have you not made any preparation for the journey; have
you no house to live in when you getthere; have you nothing ready?" said the
fool. "No," saidthe monarch, "I never thought of it." "There," saidthe fool,
"take the walkingstick;I play the fool in this world, but you have fooledaway
the next: you have entirely neglectedthe world to come, and are a fool in very
deed." And is not that the English after all of what those men are who are so
carelessofthe world to come?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Proper Preparationfor Death
D. Ruell, M. A.
Luke 12:35-40

I. THE SOLEMN EVENT FOR WHICH WE ARE EXHORTED TO
PREPARE, Death.
II. WHAT CONSTITUTES APROPER PREPARATION FOR DEATH?
1. The justification of our persons by a true and lively faith in Christ.
2. The sanctificationof our souls by the effectualoperation of the Holy Spirit.
III. WHY SUCH A PREPARATION BECOMESIMMEDIATELY
NECESSARY.
1. Becausethe time of his coming, or (what is substantially the same thing to
us) the time of our death is awfully uncertain.
2. Becausedelaymay be fatal and irretrievable.
(D. Ruell, M. A.)
Ready
H. G. Salter.
Luke 12:35-40

We should always stand "with our lamps burning, and our loins girt." A
Christian should always be as a ship that has takenin its lading, and is
prepared and furnished with all manner of tackling, ready to sail, only
expecting the goodwinds to carry him out of the haven. So should we be ready
to set sailfor the oceanof eternity, and stand at heaven's gate, be in a
perpetual exercise of faith and love, and be fittingly prepared to meet our
Saviour.
(H. G. Salter.)
Ready!
The WeeklyPulpit
Luke 12:35-40
Anxious thought misdirected only secures misery. Supreme efforts of thought,
involving the greatesttensionof heart-strings, should be spent on objects
worthy of themselves. We were once shown a crossing-sweeperwho had
receiveda university training. What a waste!Men who spend their lives in
seeking the daintiest foodto eat, and the costliestdress to wear, waste time
and talent, energyand substance, on the inferior parts of their being. Where,
then, should anxious thought be exercised? "Butrather seek ye the kingdom
of God." "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning." "Be ye
therefore ready also." Theseare the objects worthy of our anxiety and prayer.

I. BE READY — BE RECONCILED TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
IT IS HERE THE PREPARATION BEGINS.No one is ready to die who is
not justified by faith and has peace with God. We do not wish to limit the
powerof God to save, evenat the last moment, but we must saythat it is a
hazardous practice. Life at the longestis but brief to prepare for a world
which has no end. For a long journey, and for a long stay from home, more
elaborate preparations are made than for a short stay. When one intends to
quit his native land for ever to reside in some distant colony, every
preparation possible is made for that event. Observe also that the preparation
is made with a view to the future. We who are hastening towards the
judgment-seat need remember the exhortation — "Prepare, O Israel, to meet
thy God." Our sins must be pardoned, and our hearts cleansedby the blood of
Jesus. Without this we shall encounter the frown which will strike an eternal
shudder through the soul. "Now, then, we are ambassadors forChrist, as
though God did beseechyou by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye
reconciledto God."
II. BE READY — BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST THE ALLUREMENTS
OF THE WORLD. Let neither prosperity nor adversity stealour
opportunities, but let our heart be fixed on heavenly things. The stag is swift
of foot, but it is often caughtby its own horns in the thicket of the forest. Men
who pride themselves on their business capacities are drowned in the
pleasures of wealth-getting. This world is full of enticements, and as Calypso
would have detained the hero in her beautiful grotto, so these exert an
influence prejudicial to the growth of heavenly desires. Let us cultivate the
spirit of prayer, and commune often with the opposite shore. Every prayer
reminds us that there is a happy land yonder where the saints stand in bright
glory.
III. BE READY — BE IN CONSTANT EXPECTATION OF HIS COMING.
Of all thoughts this is the sweetest.The Apostolic Church was fired daily with
the hope that the Masterwas at hand. A lieutenant who had been mortally

wounded was askedif he had a word he wished to be conveyed to his wife,
replied, "Tell my wife that there is not a cloud betweenme and Jesus." It was
a triumphant death. Be ready to welcome the Saviour when He comes, that no
earthly entanglements may detain you one moment.
(The WeeklyPulpit.)
Ready, or not Ready
A. Bibby.
Luke 12:35-40
I. JESUS CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
1. Notin humble guise, but in His glorious majesty.
2. Notto procure salvation, but to inquire who among men have soughtHis
salvationand acceptedHis offers, and to pronounce sentence accordingly.
II. CHRIST WILL COME WHEN WE DO NOT EXPECT HIM.
1. The world generallywill be unprepared.

2. Foreachof us, death is the coming of the Son of Man.
III. THE NECESSITYOF BEING PREPARED TO MEET OUR GOD
WHEN HE COMES.
1. Are you forgiven?
2. Are you growing in holiness?
(A. Bibby.)
Signs and Preparations of the Last Judgment
J. Marchant.
Luke 12:35-40
I. REMOTE SIGNS.
1. The coming of Antichrist (2 Thessalonians2:3, 4).
2. The coming of Enoch and Elias, and the spread of faith (Revelation11:3-
12).

II. PROXIMATE SIGNS.
1. Tribulations on earth (Luke 21:9, &c.).
2. Signs in heaven (Matthew 24:29).
3. The standard of the cross ofChrist (Matthew 24:30).Itshall appear —
(1) As tokenof Christ's victory.
(2) As the key of heaven. It is the cross that re-opened heaven, and it is our
cross carriedafter Jesus that will open heavento us.
(3) As a measure of our works.
(4) As a reproachto all the enemies of Christ (John 19:37).
III. IMMEDIATE PREPARATIONS.
1. The bodies of the dead will rise.
2. All men must appear before the tribunal of Christ.

3. The wickedshall be separatedfrom among the just.
(J. Marchant.)
The Coming of Christ
T. Dwight, D. D.
Luke 12:35-40
I. THE PERSONS TO WHOM THE COMMAND WAS ADDRESSED
WERE ORIGINALLY THE AUDIENCE TO WHICH OUR SAVIOUR WAS
SPEAKING. These, as St. Luke informs us, were an innumerable multitude of
people, gathered, as it would seem, to hear him preachthe gospel. A part of
them were His disciples, a part of them were His enemies, and a part,
probably including the greatestnumber, could scarcelyhave known anything
of Him, unless by report. To all these classes ofmen the command is
addressedin the written gospel. To him who reads it, and to him who hears it,
it is addressedalike;and that whether he be a Christian, or a sinner,
acquainted with Christ, or unacquainted.
II. IN EXAMINING THE COMMAND ITSELF, I SHALL BRIEFLY
MENTION — First, What that is for which we are to be ready; and —
Secondly, What is included in being ready. First, We are required to be ready
for the coming of Christ. There are severalsenses in which this phrase may be
fairly understood, as used in the Scriptures.

(1) When it is applied to individuals it particularly denotes the day of death.
Deathto every man is the time in which Christ will come, which will terminate
every man's probation, and put an end to the necessityand duty of watching,
so solemnly enjoined in the text.
(2) We are also required to be ready for the judgment;
(3) and for eternity. Secondly, I will now proceedto inquire what is included
in being ready.
1. Profaners ofthe Lord's Dayare not ready for the coming of Christ.
2. Prayerless persons are notready for the coming of Christ.
3. Those who do not profess the religion of Christ, and enter into His
covenant, are not not ready for His coming.
4. Those persons also are unprepared for the coming of Christ who prefer the
world to Him.
5. All persons are unprepared for the coming of Christ who have hitherto put
off their repentance to a future season.

6. All those persons also are unready for the coming of Christ who in their
schemes ofreformation reserve to themselves the indulgence of some sinful
disposition, or the perpetration of some particular sin.
7. Those also are unready for the coming of Christ who do not continually and
solemnly converse with death, judgment, and eternity.
8. CarelessChristians are also unprepared for the coming of Christ.
III. I WILL NOW PROCEEDTO THE CONSIDERATION OF THE
REASON BY WHICH THE DUTY OF PREPARING OURSELVESFOR
THE COMING OF CHRIST IS ENFORCED IN THE TEXT — "Forthe Son
of Man cometh in an hour when ye think not." How solemnly ought we to
remember that death will not wait for our wishes, that the judgment is now
hastening, that eternity is at the door? Disease, unperceived, may now be
making progress in our veins, and may be preparing, without a suspicionon
our part, to hurry us to the grave. How absurd, how deceitful, how fatal is our
procrastination!
(T. Dwight, D. D.)
The ExpectantServant
H. G. Weston, D. D.
Luke 12:35-40

I. WHY IS THERE SUCH A CONTRAST IN THE PRESENTSTATE OF
THE CHURCH AS COMPARED WITH THE CHURCH IN APOSTOLIC
TIMES?
1. Christ predicted this apathy.
2. The narrow views prevalent as to the idea of "judgment" have much to do
with this indifference. Christ is to establish a rule of equity, to establish
righteousness in the earth, let us remember.
3. In saying "It is expedient for you that I go away," the Lord did not say that
it was expedient to stayaway. We seemto act as if He said so. But He said, "I
will come again."
II. THE BLESSEDNESS OF WAITING FOR CHRIST.
1. It shows our real affectionfor Him.
2. It shows that we entertain right views of the work of Christ, and are in
sympathy with that work.
3. This expectantattitude testifies to our supreme desire for spiritual
blessings:those gifts of His grace which prepare us for His work here, and for
the glorious vision of His face at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
(H. G. Weston, D. D.)

The Kind Master
S. Cox, D. D.
Luke 12:35-40
First let us glance atthe form of the parable. A certainOriental gentleman, or
"lord," has gone to the wedding of a friend. The festivities connectedwith an
Easternmarriage were spread over many days, a week at least, sometimes a
month. All the friends of the family were expectedto put in an appearance,
but only a selectfew remained to the end. The rest might come and go at any
hour, on any day, that suited their convenience orpleasure. So that when this
Hebrew gentleman went to his friend's wedding, his servants could not tell to
an hour, or to a watch, or even to a day, when he would return. But, however
long he delayed his coming, they kept a keenlook-outfor him. When night
fell, instead of barring up the house and retiring to rest, they girt up their long
outer robes, that they might be ready to run out at any instant to greethim;
they kindled their lamps, that they might run safely, as well as swiftly, on his
errands. They even prepared a table for him; for, though he was coming from
a feast, he may have had to ride far and long, and, in any case, a little fruit
and a cup of pure wateror of generous wine might be very acceptable to him.
In this posture, with these preparations, they awaithis coming. And when he
comes, he is so pleasedwith their fidelity and thoughtfulness that, insteadof
sitting down to meat or hastening to his couch, he girds up his loins, bids his
servants sit down to the very banquet they had prepared for him, and comes
forth from his chamber to wait upon them.
I. THE WATCHFULNESS OF THE SERVANTS. As they waited for the
coming of their master, so are we to wait for the coming of ours. If we take the

greatpromise of the New Testament — the secondadvent of Christ — if we
divest it of all mere accidents of form and date, and reduce it to its most
simple and generalterms, what does it come to? It comes at leastto this: that,
somewhere in the future, there is to be a better world than this — a world
more wisely and happily ordered, a world in which all that is now wrong will
be righted, a world of perfect beauty and growing righteousness;in a word, a
world in which He who once suffered for and with all men will really reign in
and over all men, His spirit dwelling in them, and raising them towards the
true ideal of manhood. And is not that a reasonable hope? Doesit not make a
vital difference to us whether or not we entertain it? If in this world only we
have hope, we are of all creatures most miserable. If the tragedyof human life
be pregnant with no Divine purpose, if there be no better time coming, no
golden age ofrighteousness and peace — if, in short, we canno longerbelieve
in the advent and reign of Christ, then surely every thoughtful spectatorof
this vast tragedymust say, "It were better for men that they had never been
born!" But if we believe in this greatpromise, if we cherish this greathope,
then can we with patience wait for it. And this is the very posture which our
Lord here enjoins.
II. THE FRIENDLYAND BOUNTIFUL KINDNESS OF THE MASTER.
Whateverwe have done for God, He will do for us; when He reckons with us,
we shall receive our own again, and receive it with usury. It is but a
metaphoricalexpressionof that greatlaw of retribution which pervades the
whole Bible, but the happier face of which we are too apt to overlook — that
whatevera man sows, that shall he also reap, that, and all that has come of it.
The Divine reward will be at once equitable and bountiful. If in this present
life we have shown some capacityfor serving God in serving our fellows, we
may be sure that in the life to come we shall receive the harvest of our service;
we may be sure that God will do for us all that we have done for Him, and a
greatdeal more. But what, after all, is the best part of a man's reward for a
faithful and diligent use of any faculty here? It is that his faculty, whateverit
may be, is invigorated, developed, refined by use. If, then, I have here used my
faculty and opportunity for serving God in serving my fellows, I may hope
and believe that hereafter my best reward will be an enlargedfaculty of

service and ampler opportunities for exercising it. If I love righteousness here,
and pursue it, I find all righteous men and influences on my side, and so get
my reward; but my best rewardis that I myself am ever growing in
righteousness, inthe power of teaching and serving it.
(S. Cox, D. D.)
The Lamp of the Soul Ever Burning
R. Jones, M. . 4.
Luke 12:35-40
I. CONSIDERTHE EMPTY, UNTRIMMED LAMP AS THE EMBLEM OF
THE NOMINAL PROFESSOR. A lamp is a very serviceable thing,
serviceable forlighting our stormy coast, andguarding againstshipwrecks;
serviceable forlighting our homes; but it is of little service unless it is
trimmed, and unless it has oil in it. Now a hollow professoris like a lamp of
this kind, a lamp with no oil in it, that cannot be lighted when you want it; as
useless, thoughmore dangerous. He lets not the lamp of his professionshine
before men with the light of practice, with the light of good works, becausethe
lamp of his professionis destitute of the oil of Divine grace. The oil is the
emblem of Divine grace in the Christian profession. And as it is impossible to
light a lamp without first putting oil into it; so is it impossible for a hollow
professorto shed around on this dark world the beautiful and refreshing light
of goodworks, unless, first, the oil of Divine grace is poured into the empty
receptacle ofhis unconverted heart, by the unseen hand of the Holy Spirit.

II. CONSIDERTHE LAMP, WITH OIL IN IT, RUT NOT LIGHTED, AS
AN EMBLEM OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN, BUT NOT EXACTLY SO
WELL PREPAREDFOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE SON OF MAN
AT AN HOUR UNEXPECTED.It is an easything for the lamp of the
Christian to grow dim, or to go out. If the Christian is not watchful, the
slightestblast from the insidious temptations of the world, the flesh, and the
devil, will blow his lamp out. Want of prayer, irregularity in prayer, coldness
in prayer, will put the Christian's lamp out, or make it burn very dull. Neglect
of the Scriptures, neglecteither in not searching them, or in searching them in
a self-righteous and careless spirit, will extinguish the bright light of the lamp.
Or irregularity, or formality, in attending the Sacrament, and the other
Divinely appointed means of grace, will cause the lamp to emit a dim and
unhealthy light. Yielding to the besetting sin will put the lamp out; yielding to
any wilful sin will put the lamp out. Remissnessin self-examination will put
the lamp out. Want of zeal for Christ will put the lamp out. Want of faith in
Christ will put the lamp out. Want of hope in Christ will put the lamp out.
Want of love for Christ will put the lamp out. Want of an abounding
stedfastnessin the work of the Lord, will put the lamp out.
III. CONSIDER THE LAMP BURNING, AS AN EMBLEM OF DUE
PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S SUDDENCOMING. Brethren, it is a hard
thing in a world like this, and with an old evil nature that clings to the new
man, for the Christian to keephis lamp burning. There are few Christians,
indeed, whom sudden death has found, or the secondadvent will find, not only
with lamps, and the oil in the lamps, but the lamps themselves burning.
"Sudden death, sudden glory," has been the noble motto of a very
distinguished minority, and death has not had powerto make them retract.
Absent from the body, present with the Lord; so said St. Paul in life, and so he
felt in death. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, are among the last glorious
words on recordof St. John. They shed a burning and shining light upon this
dark world of sin and woe to the very last. Their whole eventful lives were
spent in being good, or doing good. "To them to live is Christ, to die is gain."
When their lamps grow dull, and seemthreatening to go out, they

immediately brighten them up, and make them burn again, by betaking
themselves to the throne of grace.
IV. To eachof these three classesofChristians, denoted by the lamp, WE
WOULD OFFER A WORD OF EXHORTATION BY WAY OF WARNING
OR ENCOURAGEMENT.
1. To the first we would say, yours is a sad case, indeed. You trust in the lamp
of a hollow professionto save you in the great, and awful, and searching day
of your Lord's secondcoming. You trust to a lamp without oil to light it. If
you put confidence in any refuge of lies of this description, what a miserable
end yours will be when Christ cometh. The God that seethnot as man seeth,
the Godthat searcheththe hearts and trieth the reins, is to be your Judge, and
pronounce your final doom.
2. To the secondclass ofChristians we would say, guard againstall those
things that tend to put the lamp out. Every Christian knows what has the
influence of deadening the light of the Spirit in his soul, and such a course
ought to be strenuously avoided.
3. To the third class ofChristians here designated, letus offer the word of
encouragement. Oftenseatedamid nights of terrible darkness, onthe rock
that is higher than we, on the rock of ages, have you been looking patiently,
and in faith, over Time's troublous sea, forthe glad day of Christ's coming to
arrive, watching for the day-star to rise. Let your lamps be thus burning, till
He comes. It will not be long before He does come. Yet a little while, and He
that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. Then your soul's vigils will come
to an end.

(R. Jones, M. . 4.)
Waiting and Watching
Bishop Stevens.
Luke 12:35-40
Faith without works has no testifying and authenticating fruit. They are the
two extremes of the one tree, viz., the root and the fruit; they are the two
halves of the one whole — togetherthey make up the complete Christian. In
the text, this completeness is brought out and illustrated in a forcible manner,
in the three aspects in which our Lord presents the Christian, viz., a servant, a
light-bearer, and a watchman.
I. In the first direction which our Lord gives, "Let your loins be girded
about," we have before us the picture of A SERVANT GIRDED FOR DUTY.
I need not tell you what the position and duties of a servant are; how it is
expectedof him that he should know his place, and humbly and faithfully
discharge the duties of his station. He should, if possible, identify himself with
his master's interest, and conduct himself in a manner which will sustain his
master's honour. The servant of Christ has the noblest of all masters — the
holiest of all services — the most honourable of all positions. The servant of a
king ever bears about him the reflectedhonour of the king, and the amount of
this honour is in proportion to his nearness or remoteness to the throne. So
the servantof the King of kings borrows dignity from the Being whom he
serves. He wears no outward insignia of that dignity, as earthly courtiers do in
stars or ribbons; but it is a glory which reflects itself in his daily life, and
evidences his relation to Jesus by the fidelity and zealwhich he shows in His

service. The fact that what he does, he does for Christ, lifts it out of the plane
of menial duty, and places it in the higher region of holy privilege. Such a
service ought to call out prompt obedience, loving devotion, unweariedeffort,
and thorough sympathy with the aim and purpose of God in the work of
man's salvation.
II. But, secondly, the text tells us that the Christian is to BE A LIGHT-
BEARER as well as a servant. Not only must his loins be girded, but his lights
must be burning, The Christian lives in the midst of moral darkness. Sin is
darkness, and he lives in a world of sin; a world in which men love darkness
rather than light, because their deeds are evil. Error also is darkness. If Christ
is in you His light will shine out through you; and if none shines out through
you, it will be because there is none in you. Where the light is, there will be the
shining. The absence oflight proves the absence ofChrist; for you cannot
coverup His light or smother His beams. The necessityfor these lights being
ever burning arises from the personalneed of the believer himself; and from
the necessityof showing forth to others the light and truth which he has found
in Jesus. The personalsecurity of the disciple, then, requires that he should let
his lights be burning. His spiritual comfort also depends on this. St. John,
after declaring that "God is light, and in Him is no darkness atall,"
immediately adds, "If we say that we have fellowshipwith Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in
the light, we have fellowshipone with another." The holier the life, the
brighter the light. The more the light shines for others, the greateris the inner
glow of our own hearts, and the greaterthe outer glory given to God. The
absence oflight where we expectto find it, often produces most disastrous
results.
III. Lastly, the text tells us that the Christian is to be a WATCHMAN: "and
ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord," The watchman-like
characterof the Christian is to show itself in two ways. First, by watching
over himself; and secondly, by waiting for his returning Lord. Over himself he

must watch, lest he become carelessin duty, remiss in keeping his light
burning, and be overtakenwith drowsiness and indifference. Self-
watchfulness is the necessarypre-requisite to spiritual peace and growth.
Only the self-confidentand the self-ignorantare unwatchful; and the
unwatchful always become an easyprey to the spoiler. All that the great
deceiverasks ofus is; not that we should openly abandon our religion, but
simply ungird our loins — let our light go out and cease to watch. He will
finish the work which we thus by carelessness andunwatchfulness begin. In
addition to this self-watchfulness there is the other position to be taken, viz.,
waiting for our returning Lord. This may imply that outlook which all true
Christians like to take in reference to the SecondAdvent of Christ, when He
shall come againto judge the world.
(Bishop Stevens.)
Waiting for the Lord
C. H. Spurgeon.
Luke 12:35-40
Our dear friend, Mr. James Smith, whom some of you remember as
preaching the Word at Park Street, and afterwards at Cheltenham, when I
saw him, some little while before his departure, describedhimself thus: "You
have seena passengerthat has gone to the station, takenhis ticket, all his
luggage brought in, all packedup, strapped, directed; and you have seenhim
sitting with his ticketin his hand, waiting till the train comes up. That," said
he, "is exactlymy condition. I am ready to go as soonas my Heavenly Father
pleases to come for me." And is not that how we should always live — waiting

for the Lord's appearing? Mr. Whitefield used to say, of his well-knownorder
and regularity, "I like to go to bed feeling that if I were to die to-night, there is
not so much as a pair of my gloves out of their proper place."
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Waiting for the Lord
J. H. Norton.
Luke 12:35-40
Two centuries ago, Andrew Gray, the M'Cheyne of his time, and who, like
him, was early called home, once saidat a communion season, "Oh, when
shall these blue heavens be rent, and we be admitted to the marriage supper of
the Lamb? I long for the day when all the language of heavenand earth shall
be, 'Come, come, Lord Jesus.'" But, in a more marked degree still, this was
the theme in which SamuelRutherford ever speciallydelighted. "All is night
that is here," he said; "therefore sigh and long for the dawning of the
morning, and the breaking of that day of the coming of the Sonof Man!
Persuade yourselfthe King is coming: read his letter sent before him, 'Behold,
I come quickly.' Wait with the weariednight watch for the breaking of the
easternsky, and think that ye have not a morrow."
(J. H. Norton.)

Watching for the Master
The CongregationalPulpit
Luke 12:35-40
I. CONSIDEROUR EXPECTATION.
1. We expect Christ's secondadvent as King and Judge. Or —
2. We expect our own decease,whichwill take us into His presence, to give an
accountof ourselves.
II. OUR PRESENTPOSITION.
1. We are His servants. We belong to Him, and are subjectto Him; He has
given us work to do in His absence — work which should occupyall our time,
and engage allour powers. Specifically, there is the work of our own
sanctification;and there is the work of Christian beneficence and labour in
the world.
2. We are left to ourselves for a season. We have it in our power to refuse
doing His work. We may use His property and gifts for our own pleasure or
profit. We may be indolent, selfish, and sensual, and lull ourselves to sleepand
carelessness.

3. But He will return, and callus to account. We expect a day of reckoning.
III. ITS ISSUES.
1. If found faithful, what joy and honour will be ours! (See verse 37.)
2. If found unfaithful, what discomfiture and ruin! (See verse 45, &c.)
IV. OUR TRUE INTERESTAND DUTY.
1. it is, to live wholly for eternity — for Christ.
2. It is, to be prepared for death and judgment every moment. (See vers. 35,
40.)
3. It is, to stir up others to the same wakefulness andzeal!
(The CongregationalPulpit.)
Watching is Essential
Christian Age
Luke 12:35-40

A general, after gaining a great victory, was encamping with his army for the
night. He ordered watch to be kept all around the camp as usual. One of the
sentinels, as he went to his station, grumbled to himself, and said, " Why
could not the generallet us have a quiet night's restfor once, after beating the
enemy? I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of." The man then went to his
station and stood for some time looking about him. It was a bright night, with
a harvest moon, but, as he could see no sign of danger anywhere, he said to
himself, "I am terribly tired, I shall sleepfor just five minutes, out of the
moonlight, under the shadow of this tree. So he lay down. Presentlyhe started
up, dreaming that some one had pushed a lantern before his eyes, and he
found that the moon was shining brightly down on him through the branches
of the tree above him. The next minute an arrow whizzed pasthis ear, and the
whole field before him seemedalive with soldiers in dark green coats, who
sprang up from the ground, where they had been silently creeping onward,
and rushed toward him. Fortunately the arrow had missed him! so he shouted
aloud to give the alarm, and ran back to some other sentinels. The army to
which he belongedwas thus saved, and the soldier said, "I shall never forget,
as long as I live, that when one is at war, one must watch."
(Christian Age.)
What Do You Keep a Lantern For
Luke 12:35-40

A blind beggarsat by the side-walk on a dark night with a bright lantern by
his side. Whereata passer-by was so puzzled that he had to turn back with —
"What in the world do you keepa lantern burning for? You can't see!" "So't
folks won't stumble over me," was the reply. We should keepour lights
brightly burning for others'sakes,as wellas for the goodof being "in the
light" ourselves.
What Does the Lord Demand of His Faithful Servants?
Van Oosterzee.
Luke 12:35-40
1. An eye that is open for His light.
2. A hand that carries on His work.
3. A foot that is every instant ready to go to meet Him and to open to Him.
(Van Oosterzee.)
What Does the Lord Promise to His Faithful Servants?
Van Oosterzee.

Luke 12:35-40
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
1. Honourable distinction.
2. Perfectcontentment.
3. Beseeming elevation.
(Van Oosterzee.)
COMMENTARIES ON VERSE 39
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(39, 40) And this know, that if the goodmanof the house . . .—Better, “if the
master of the house.” See Notes onMatthew 24:43-44, where the words are
almost identical.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:22-40 Christ largelyinsisted upon this caution not to give wayto
disquieting, perplexing cares, Mt 6:25-34. The arguments here used are for
our encouragementto castour care upon God, which is the right way to get
ease. As in our stature, so in our state, it is our wisdom to take it as it is. An
eager, anxious pursuit of the things of this world, even necessarythings, ill

becomes the disciples of Christ. Fears must not prevail; when we frighten
ourselves with thoughts of evil to come, and put ourselves upon needless cares
how to avoid it. If we value the beauty of holiness, we shall not crave the
luxuries of life. Let us then examine whether we belong to this little flock.
Christ is our Master, and we are his servants;not only working servants, but
waiting servants. We must be as men that wait for their lord, that sit up while
he stays out late, to be ready to receive him. In this Christ alluded to his own
ascensionto heaven, his coming to callhis people to him by death, and his
return to judge the world. We are uncertain as to the time of his coming to us,
we should therefore be always ready. If men thus take care of their houses, let
us be thus wise for our souls. Be ye therefore ready also;as ready as the good
man of the house would be, if he knew at what hour the thief would come.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
See the notes at Matthew 24:42-51.
Secondwatch- See the notes at Matthew 14:25.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
38. second… third watch—To find them ready to receive Him at any hour of
day or night, when one might leastof all expectHim, is peculiarly blessed. A
servant may be truly faithful, even though taken so far unawares that he has
not everything in such order and readiness for his master's return as he thinks
is due to him, and both could and would have had if he had had notice of the
time of his coming, and so may not be willing to open to him "immediately,"
but fly to preparation, and let his masterknock againere he admit him, and
even then not with full joy. A too common case this with Christians. But if the
servant have himself and all under his charge in such a state that at any hour
when his masterknocks, he can open to him "immediately," and hail his
"return"—that is the most enviable, "blessed"servantof all.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 12:37"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And this know,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "this only know";only take
notice of this one thing, and it may be of some use to direct you in your
conduct how to behave during the absence ofyour Lord, until the time he
shall come again:
that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come;
that is, if the owner, or masterof the house, whose the goods in the house are,
could by any means know what time of the night the thief would come to
break into his house, in order to plunder it, and carry off his goods:
he would have watched;either he himself in person, or he would have set a
watchabout his house, or in it:
and not have suffered his house to be broken through; either the door to be
broken up, or the wall to be dug through, but by a guard about it, or within it,
would have prevented such a design. And so in like manner, could it be known
in what time Christ would come, either to the destruction of Jerusalem, or at
death, or to judgment, every thoughtful, prudent man that should know it,
would be upon his guard, that he might not be surprised with it; and though
the precise time could not be known, yet inasmuch as the thing itself is certain,
it became all the servants of Christ to be watching for it; See Gill on Matthew
24:43.
Geneva Study Bible
And this know, that if the goodmanof the house had known what hour the
thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to
be broken through.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 12:39-40. See onMatthew 24:43 f. The less, however, should ye be
wanting in watchfulness, since the Messiahwill appearunexpectedly like a
thief in the night. A sudden change offigures, but appropriate for sharpening
the warning in question, and not at all startling to people accustomedto the
sudden turns of Oriental imagery. Whether, moreover, the passage has
receivedits true historical place here or in the discourse on the end of the
world, Matthew 24, cannot be decided.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 12:39-40. The thief (Matthew 24:43-44). A new figure is now employed
to give pictorial embodiment to the counsel:be everready. The master
returning from a wedding is replacedby a thief whose study it is to come to
the house he means to plunder at an unexpected time. This logion is
reproduced by Lk. substantially as in Mt. with only slight stylistic variations.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
39. this know]Rather, this ye know.
the goodmanof the house]An archaic expressionfor the master of the house,
the paterfamilias. It is said to be a corruption of the Saxongumman ‘a man,’
goodwife being formed from it by false analogy.
to be brokenthrough] Literally, “to be dug through,” the houses being often
of mud.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:39. Γινώσκετε) ye know [but Engl. Vers. Know ye].—ἐγρηγόρησεν
ἂν, he would have watched)Nor would that have been anything particularly
remarkable. The doubtfulness attending the hour (of the thief s coming)
renders the watching both continuously-maintained and praiseworthy.—V. g.]
Pulpit Commentary

Verses 39, 40. - And this know, that if the goodmanof the house had known
what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have
suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also:for the
Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. The Lord abruptly changes
the scene ofhis parable imagery, and with another striking and vivid example
enforces his teaching on the subjectof the urgent necessityof his servants
keeping a sleeplessand diligent watchand ward againsthis coming againin
judgment. Very deeply must this image of the Lord's sudden return, as a thief
breaks into the house in the still hours of the night, have impresseditself on
the hearts of the awe-struck, listening disciples, for we find in the case ofSS.
Paul and Peterthe very words and imagery, and in the case ofSt. John the
imagery againmade use of (see 1 Thessalonians5:1, 2; 1 Peter3:10;
Revelation3:3; Revelation16:15). The meaning of the simile is obvious. The
disciples and all followers of Jesus woulddo well to remain always on the
watchfor the secondadvent of the Lord. The time of that awful return was
unknown, never could be known; men, however, must not be deceivedby the
long tarrying; the clay of the Lord would surely come on the world as a thief
in the night.
Vincent's Word Studies
What hour (ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ)
See on Matthew 24:42.
Would come
Lit., cometh. See on Matthew 24:43.
Brokenthrough
See on Matthew 6:19.

(38) And if he shall come in the secondwatch.—InMark 13:35 we have the
Roman four-fold division of the night. (See Note there.) Here we find the older
Jewishdivision into three watches. (Judges 7:19, 1Samuel11:11.)
BensonCommentary
Luke 12:38-40. And if he shall come in the secondor third watch, &c. — This
included all the time from nine in the evening to three in the morning; and
was as if he had said, whether he come early or late. Here our Lord enforces
“this constantwatchfulness and habitual preparation for his coming, from the
considerationof the uncertainty of the time of it; telling them, that as there is
no master of a family but would make some preparation againsta thief, if he
knew of his coming, so it would be no greatmatter if they should make some
preparation, on receiving certain information of his approach: for which
reason, their zeal could only show itself by keeping them in constant
readiness, as they did not know what hour he would come. Be ye therefore
ready also, for the Son of man cometh, &c. — “The coming of the Son of man
often signifies his providential interposition for the destruction of Jerusalem;
but it cannotbe takenin such a sense here, because our Lord speaks ofan
immediate rewardto be bestowedon all faithful servants;and an immediate
punishment to be executedon all that were unfaithful; and expresslydeclares
this to be a matter of universal concern: all which particulars have very little
sense orpropriety, when applied to the destruction of Jerusalem. It must,
therefore, be understood of his coming to remove them from the capacitiesof
service here, to give up their account. And, if we suppose it to relate to death,
as well as judgment, (which by a consequenceatleastit undoubtedly does,)it

strongly intimates his having such a dominion over the invisible world, that
every soul removed into it might be said to be fetched awayby him.” —
Doddridge.
See the notes at Matthew 24:42-51.
Secondwatch- See the notes at Matthew 14:25.
38. second… third watch—To find them ready to receive Him at any hour of
day or night, when one might leastof all expectHim, is peculiarly blessed. A
servant may be truly faithful, even though taken so far unawares that he has
not everything in such order and readiness for his master's return as he thinks

is due to him, and both could and would have had if he had had notice of the
time of his coming, and so may not be willing to open to him "immediately,"
but fly to preparation, and let his masterknock againere he admit him, and
even then not with full joy. A too common case this with Christians. But if the
servant have himself and all under his charge in such a state that at any hour
when his masterknocks, he can open to him "immediately," and hail his
"return"—that is the most enviable, "blessed"servantof all.
And if he shall come in the secondwatch,.... Ofthe night, that is, after nine
o'clock, orany time betweennine or twelve;for the secondwatchwas from
nine o'clock till twelve; and this was coming early from an entertainment, or a
wedding, which were commonly kept in the night, and late;
or come in the third watch, or after twelve o'clock, orany time betweentwelve
and three; for the third watch was from twelve o'clock to three, which was
late; See Gill on Matthew 14:25 The Persic versionreads, "in the second, or
third part of the night"; and the Ethiopic version, "in the secondor third
hour of the night";
and find them so. The Arabic version adds, "doing";as above described, with
their loins girt, lights burning, and they watching for their Lord's coming:
blessedare those servants; since they shall be used and treated as before
related.
Geneva Study Bible

And if he shall come in the secondwatch, or come in the third watch, and find
them so, blessedare those servants.
Luke 12:38. The earlieror later time of the Advent will make no difference in
this blessedrecompense. Jesus does notmention the first of the four night-
watches (see onMatthew 14:25), because in this the marriage-feasttook place;
nor the fourth, because so late a return would have been unusual, and in this
place contrary to the decorum of the events that were represented.
Luke 12:38. ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ, etc., secondand third watches named as the times
at which men are most apt to be overtakenwith sleep(Hahn), the night being
probably supposed to consistof four watches, andthe first omitted as too
early, and the last as too late for the return.
38. come in the secondwatch, or come in the third watch] It is not clear, nor
very important, whether St Luke here alludes to the three watches ofthe Jews
and Greeks (Lamentations 2:19;Jdg 7:19; Exodus 14:24) or to the four of the
Romans (Jerome, Ep. CXL.). But it is very important to observe that often as
our Lord bade His disciples to be ready for His return, He as often indicates
that His return might be long delayed, Matthew 25:5-19. He always implied
that He should come suddenly (Luke 21:34-36;1 Thessalonians5:2-6;
Revelation3:3) but not necessarilysoon, Luke 12:46; 2 Peter3:8-9. “The
Parousia does not come so quickly as impatience, nor yet so late as
carelessness, supposes.”Van Oosterzee.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:38. Δευτέρᾳ, in the second)The first watch is not mentioned:
inasmuch as it was the very time itself of the nuptial feast.—τρίτῃ, inthe
third) The Romans used to divide the night into four watches, the Jews into

three. Accordingly Simonius establishes it as certain, that Luke alludes to the
Jewishdivision.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 38. - And if he shall come in the secondwatch, or come in the third
watch, and find them so. Among the Jews atthe time of our Lord, the old
division of the night into three watches had given place to the ordinary Roman
division into four. They were reckonedthus: from six to nine, from nine to
midnight, from midnight to three, and from three to six. In this parable the
secondand third watches are mentioned as necessaryfor the completenessof
the picture; for the banquet would certainly not be over before the end of the
first watch, and in the fourth the day would be breaking. The secondand
third watches, then, represent the still and wearyhours of the night, when to
watchis indeed a task of difficulty and painfulness; and here againthe Lord
repeats his high encomium on such devoted conduct in his second"blessedare
those servants." It is perfectly clearthat in this parable the master's return
signifies the coming of Christ. The whole tone, then, is a grave reminder to us,
to all impatient ones, that the greatevent may be long delayed, much longer
than most Christian thinkers dream; but it tells us, too. that this long delay
involves a test of their loyalty. "The parousia does not come so quickly as
impatience, nor yet so late as carelessness, supposes" (VanOosterzee).
Secondwatch
See on Mark 13:35.

(37) He shall gird himself.—The words give a new significance to the act of
our Lord in John 13:4. Their real fulfilment is to be found, it need hardly be
said, in the far-off completion of the Kingdom, or in the ever-recurring
experiences whichare the foretastesof that Kingdom; but the office which He
then assumedmust have reminded the disciples of the words which are
recordedhere, and may well have been intended to be at once a symbol and
an earnestof what should be hereafter. In the promise of Revelation3:20 (“I
will sup with him and he with Me”)we have a recurrence to the same
imagery. The passage shouldbe borne in mind as balancing the seeming
harshness of the Masterin Luke 17:8.
To sit down.—Literally, to lie down, or recline.
Will come forth . . .—Better, and as He passes onwill minister unto them. The
Greek verb expresses, notthe “coming out” as from another chamber, but the
passing from one to another, as when He washedthe disciples’feet, in John
13:5.
MacLaren's Expositions
Luke
SERVANTS AND STEWARDS HERE AND HEREAFTER
THE SERVANT-LORD
Luke 12:37.

No one would have dared to say that exceptJesus Christ. Forsurely, manifold
and wonderful as are the glimpses that we get in the New Testamentofthe
relation of perfect souls in heaven to Him, none of them pierces deeper, rises
higher, and speaks more boundless blessing, than such words as these. Well
might Christ think it necessaryto preface them with the solemn affirmation
which always, upon His lips, points, as it were, an emphatic finger to, or
underlines that which He is about to proclaim. ‘Verily I sayunto you,’ if we
had not His own word for it, we might hesitate to believe. And while we have
His own word for it, and do not hesitate to believe, it is not for us to fathom or
exhaust, but lovingly and reverently and humbly, because we know it but
partially, to try to plumb the unfathomable depth of such words. ‘He shall
gird Himself, and cause them to sit down to meat; and come forth and serve
them.’
I. Then we have, first of all, the wonderful revelation of the Servant-Lord.
For the name of dignity is employed over and over againin the immediate
context, and so makes more wonderful the assumption here of the promise of
service.
And the words are not only remarkable because they couple so closely
togetherthe two antagonistic ideas, as we fancy them, of rule and service,
authority and subordination, but because they dwell with such singular
particularity of detail upon all the stages ofthe menial office which the
Monarchtakes upon Himself. First, the girding, assuming the servant’s attire;
then the leading of the guests, wondering and silent, to the couches where they
can recline;then the coming to them as they thus repose at the table, and the
waiting upon their wants and supplying all their need. It reminds us of the
wonderful scene, in John’s Gospel, where we have coupledtogether in the
same intimate and interdependent fashion the two thoughts of dignity and of
service-’Jesus, knowing thatthe Fatherhad given all things into His hand,

and that He came from God and went to God,’ made this use of His
consciousnessandof His unlimited and universal dominion, that ‘He laid
aside His garments, and took a towel, and girded Himself, and washedthe
disciples’feet’; thus teaching what our text teaches in still another form, that
the highestauthority means the lowliestservice, that the purpose of poweris
blessing, that the very sign and mark of dignity is to stoop, and that the crown
of the Universe is worn by Him who is the Servant of all.
But beyond that generalidea which applies to the whole of the divine dealings
and especiallyto the earthly life of Him who came, not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, the text sets forth specialmanifestations ofChrist’s
ministering love and power, which are reservedfor heaven, and are a contrast
with earth. The Lord who is the Servant girds Himself. That corresponds with
the commandment that went before, ‘Let your loins be girded,’ and to some
extent covers the same ground and suggests the same idea. With all reverence,
and following humbly in the thoughts that Christ has given us by the words,
one may venture to saythat He gathers all His powers togetherin strenuous
work for the blessing of His glorified servants, and that not only does the
metaphor express for us His taking upon Himself the lowly office, but also the
employment of all that He is and has there in the heavens for the blessing of
the blessedones that sit at His table.
Here upon earth, when He assumedthe form of a Servant in His entrance into
humanity, it was accompaniedwith the emptying Himself of His glory. In the
symbolical incident in John’s Gospel, to which I have alreadyreferred, He
laid aside His garments before He wrapped around Him the badge of service.
But in that wondrous service by the glorified Lord there is no need for
divesting ere He serves, but the divine glories that irradiate His humanity, and
by which He, our Brother, is the King of kings and the Lord of the Universe,
are all used by Him for this great, blessedpurpose of gladdening and filling up
the needs of the perfectedspirits that wait, expectantof their food, upon Him.
His girding Himself for service expressesnotonly the lowliness ofHis majesty

and the beneficence of His power, but His use of all which He has and is for
the blessing of those whom He keeps and blesses.
I need not remind you, I suppose, how in this same wonderful picture of the
Servant-Lord there is taught the perpetual-if we may so say, the increased-
lowliness ofthe crownedChrist. When He was here on earth, He was meek
and holy; exalted in the heavens, He is, were it possible, meekerand more
lowly still, because He stoops from a loftier elevation. The same loving, gentle,
gracious heart, holding all its treasures forits brethren, is the heart that now
is girded with the golden girdle of sovereignty, and which once was girt with
the coarsetowelofthe slave. Christ is for ever the Servant, because He is for
ever the Lord of them that trust in Him. Let us learn that service is dominion;
that ‘he that is chiefestamong us’ is thereby bound to be ‘the servant’ and the
helper ‘of all.’
II. Notice, the servants who are served and serve.
There are two or three very plain ideas, suggestedby the great words of my
text, in regardto the condition of those whom the Lord thus ministers to, and
waits upon. I need not expand them, because they are familiar to us all, but let
me just touch them. ‘He shall make them to sit down to meat.’The word, as
many of you know, really implies a more restful attitude-’He shall make them
recline at meat.’ What a contrastto the picture of toil and effort, which has
just been drawn, in the command,’ Let your loins be girded about, and your
lamps burning, and ye yourselves as men that wait for their Lord!’ Here,
there must be the bracing up of every power, and the careful tending of the
light amid the darkness and the gusts that threaten to blow it out, and every
ear is to be listening and every eye strained, for the coming of the Lord, that
there may be no unpreparedness or delay in flinging open the gates. But then
the tensionis taken off and the loins ungirded, for there is no need for painful
effort, and the lamps that burn dimly and require tending in the mephitic air

are laid aside, and ‘they need no candle, for the Lord is the light thereof’; and
there is no more intense listening for the first foot-fallof One who is coming,
for He has come, and expectationis turned into fellowshipand fruition. The
strained muscles can relax, and instead of effort and weariness, there is repose
upon the restful couches preparedby Him. Threadbare and old as the hills as
the thought is, it comes to us toilers with ever new refreshment, like a whiff of
fresh air or the gleam of the far-off daylight at the top of the shaft to the
miner, cramped at his work in the dark. What a witness the preciousness of
that representationof future blessedness as restto us all bears to the pressure
of toil and the aching, weary hearts which we all carry! The robes may flow
loose then, for there is neither pollution to be feared from the golden
pavement, nor detention from briars or thorns, nor work that is so hard as to
be toil or so unwelcome as to be pain. There is rest from labour, care, change,
and fear of loss, from travel and travail, from tired limbs and hearts more
tired still, from struggle and sin, from all which makes the unrest of life.
Further, this greatpromise assures us of the supply of all wants that are only
permitted to lastlong enough to make a capacityfor receiving the eternal and
all-satisfying food which Christ gives the restful servants. Though ‘they
hunger no more,’ they shall always have appetite. Though they ‘thirst no
more,’ they shall ever desire deeper draughts of the fountain of life. Desire is
one thing, longing is another. Longing is pain, desire is blessedness;and that
we shall want and know ourselves to want, with a want which lives but for a
moment ere the supply pours in upon it and drowns it, is one of the
blessednessesto which we dare to look forward. Here we live, tortured by
wishes, longings, needs, a whole menagerie of hungry mouths yelping within
us for their food. There we wait upon the Lord, and He gives a portion in due
season.
The picture in the text brings with it all festalideas of light, society, gladness,
and the like, on which I need not dwell. But let me just remind you of one
contrast. The ministry of Christ, when He was a servant here upon earth, was

symbolised by His washing His disciples’feet, an actwhich was part of the
preparation of the guests for a feast. The ministry of Christ in heaven consists,
not in washing, for ‘he that is washedis cleanevery whit’ there, and for ever
more-but in ministering to His guests that abundant feastfor which the
service and the lustration of earth were but the preparation. The servant
Christ serves us here by washing us from our sins in His own blood, both in
the one initial actof forgiveness and by the continual application of that blood
to the stains contractedin the miry ways of life. The Lord and Servant serves
His servants in the heavens by leading them, cleansedto His table, and filling
up every soul with love and with Himself.
But all that, remember, is only half the story. Our Lord here is not giving us a
complete view of the retributions of the heavens, He is only telling us one
aspectof them. Repose, society, gladness,satisfaction, these things are all true.
But heavenis not lying upon couches and eating of a feast. There is another
use of this metaphor in this same Gospel, which, at first sight, strikes one as
being contradictory to this. Our Lord said: ‘Which of you, having a servant
ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come
from the field, go and sit down to meat, and will not rather sayunto him,
make ready wherewithI may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have
eatenand drunken; and afterward thou shalt eatand drink.’ These two
representations are not contradictory. Put the two halves togetherlike the two
pictures in a stereoscopeand, as you look, they will go togetherinto one solid
image, of which the one part is the resting at the table of the feast, and the
other part is that entrance into heaven is not cessation, but variation, of
service. It was dirty, cold, muddy work out there in the field ploughing, and
when the man comes back with his soiled, wetraiment and his wearylimbs a
change of occupationis rest. It is better for him to be setto ‘make ready
wherewith I may eatand drink,’ than to be told to sit down and do nothing.
So the servants are served, and the servants serve. And these two
representations are not contradictory, but they fill up the conceptionof

perfect blessedness. Forremember, if we may venture to sayso, that the very
same reasonwhich makes Christ the Lord serve His servants makes the
servants serve Christ the Lord. For love, which underlies their relationship,
has for its very life-breath doing kindnesses and goodto its objects, and we
know not whether it is more blessedto the loving heart to minister to, or to be
ministered to by, the heart which it loves. So the Servant-Lord and the
servants, serving and served, are swayedin both by the same motive and
rejoice in the interchange of offices and tokens of love.
III. Mark the earthly service which leads to the heavenly rest.
I have already spokenabout Christ’s earthly service, and reminded you that
there is needed, first of all, that we should partake in His purifying work
through His blood and His Spirit that dwells in us, ere we can share in His
highest ministrations to His servants in the heavens. But there is also service
of ours here on earth, which must precede our receiving our share in the
wonderful things promised here. And the nature of that service is clearly
statedin the preceding words, ‘Blessedare those servants whom the Lord
when He comethshall find’-doing what? Trying to make themselves better?
Seeking afterconformity to His commandments? No! ‘Whom the Lord when
He cometh shall find watching.’It is characterratherthan conduct, and
conduct only as an index of character-dispositionratherthan deeds-that
makes it possible for Christ to be hereafterour Servant-Lord. And the
characteris more definitely describedin the former words. Loins girded,
lights burning, and a waiting which is born of love. The concentrationand
detachment from earth, which are expressedby the girded loins, the purity
and holiness of characterand life, which are symbolised by the burning lights,
and the expectationwhich desires, and does not shrink from, His coming in
His Kingdom to be the Judge of all the earth-these things, being built upon the
acceptanceofChrist’s ministry of washing, fit us for participation in Christ’s
ministry of the feast, and make it possible that even we shall be of those to

whom the Lord, in that day, will come with gladness and with gifts. ‘Blessed
are the servants whom the Lord shall find so watching.’
BensonCommentary
Luke 12:37. Blessedare those servants, &c. — And blessedalso will you be, if
this shall be your case:verily, he shall gird himself, and make them sit down
to meat — The master of such servants, pleasedwith their care, would
perhaps order them a refreshment, after having watchedand fastedso long;
and if he were of a very humane disposition, might even bring it them himself,
and give it them out of his own hand. It may not be improper to observe here,
that it was usual for servants to sit at table, and for their masters to waitupon
them, among the Romans in their Saturnalia, among the Cretans in their
Hermæ, and among the Babylonians at their feastcalledSaccas:but whether
our Lord here alludes to these, or any of these, it is difficult to judge. The
words certainly are very intelligible without supposing any such reference.
What our Lord chiefly meant by the similitude evidently was, to intimate to
his disciples how acceptable theirzeal in discharging the duties of their
function would be to him, and how highly he would rewardthem for it.

Shall gird himself - Shall take the place of the servant himself. Servants who
waited on the table were girded in the manner describedabove.
Shall make them sit ... - Shall place them at his table and feastthem. This
evidently means that if we are faithful to Christ, and are ready to meet him
when he returns, he will receive us into heaven - will admit us to all its
blessings, and make us happy there - as if "he" should serve us and minister
to our wants. It will be as if a master, instead of sitting down at the table
"himself," should place his faithful "servants" there, and be himself the
servant. This shows the exceeding kindness and condescensionofour Lord.
For "us," poorand guilty sinners, he denied himself, took the form of a
servant Philippians 2:7, and ministered to our wants. In our nature he has
workedout salvation, and he has done it in one of the humblest conditions of
the children of men. How should our bosoms burn with gratitude to him, and
how should "we" be willing to serve one another! See the notes at John 13:1-
17.
37. gird himself, &c.—"a promise the most august of all: Thus will the
Bridegroomentertain his friends (nay, servants) on the solemn Nuptial Day"
[Bengel].
Ver. 37-40. The duty which Christ is here pressing upon his hearers is
watchfulness, whichsignifieth:
1. A negationof sleep;

2. An industrious keeping ourselves awakewith reference to some particular
end. The end here expressedis the happy receiving of Christ, coming to
judgment; from whence is evident, that the watching here intended is a
spiritual watching, which is a denial of ourselves as to our lusts, and the sleep
of sin, which is comparedto sleep, Romans 13:11 Ephesians 5:14, and an
industrious keeping ourselves from such sleepin order to the coming of our
Lord, who will come at an hour when we think not, Luke 12:40;his coming is
to us uncertain, and will be to many surprising.
This watchfulness he pressethupon his hearers;
1. From the rewardthe Lord will give to such persons:
He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them: very high metaphorical expressions, signifying no more, than
that he will put upon them a very high honour and dignity, and satisfy them
with a fulness of happiness and glory, and they shall be at rest for ever. The
state of glory is elsewheresetout under the notion of drinking new wine in the
kingdom of God, and eating and drinking in his kingdom.
2. From the benefit which they will have by watching in this; that let the Lord
come when he will, whether in the secondor third watch, they will be ready,
and they shall be blessed.
3. He pressethit also from the ordinary prudence of men, who if they have an
intimation that a thief is coming, will watch, and prevent the mischief that
might ensue by the breaking open of their houses. But concerning those
words;

See Poole on"Matthew 24:43", See Pooleon"Matthew 24:44", where we met
with them before used upon the same occasion.
Blessedare those servants whom the Lord,.... The Syriac, Arabic, and
Ethiopic versions read, "their Lord", the master of them, or the Lord Jesus
Christ:
when he comethshall find watching: for him, and not asleep. The Ethiopic
version reads, "so doing, and watching";girding up their loins, trimming
their lamps, and waiting for their Lord's coming: such servants are happy,
they will appearto be in the favour of their master, who will take notice of
them and show some marks of respectto them; as Christ will to all his good
and faithful servants, wheneverhe comes, whetherat death, or at judgment;
and who will be happy then, being found so doing, and found in him:
verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself; not that Christ shall really do
this, or appearin the form of a servant; but that he shall readily, cheerfully,
and at once introduce his servants into his joy, and make them partakers ofall
the glories ofthe other world:
and make them to sit down to meat; at his table in his kingdom; see Matthew
8:11
and will come forth and serve them; with food, yea, will feedthem himself,
and lead them to fountains of living water, Revelation7:17 The Arabic version
renders it, "he shall stand to minister unto them": the phrase is expressive of
the posture of a servant; who, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, is "walking", and
who goes round about the table, whilst others sit (t): some think there is
allusion in the words to a custom used at some feasts, particularly at the feasts

in honour of Saturn, in which servants changedclothes with their masters,
and satat their tables, and their masters served them (u).
(t) Jarchi in T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 77. 2.((u) Vide Lipsii Saturnal. l. 1. c. 2.
p. 6.
Geneva Study Bible
Blessedare those servants, whom the lord when he comethshall find
watching: verily I sayunto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to
sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luke 12:37. A symbolic representationof the most blessedrecompense, which
the servants of Christ, who are faithful to their calling, shall receive from Him
at His Parousia. It is not the idea of the greatand generalMessianicbanquets
(Matthew 8:11) that underlies this, but it is the thought of a specialmarriage-
feastfor those servants (the disciples). That the washing of the disciples’feet
by Jesus, John13, gave occasion(de Wette) to the mode of representation,
according to which the Lord Himself serves (“promissio de ministrando
honorificentissima et maxima omnium,” Bengel), is the less probable the
greaterthe difference is seento be betweenthe idea expressedby the foot-
washing and that which is here set forth. The thought of the Saturnalia
(Grotius, comp. Paulus and Olshausen)brings in something wholly foreign, as
also the calling of the slaves to partake in certain sacredfeasts according to
the law, Deuteronomy 12:17 f., Luke 16:11 f., is something very different from
the idea of this feast(in opposition to Kuinoel, de Wette, and others), in
respectof which, moreover, it has been assumed(see Heumann, Kuinoel, de
Wette) that the Lord brought with Him meats from the wedding feast,—an
assumption which is as needless as it is incapable of proof.

περιζώσεται κ.τ.λ.]a vivid representationof the individual details among
which even the drawing near to those waiting (παρελθών) is not wanting.
The parable, Luke 17:7-10, has an entirely different lessonin view; hence
there is no contradictionbetweenthe two.
Luke 12:37. μακάριοι:here as always implying rare felicity the reward of
heroic virtue.—ἀμὴν: the Hebrew word retained here contrary to custom,
introducing a startling thought, the inversion of the relation of masterand
servants, lord and slaves, through joy over their fidelity. For the other side of
the picture vide Luke 17:7-10.—διακονήσει αὐτοῖς:the master, in genial
mood, turns servant to his own slaves;makes them sit down, throws off his
caftan, girds his under-garments, and helps them to portions of the marriage
feasthe has brought home with him, as a father might do for his children (De
Wette, Koetsveld, p. 244). There is not necessarilyan allusion either to the last
supper (Luke 22:27) or to the RomanSaturnalia (Grotius, Holtzmann, H. C.).
37. he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meat] Doubtless some
of the Apostles must have recalledthese words when Jesus washedtheir feet.
To Roman readers the words would recallthe customs of their Saturnalia
when slaves were waitedon by their masters.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:37. Παρελθὼν διακονήσει)The participle is pleonastic (παρέλκον),
and often occurs in similar cases where a banquet is spokenof. See ch. Luke
17:7, παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε.[123]Sir 29:23 (26), ΠΆΡΕΛΘΕ ΚΌΣΜΗΣΟΝ
ΤΡΆΠΕΖΑΝ. This promise of Himself ministering to (serving) His servants is
the most distinguishing and greatestofall marks of honour. It is thus that the
Bridegroomreceives and entertains His friends on the solemnday of the
marriage feast.

[123]Go forward and sit to meat. Wahl, Clavis, under ἀνίστημι, ἀναστὰς,
attributes this pleonastic junction of a participle with the finite verb to the
simplicity of antiquity, which is wont “totum rei ambitum emetiri, nihilque
cogitationum, quod eodem spectet, missum facere.”—ED. andTRANSL.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 37. - Blessedare those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall
find watching:verily I sayunto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them
to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. The title "blessed,"
when used by our Lord, is ever a very lofty one, and implies some rare and
precious virtue in the one to whom this title to honor is given. It seems as
though the house-masterof the parable scarcelyexpected such true devotion
from his servants;so he hastens to rewarda rare virtue with equally rare
blessednessand honor. He raises the slaves to a position of equality with their
master. These true faithful ones are no longer his servants; they are his
friends. He even deigns himself to minister to their wants. A similar lofty
promise is made in less homely language. The final glorious gift to the faithful
conqueror in the world's hard battle appears in the last of the epistles to the
sevenChurches: "To him that overcomethwill I grant to sit with me in my
throne" (Revelation3:21).
Watching
See on Mark 13:35.
Gird himself
As a servant girding up his loose garments to wait on the table.
Serve

See on minister, Matthew 20:26.
Let your loins ... - This alludes to the ancientmanner of dress. They wore a
long flowing robe as their outer garment. See the notes at Matthew 5:38-41.
When they labored, or walked, or ran, it was necessaryto "gird" or tie this up
by a "sash" orgirdle about the body, that it might not impede their progress.

Hence, to gird up the loins means to be "ready," to be active, to be diligent.
Compare 2 Kings 4:29; 2 Kings 9:1; Jeremiah1:17; Acts 12:8.
Your lights burning - This expresses the same meaning. Be ready at all times
to leave the world and enter into rest, when your Lord shall callyou. Let
every obstacle be out of the way; let every earthly care be removed, and be
prepared to follow him into his rest. Servants were expectedto be ready for
the coming of their lord. If in the night, they were expectedto keeptheir lights
trimmed and burning. When their master was awayin attendance on a
wedding, as they knew not the hour when he would return, they were to be
continually ready. So we, as we know not the hour when God shall callus,
should be "always" readyto die. Compare the notes at Matthew 25:1-13.
36. return from the wedding—not come to it, as in the parable of the virgins.
Both have their spiritual significance;but preparedness for Christ's coming is
the prominent idea.
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord,.... Who either was at
a wedding, or was the bridegroom himself; so be ye in a readiness, waiting for
the coming of Christ, the bridegroom of the church:
when he will return from the wedding, The Syriac versionrenders it, "from
the house of feasting";from any entertainment, or from the marriage feast, or
rather the marriage itself, to the bride chamber: so when Christ has, by the
preaching of the Gospel, and the powerof his grace, espousedall his elect, he
will descendfrom heaven, and take them to himself; they shall then be called
to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and enter with him into the nuptial
chamber, and be for everwith him:

that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately; and
let him in without any delay, as soonas ever he comes to the door; and at the
first knock, openit to him at once, having light, and being in a posture of
readiness, and in constantexpectationof him: so such who have believed in
Christ, and have been faithful to his cause and interest, and have held fastthe
professionof their faith without wavering, when Christ shall either come and
knock at their doors by death, or shall come to judgment, and sound the
alarm of it, they shall be ready to obey the summons with the greatest
cheerfulness, and meet him with the utmost pleasure.
Geneva Study Bible
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return
from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him immediately.
Luke 12:36. ἀναλύσῃ, when (πότε = ὁπότε)he shall return; the figure is taken
from sailors making the return voyage to the port whence they had sailed,
Beza (vide Php 1:23, 2 Timothy 4:6).—ἐλθόντος καὶ κρούσαντος:the
participles in the genitive absolute, though the subject to which they refer,
αὐτῷ, is in the dative.
36. when he will return from the wedding] The word here used (pote analusei)
is very rare, occurring only in Php 1:23; 2 Timothy 4:6. Here there is a
variation from the commoner metaphor of going to the wedding feast.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:36. Ὑμεῖς, ye yourselves).—προσδεχομένοις, expecting [waiting for])
with longing desire and joy.—πότε)when He is about to return.—ἐκ τῶν

γάμων, from the nuptials [wedding]) Therefore the nuptials are [going on] in
heaven before the (second)Advent of our Lord.—εὐθέως, immediately) on
hearing the first knock.
Shall return (ἀναλύσῃ)
The verb means, originally, to unloose:so of vessels,to unloose their moorings
and go to sea. Of departing generally. This is its sense in the only other
passagewhere it occurs, Philippians 1:23, "having a desire to depart, or break
up; the metaphor being drawn from breaking up an encampment." Compare
departure (ἀναλύσεως), 2 Timothy 4:6. The rendering return is a kind of
inference from this: when he shall leave the wedding and return.
Wedding (τῶν γάμων)
Properly, the marriage-feast. See onMatthew 22:2.
(35) Let your loins be girded . . .—To “gird up the loins” was, in Eastern
habits and with Easterngarments, the receivedsymbol of readiness for active
service (Luke 12:37;Luke 17:8; 1Kings 18:46;2Kings 1:8; John 13:4; 1Peter
1:13). The “lights” are the lamps (as in Matthew 5:15) which the watchful
hold in their hands. What follows has the interestof presenting the germ of
the thought which was afterwards developedinto the parable of the Wise and
FoolishVirgins. (See Notes on Matthew 25:1-13.)

Jesus was urging us to be watchful

Jesus was urging us to be watchful

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