Jesus was clear knowledge determinse judgment

JESUS WAS CLEAR KNOWLEDGE DETERMINSEJUDGMENT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 12:47-4847 “The servantwho knows the
master’s will and does not get ready or does not do
what the master wants will be beaten with many
blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does
things deserving punishmentwill be beaten with few
blows. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be demanded; and from the one who has
been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Biblical Illustrator
Beatenwith many stripes.
Luke 12:47
Many stripes
The Preachers'Analyst.

Our Lord in the context urges His disciples to diligence, watchfulness, and
fidelity. This is important, for we are stewards, servants, and are responsible
to Him who will one day say unto us, "Give an accountof thy stewardship."
I. THE CHARACTER SUSTAINED — "Thatservant." In many passagesof
Scripture true believers are calledthe servants of God. Calledso by God — by
Christ — by believers themselves (see John 12:26). "Paul a servantof God";
"James, a servantof God," etc.
1. The servant's Master. This is Christ. He is the Head of the Church — the
Divine Sovereign— Lord of all. He issues His commandments — appoints His
ordinances — gives His rewards (John 13:13; Matthew 23:28).
2. The servant's origin. Once servants of sin, of Satan — the world — pleasure
— self. Now enlightened to perceive the superiority of Christ — translated
from the kingdom of darkness (Romans 6:16-22).
3. The servant's character.
(1)Must be faithful, give up all for his master.
(2)Patient. His work will require self-denial.
(3)Enduring, day after day he must toil on in an evil and difficult world.
(4)Anxious to please, out of love and affection, not from fear or dread.

II. THE SERVICE REQUIRED — "The will of the Master." Whatis the will
of our Master?
1. Faith and repentance. These duties are desiredin order that they may
accomplishthe servant's salvation(John 3:16; Mark 16:15, 16).
2. The advancement of His Kingdom. This is to be brought about by the
servant's labour. It is an unspeakable honour to be so employed.
3. Internal sanctification. Humility for failings. The acquisition of holiness.
Piety of life. Sanctificationofspirit.
4. Zeal in duty. Love is not to waxcold — the voices of prayer and praise are
not to be silent — the hands are not to hang down — the voice is not to be
silent.
III. THE CONSEQUENCES ATTENDANT.On doing this duty depends
reward or punishment. If it is faithfully performed, the servant shall have the
approval of his Master;if neglected, His blame.
1. This is natural. It is the way of the world. A bad servantis soondischarged.
A dishonest one is disgraced.
2. It is also just Wageswould not be given unless they were earned. Slaves
were obliged to obey.

3. It is for the goodof the just. If careless,ignorant, evil men were admitted to
heaven, it would be a place of misery.
IV. THE PUNISHMENT PROPORTIONATE. An ignorant servant may be
awkwardwithout intentionally transgressing. But for those who know what is
right, and deliberately sin, there will be many stripes. It is those who
transgress againstlight and privilege and mercy, who will have to bear the full
brunt of the law. Therefore —
1. How great was the guilt of the Jews. Theyhad God's oracles. Special
revelation. Continuance of guidance.
2. How much greaterour guilt if we offend. We have not only the light of the
Jews, but the full blaze of Christ's revelation, and light, and work. All things
made plain. All prophecies fulfilled. All directions given. If we neglectour
duty, how many will be the stripes we shall receive!
(The Preachers'Analyst.)
Practice in religion necessaryin proportion to our knowledge
Archbishop Tillotson.
I. THAT IGNORANCE IS A GREAT EXCUSE OF MEN'S FAULTS, AND
WILL LESSEN THEIR PUNISHMENT;"but he that knew not, but did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beatenwith few stripes."
1. There is an ignorance whichdoth wholly excuse and clearfrom all manner
of guilt, and that is an absolute and invincible ignorance, when a personis
wholly ignorant of the thing, which, if he knew, he should be bound to do, but
neither cannor could have helped it, that he is ignorant of it; that is, he either

had not the capacity, or wanted the means and opportunity, of knowing it. In
this case a personis in no fault, if he did not do what he never knew, nor could
know to be his duty. For God measures the faults of men by their wills, and if
there be no defectthere, there can be no guilt; for no man is guilty, but he that
is conscious to himself that he would not do what he knew he ought to do, or
would do what he knew he ought not to do.
2. There is likewise anothersort of ignorance, which either does not at all, or
very little, extenuate the faults of men; when men are not only ignorant, but
choose to be so that is, when they wilfully neglectthose means and
opportunities of knowledge whichare afforded to them; such as Jobspeaks of
— "Who sayunto God, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of
Thy ways" (Job21:14). But out Saviour here speaks ofsuchan ignorance as
does in a gooddegree extenuate the fault, and yet not wholly excuse it; for he
says of them, that they knew not their Lord's will; add yet that this ignorance
did not wholly excuse them from blame, nor exempt them from punishment,
.but they should "be beatenwith few stripes."
3. There is an ignorance whichis ,n some degree faulty, and yet does in a great
measure excuse the faults which proceedfrom it; and this is when men are not
absolutely ignorant of their duty, but only in comparisonof others, who have
a far more clearand distinct knowledge ofit; and though they do not grossly
and wilfully neglectthe means of further knowledge, yet, perhaps, they do not
make the best use they might of the opportunities they have of knowing their
duty better; and therefore, in comparisonof others, who have far better
means and advantages ofknowing their Lord's will, they may be said not to
know it, though they are not simply ignorant of it, but only have a more
obscure and uncertain knowledge ofit. Now this ignorance does in a great
measure excuse such persons, and extenuate their crimes, in comparisonof
those who had a clearerand more perfect knowledge oftheir Masters will;
and yet it does not free them from all guilt, because they did not live up to that

degree of knowledge whichthey had; and perhaps if they had used more care
and industry, they might have known their Lord's will better.
II. THAT THE GREATER ADVANTAGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ANY
MAN HATH OF KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD, AND HIS DUTY, THE
GREATER WILL BE HIS CONDEMNATION IF HE DO NOT DO IT. "The
servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did
according to it, shall be beatenwith many stripes." "Whichknew his Lord's
will, and prepared not himself"; the preparation of our mind to do the will of
God, wheneverthere is occasionand opportunity for it, is acceptedwith Him;
a will rightly disposed to obey God, though it be not brought into actfor want
of opportunity, does not lose its reward: but when, notwithstanding we know
not our Lord's will, there are neither of these, neither the act nor the
preparation and resolutionof doing it, what punishment may we not expect?
For, after all the aggravations ofsin, there is none that doth more intrinsically
heighten the malignity of it, than when it is committed againstthe clear
knowledge ofour duty, and that upon these three accounts:
1. Becausethe knowledge ofGod's will is so greatan advantage to the doing of
it.
2. Becauseit is a greatobligation upon us to the doing of it.
3. Becausethe neglectof our duty in this case cannotbe without a greatdeal
of wilfulness and contempt.
(Archbishop Tillotson.)

The enlightened, yet disobedient servant, beaten with many stripes
W. Dawson.
I. THE LORD JEHOVAH IS OUR JUST AND LAWFUL MASTER, AND
LEGITIMATELY CLAIMS OUR SUPREME AFFECTION FOR HIS
EXCELLENCIES, AND OUR ENTIRE OBEDIENCETO HIS LAWS. He
makes His claims, and He has a right to them.
1. Has He not a right to our supreme affection, and our entire devotedness to
His will, as our Creator?
2. The claim will increase when we considerthat He is not merely our Father
in giving us existence, so that we derive our being from Him, but that we
receive our wellbeing from Him.
3. His claims are still higher, and we may say, resistless, onthe ground of
redemption.
II. THE LORD JEHOVAH HAS AFFORDEDYOU AND ME, AS HIS
SERVANTS, THE CLEAREST KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF, AND OF HIS
RIGHT OVER US, AND OF HIS WILL TOWARDS US, AND OF HIS
EXPECTATIONSFROM US.
1. By a letter — a book.
2. By His servants — the persons who bear the letter.
3. By the unction of His Holy Spirit imparted to us.

III. IT IS EVIDENT, FROM THE CHOICE AND CONDUCT OF MANY,
THAT, THOUGH THEY MUST AND DO KNOW THEIR MASTER'S
WILL, YET THEY DO NOT "PREPARETHEMSELVES NOR DO
ACCORDING TO IT."
IV. THE SIN OF SUCH MEN, THEREFORE, IS STAMPED WITH
PECULIAR MALIGNITY, AND, WITHOUT PARDON, WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY THE SEVEREST PUNISHMENT. Youthat know your
Master's will, and do it not — remember, your sin is stamped with peculiar
malignity. The malignity of a crime always bears proportion to the known
dignity of the characterinsulted. To insult a constable, in the exercise ofhis
official capacity, is a crime; to insult a magistrate on the bench is a greater;to
insult a monarch on his throne is rebellion. Therefore, the gradationof crime
always rises in proportion to the known dignity of the characteroffended.
Then what must be — what must be the black aggravationof your crime, who
know your Master's will, and know who that Masteris, and yet do not
"prepare yourselves nor do according to it"? You sin againstGod the Father
in His laws — and you know Him to be so; you "trample under foot the blood
of the Son of God" — and you know Him to be so;you "do despite unto the
Spirit of Grace" — and you know who it is that you are doing despite unto.
Remember, also, there is an aggravationin the case.It is not one sin
committed once;it is the same sin committed againand again, under growing
aggravations.Human laws say — for the first offence the penalty shall be
light, for the secondit shall be doubled, for the third it shall be trebled, and so
on, so that punishment always bears proportion to the multitude of the
offences. Very well; then, pray what sort of a sinner must you be? You know
your Master's will, and do it not; and that is not in one instance — one sin
once committed, or one duty once omitted, or one blessing once neglected — it
is the same sin committed again, and again, and again, a thousand times
repeatedwith increasing aggravations. Judge, then, "wickedand slothful
servant," of such a Master!what must be the malignity of your sin. And then,

again, it is not one sin committed a thousand times even, but a multitude of
sins committed again and againwith those magnifying aggravations.
(W. Dawson.)
God's penal law
J. Parsons.
I. ALL MEN EXIST IN A STATE OF OBLIGATION TO GOD. They are His
servants;He, their Master.
II. THE RESPONSIBILITIESOF MEN, CONNECTED WITHTHEIR
STATE OF OBLIGATION, VARY IN PROPORTION TO THEIR
OPPORTUNITIES OF KNOWLEDGEAND OF IMPROVEMENT.
1. There exist in the world very different degrees ofopportunity for
knowledge and improvement.
2. We are placedin circumstances whichafford to us the highest degrees of
opportunity for knowledge andfor improvement.
3. Possessing as we do such opportunities, we are under a specialcallto
eminent devotedness to the service of God.
III. THE PUNISHMENT OF MEN FOR THE VIOLATION OF THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES, IS REGULATED ACCORDING TO THE VALUE OF
THE OPPORTUNITIES WHICH THEY HAVE POSSESSED,AND HAVE
ABUSED. There are two remarks under this part of the subjectto which your
attention will be called.

1. You will observe, first, that punishment is to be inflicted upon all by whom
their original obligations have been forgottenand violated. The desert of
punishment is presented under the phrase of "committing things worthy of
stripes." A certainperiod is stated to be appointed by the master, or lord of
the household, for the purpose of returning, in order to inflict punishment, or
grant rewards, according to the characters ofthose by whom he has been
professedlyserved.
2. But, what we principally intend to insist on, on this part of the subject, is,
that the punishment to be inflicted on those whose opportunities have been
many, will be far more grievous than the punishment to be inflicted on those
whose opportunities have been few. " Many stripes," or largerand heavier
inflictions, are to be the portion of him who knew his lord's will and did it not;
but "few stripes," or minor inflictions, are to be the portion of him who knew
not his lord's will, and did it not. In this infliction of stripes there seems an
allusion to the law, which you observe to be containedin Deuteronomy 25:1-3.
The deduction of the Saviour, in connectionwith this law, appears to be this:
that those whose opportunities have been few shall receive a certain amount of
punishment, limited in some mode analogous to that which is contained in the
announcement of the law; but that those whose opportunities have been many,
and who yet have abused and slighted them, are to be subjectedto a
punishment to which no limit and no measure are to be assigned:they are to
endure the keenestinflictions which the wrath of an Almighty and Infinite
Being can pour upon them.
(J. Parsons.)
The penalty of disregardedduty
Dr. Talmage.

I had an agedfriend who knew RobertPollock, the celebratedScotchpoet,
and he told me that Pollock losthis life through too vivid views of the great
future. It seemedas if he walkedamid the realities of the eternal world. It was
too greatfor his physical strength, and he died in early life. Robert Pollock
one day caught a glimpse of the destiny of those who miss heaven. I can
recollecthere and there a sentence:"And as I listened I heard these beings
curse Almighty God, and curse the Lamb, and curse the earth, the
resurrectionmorn, and seek, andever vainly seek forutter death. And to the
everlasting anguish still the thunders from above, responding, spoke these
words which, forlornly echoing through the caverns of perdition, fall on every
ear: 'Ye knew your duty, but ye did it not.' Then back againrecoileda deeper
groan— a deepergroan! O what a groan was that!"
(Dr. Talmage.)
Result of sinning againstthe light
Dr. Raynor.
A few weeks ago, a poor womancame to my surgery, and said, "A young
woman is lodging in the same house with me, who is wretchedly poor, in great
suffering, and, I fear, near her end." I accompaniedthe woman home. She led
me to the bedside of the dying girl, and left us together. It was a dreadful
scene. A girl of three or four and twenty lay on a wretched pallet, with
scarcelyany covering. A single chair and a broken table was all the furniture
the room contained. Nearthe bed was hanging, on a few pegs, the girl's finery.
Yes, alas l finery. Dressesofgaudy material, and showily made up, were
flaunting their gay colours in this chamber of death, looking in that girl's eyes
as she lay dying, as witnessesofher sin and folly, and reminding her that, as
soonas she was dead, these things, which had costher so dear, mould become
the property of the landlady, as payment of the debt she had not money to
discharge. I leaned over the bedside, and took her hand in mine. I told her
that Jesus had sent me to her with an offer of peace and pardon. "No," she
said, hoarsely— "no, I was brought up in a Sunday-school;I knew the right,
but I did it not. There is no pardon for me now." I knelt down, I prayed for

her — prayed, as she had not confidence to pray for herself — her sinful self.
I besoughtHim that she might repent and find peace. But, even as I talked
with her, she died, uttering the fearful cry, "Too late!too late!"
(Dr. Raynor.)
Disregarding the light
It is said that off the coastofNew Zealand a sea-captainsteeredhis vessel
directly toward the light, and, thinking himself safe, fell asleep. His vessel
dashed upon the rocks at the very foot of the lighthouse. The beacon-light
shining out upon the deep for protectionand guidance furnished no help to
the slumbering mariner. Indeed, his culpability was greaterbecause ofthe
abuse of the friendly gift.
Degreesofpunishment
The legendof St. Macarius ofAlexandria runs thus: "One day as Macarius
wandered among those ancient Egyptian tombs, whereinhe had made himself
a dwelling-place, he found the skull of a mummy, and turning it over with his
crutch, he inquired to whom it belonged; and it replied, 'To a pagan.'And
Macarius, looking into the empty eyes, said, 'Where, then, is thy soul?'And
the head replied, 'In hell.' Macarius asked, 'Itchy deep?'And the head
replied, 'The depth is greaterthan the distance from heaven to earth.' Then
Macarius asked, 'Are there any deeper than thou art?' The skull replied, 'Yes:
the Jews are deeperstill.' And Macarius asked, 'Are there any deeperthan the
Jews?'To whichthe head replied, 'Yes, in sooth! for the Christians whom
Jesus Christ hath redeemed, and who show in their actions that they despise
His doctrine, are deeper still.'"
COMMENTARIES

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(47) And that servant, which knew his lord’s will.—The verses that follow
(Luke 12:47-50)are peculiar to St. Luke, and every word is full of profoundest
interest. First there comes a warning to the disciples who knew their Lord’s
will, who had been told to watchfor His coming, to prepare themselves and
others for it. That “will” included the use of all gifts and opportunities, as in
the parables of the Pounds and the Talents, with faithfulness and activity in
using them. On those who, with their eyes open, were sinning againstlight and
knowledge (our Lord’s words had, we canscarcelydoubt, a latent reference to
Judas) there should come, in this world or in the world to come, a penalty
proportionably severe.
BensonCommentary
Luke 12:47-48. And that servant which knew his lord’s will, &c. — Lest the
considerationof the strictness of the account, and the greatness ofthe
punishment, describedin the parable, might terrify men of honest
dispositions, who are liable to err merely through weakness,Jesusshowed
them, that as offences differ greatly in their circumstances and aggravations,
so shall they differ in their punishments also. To understand this part of our
Lord’s discourse, we must suppose that the stewardhere spokenof had
receivedfull instruction from his lord, either before his departure, or
afterward by letters, how he was to employ himself and the servants under his
care. Wherefore, if he neglectedhis duty, he was more to blame than the
inferior servants, who had no knowledge oftheir lord’s will but from the
steward, who might concealit from them, if he had a mind to serve any by-
end of his own. In this respect, how fitly does the parable describe the
aggravations ofthe sin of the ministers and teachers ofreligion, who have
such singular advantages forknowing Christ’s will. In this light, it shows the
justice of the more severe punishments here denounced as to be inflicted on
them for such wilful neglects and miscarriages, as they are found to be guilty
of in the discharge of their office. The expressions, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his lord’s will, deserve particular attention; for here
the sense rises above that of the foregoing verse. It is as if our Lord had said,
Think not that I merely intend to forbid such gross immoralities as

drunkenness, riot, oppression, &c.;but be assuredthat sins of omission,
where there have been fair opportunities of learning your duty, will expose
you to the divine correction:shall be beaten with many stripes — Shall have
the sorestpunishment inflicted on him. Scourging was a usual punishment for
negligentservants. But he that knew not, &c. — The oppositionbetweenthis
and the preceding verse is, betweena servant who receives an express message
from his master, which he contradicts, and another who, though he received
no such express message,yetfalls into such instances of misbehaviour as he
cannot but know to be inconsistentwith his duty and office in general;by
which he exposes himselfjustly to some punishment, though, other things
being equal, he is less criminal than the former. And did commit things
worthy of stripes — Here our Lord’s words strongly intimate, that ignorance
will not entirely excuse any who have neglectedGod’s service, since they
might, in general, have knownat leastthe main branches of their duty, as
every servant may know, in the main, what kind of conduct his master will
approve; though some may be much more fully instructed than others as to
his particular pleasure. It may be further observed, that as rational creatures,
it is as much our duty to cultivate our reason, and to inquire into, and know
our duty, as it is to act agreeablyto the knowledge we have. Unto whomsoever
much is given, &c. — In the divine administration, the rule of judgment shall
be observed which men themselves think just, and put in practice in their
commerce one with another. The more advantages anyone enjoys, the greater
improvement will be expectedof him, and the more severelywill he be
punished if he come short.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:41-53 All are to take to themselves whatChrist says in his word, and to
inquire concerning it. No one is left so ignorant as not to know many things to
be wrong which he does, and many things to be right which he neglects;
therefore all are without excuse in their sin. The bringing in the gospel
dispensationwould occasiondesolations. Notthat this would be the tendency
of Christ's religion, which is pure, peaceable,and loving; but the effectof its
being contrary to men's pride and lusts. There was to be a wide publication of
the gospel. Butbefore that took place, Christ had a baptism to be baptized
with, far different from that of water and the Holy Spirit. He must endure

sufferings and death. It agreednot with his plan to preach the gospelmore
widely, till this baptism was completed. We should be zealous in making
known the truth, for though divisions will be stirred up, and a man's own
household may be his foes, yet sinners will be converted, and God will be
glorified.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Which knew his lord's will - Who knew what his master wishedhim to do. He
that knows whatGod commands and requires.
Many stripes - Shall be severelyand justly punished. They who have many
privileges, who are often warned, who have the gospel, and do not repent and
believe, shall be far more severelypunished than others. They who are early
taught in Sunday schools,orby pious parents, or in other ways, and who grow
up in sin and impenitence, will have much more to answerfor than those who
have no such privileges.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
46. cut him in sunder—a punishment not unknown in the East;compare Heb
11:37, "sawnasunder" (1Sa 15:33;Da 2:5).
the unbelievers—the unfaithful, those unworthy of trust (Mt 24:51), "the
hypocrites," falselycalling themselves "servants."
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 12:42"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And that servant which knew his Lord's will,.... Not his secret, but his
revealedwill; the will of God, which lies in the declarations ofhis grace and
mercy in the Gospel, and in the commands and ordinances expressedin his
word; and which are the good, perfect, and acceptable willof God; the

knowledge ofwhich is necessary, in order to practice: and where there is a
spiritual and saving knowledge, there will be practice:but there may be
knowledge, where there is no practice, and which was the case here:Christ
here distinguishes betweenwickedservants, some being knowing, and others
ignorant; and accordinglythe aggravationsoftheir guilt are more or less:
and prepared not himself; so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions supply, but the
Syriac version, "for him", that is, for his Lord: but it may as wellbe read as
in the Vulgate Latin, without any supplement, "and prepared not"; he took
no thought nor care about doing it; there is no preparation, readiness, nor
disposition, in a natural man, to the will of God: no man is prepared or ready
to do it, but he that is regenerated, oris made a new creature;who has the
laws of God written on his heart, and who has the Spirit of God put within
him, to cause him to keepthem; and who has faith in Christ, and strength
from him to observe them; but there may be knowledge, where sucha
preparation is wanting; persons may know much, and profess to know more,
and in works deny all, and be to every goodwork, unfit, disobedient, and
reprobate: this clause is left out in the Persic version:
neither did according to his will; the will of God is done aright, when what is
done, is done according to the command of God, in the strength of Christ,
from love to him, in the exercise of faith on him, and with a view to his glory,
and without any dependence on what is done; but there may be knowledge,
without any thing of this: the words, "neither did", are wanting in the Syriac
version: and such a man that has knowledge without practice,
shall be beaten with many stripes; alluding to the law of the Jews, by which a
wickedman was to be punished, by beating him with stripes, not exceeding,
forty, according to the nature of his fault, Deuteronomy 25:2 and here it
signifies, that persons who have light and knowledge, andthe means thereof,
and actnot according to them, shall be punished with the greatestseverity,
and endure the greatestdegree oftorments in hell; see

Geneva Study Bible
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Luke 12:47-48. This passage, which is peculiar to Luke, gives explanatory
information of a generalkind, yet related to Matthew 25:14 ff., to accountfor
the severityof the punishment, Luke 12:46. This will ensue, in accordance
with the generalrule of retribution coming into operationat the return of the
Lord: that that slave, etc. Ἐκεῖνος, though placedfirst for emphasis, does not
refer to the single concrete personindicated at Luke 12:45, but is a general
term indicating the class to which the οἰκονόμος also belongs;and δέ carries
on the meaning with an explanatory force (Hermann, ad Viger. p. 845;
Kühner, ad Xen. Mem. ii. 1. 1).
ἑαυτοῦ]of his own Lord, makes the responsibility to be felt the more strongly.
ἑτοιμάσας]ἑαυτόνis not to be supplied (Luther, Kuinoel, and many others),
but: and has not made ready, has made no preparation. Comp. Luke 9:52. It
belongs also to πρὸς τὸ θέλ. αὐτοῦ.
δαρήσεται πολλάς]πληγὰς δηλονότι (see Schaefer, adBos. Ell. p. 387;
Valckenaer, Schol. p. 214;Winer, p. 520 [E. T. 737]), τουτέστι κολασθήσονται
χαλεπῶς, διότι εἰδότες κατεφρόνησαν, Euthymius Zigabenus. On the
accusative, comp. μαστιγοῦσθαι πληγάς, Plat. Legg. viii. p. 845 B, and see
Buttmann, Neut. Gr. p. 164 [E. T. 189].

Luke 12:48. ὁ δὲ μὴ γνούς] but the slave, who shall not have learnt to know it.
Such a one cannotbe left without punishment, not because he has not obeyed
the Lord’s will (for that has remained unknown to him), but because he has
done that which deserves punishment; even for such a one there is that which
deserves punishment, because, in general, he had the immediate moral
consciousnessofhis relation to his Lord as a subjective standard (comp.
Romans 2:12 ff.), even although he did not possess the objective law of the
Lord’s will positively made known to him, on which accountalso a lighter
punishment ensues. Theophylactand Euthymius Zigabenus are wrong in
thinking here of such as could have learnt to know the Lord’s will, but from
laziness and frivolity have not learnt to know it. An arbitrary limitation; and
can such an ignorance diminish the responsibility? Romans 1:28 ff. We can
the less regardthe responsibility as diminished when we remember that by ὁ
δὲ μὴ γνούς is describedthe case ofa slave of Christ, who has remained
ignorant of his Lord’s will.
παντὶ δὲ κ.τ.λ.]but of every one, in order, moreover, still to add this general
law as explanatory information on the subject of that so severe punishment,
Luke 12:46, etc.
ἐδόθη πολύ] in officialduties, as to the οἰκονόμος.
πολὺ ζητήσεται]in officialefficiency. The collocationofπολὺ, πολύ, and then
πολὺ, περισσότερον, has a specialemphasis.
The secondmember ᾧ παρέθεντο (the categoricplural, as at Luke 12:20 : in
reality κύριος is the subject) κ.τ.λ. is a parallel similar in meaning to the first,
but with the climax: περισσότερον, which is not to be takenas: “plus quam
aliis, quibus non tam multa concredita sunt” (Kuinoel, Bleek, following Beza,
Grotius, and others, which would be insipid, and a mere matter of course),

but: in the case ofhim to whom much has been entrusted (with whom a large
sum has been deposited), still more than this entrusted πολύ will be required
of him. In this statementis implied the presupposition that the capital sum
must have been increasedby interest of exchange or by profit of commerce.
Comp. Matthew 25:15 ff. The deposit was not to lie idle. On παρατίθεσθαι,
comp. Herod. vi. 86; Xen. R. Ath. ii. 16; Polybius, iii. 17. 10, xxxiii. 12. 3; Tob
1:14; 1Ma 9:35. The construction in both members is a well-knownform of
attraction, Kühner, II. p. 512;Buttmann, Neut. Gr. p. 247 [E. T. 288].
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 12:47-48. Degreesofguilt and punishment, in Lk. only, and serving as
an apologyfor the severity of the punishment as described in Luke 12:46.
That punishment presupposes anger. The statement now made is to the effect:
penalty inflicted not as passiondictates but as principle demands.—ὁ δοῦλος ὁ
γνοὺς, etc.: describes the case ofa servantwho knows the master’s will but
does not do it (μηδὲ ποιήσας), nay, does not even intend or try to do it (μὴ
ἑτοιμάσας), deliberately, audaciouslynegligent.—δαρήσεται πολλάς (πληγάς):
many stripes justly his portion.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
47. shall be beaten with many stripes] Exceptionalprivileges if rejected
involve exceptionalguilt and punishment, Luke 10:13; James 4:17;2 Peter
2:21.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:47. Τὸ θέλημα, will) whereby vigilance is required.—μὴ ἑτοιμάσας,
[having gotready]) Neuter, as in ch. Luke 9:52. [There follows ποιήσας in
respectof the servant himself: for ἑτοιμάσας has respectto others, whom the
servant ought to have got ready.[124]—V. g.]—ΠΟΛΛᾺς, many) viz. πληγὰς,
stripes. The same ellipsis occurs, 2 Corinthians 11:24.

[124]Engl. Vers. understands ἑαυτὸνto ἑτοιμάσας, “preparednot himself:” it
thus loses the point of distinction betweenἑτοιμάσας andποιήσας.—ED. and
TRANSL.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 47, 48. - And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beatenwith many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
with few stripes. For unto whomsoevermuch is given, of him shall be much
required. These verses are easyto understand. They explain the broad
principles upon which the foregoing statements, in parable and in direct
teaching, are based. Rewards and punishments will be allotted in the coming
world with strict justice. To some, greatknowledge ofthe Divine will is given
and splendid opportunities of work are afforded; to such, if only they are
faithful and true, will indeed a high place in the city of God be allotted; but
alas for them in the life to come if they fail, if they miss the splendid chance of
being true toilers with and for God! Their portion will be the many stripes. To
others a knowledge ofthe Divine will, scantycompared with these just spoken
of, is given, and opportunities of doing high and noble work are here
comparatively few; if these use the little knowledge and seize the few
opportunities, they will, while occupying a lower grade in the hierarchy of
heaven, still enjoy the perfect bliss of friendship with God. The punishment
for failure here is designatedby the few stripes. In this solemn passage itis
notable that degrees orgrades in punishment as well as degrees orgrades in
glory are distinctly spokenof.
BIBLEHUB ON VERSE 48

But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be
beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will
be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will
be demanded.
Sermons
Duty Measuredby Ability Biblical Things NotGenerally Known. Luke
12:48
Gifts Entail Responsibility Luke 12:48
Privilege the Measure ofResponsibility T. Stapleton. Luke 12:48
Responsibility According to Knowledge Luke 12:48
The Law of Accountability T. Manton, D. D. Luke 12:48
The Glories and Responsibilities of the Christian Ministry R.M. EdgarLuke
12:41-59
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Glories And Responsibilities Of The Christian Ministry
Luke 12:41-59
R.M. Edgar
The previous parable attracts Peterby reasonof its glorious promise, and he
accordinglywonders if it can apply to all believers or to the apostles only.
Having askedour Lord, he receives light upon the responsibilities and glories
of the ministerial office. From our Lord's words we learn -
I. IT IS CHRIST'S WILL THERE SHOULD BE STEWARDS IN HIS
CHURCH, WHOSE DUTY IT IS TO GIVE HIS PEOPLE MEAT IN DUE

SEASON. (Ver. 42-44.)This is the great designof the ministry - to feed the
flock of God. All other duties are subsidiary to this.. Forsouls need to be as
regularly fed with truth as the body with food. To this end the Christian
ministry should, therefore, direct all its effects, that the people may be fed.
And need it be said that the truth which nourishes men's souls is the truth as
it is in Jesus? WhenJesus is presentedin the glory of his Personand offices,
then the famished souls are savedand satisfied. Now, our Lord declares that
the ministry will continue for such a purpose until his advent. The household
of God will always need the food furnished by the ministry. No time will come
when the ministry shall be superseded. And the ministers who are diligently
employed at their teaching and feeding of souls when our Lord comes will find
themselves blessed
(1) in their own experience, and
(2) in the magnificent promotion awaiting them,
Christ promises the faithful minister no less than universal influence. He is to
be ruler over all he has. Others may have some influence, but a faithful
minister will, in the world made new, have universal sovereignty. Ministerial
influence is often incomparably the grandestand widestexercisedamong men
in this life: how much more in the life and order which will be ushered in by
the advent!
II. OUR LORD AT HIS ADVENT WILL MAKE SHORT WORK OF
SPIRITUAL DESPOTS. (Ver. 45, 46.) Some in the ministry, it would seem,
instead of living in expectationof the advent, will live as if the long-delayed
advent would never come. In such a case selfishtyranny over the people
committed to them will soonmanifest itself; and upon the self-indulgent
despot our Lord shall come suddenly, to appoint him his portion with the

unbelievers. A ministry that is not earnest, but selfindulgent and tyrannical,
has before it a terrible doom.
III. HE ALSO SHOWS THAT JUDGMENT IN THE WORLD TO COME
SHALT, BE GRADUATED ACCORDING TO DESERT.(Vers. 47, 48.)The
difficulties about the Divine judgment have been partly owing to the
forgetfulness of the fact that sinners are not to be castindiscriminately into
some common receptacle, but subjected to a series ofgraduated punishments
of the most carefully adjusted character. The rhapsodies which are so
plentiful againstany thoroughness in punishing the impenitent are based
mainly upon the false assumption of indiscriminating punishment. According
to a person's opportunities will be his doom.
IV. OUR LORD DECLARES THAT HIS PRESENT ADVENT MUST
GENERATE OPPOSITION.(Vers. 49-53.)The fire which our Lord came to
kindle is that of spiritual enthusiasm; such a fire as burned in the disciples'
hearts as he spoke to them on the way to Emmaus; such a fire as was
promised in the baptism with the Holy Ghost. Such incendiarism is just the
blessedcommotion the world needs. But in the kindling of the holy flame our
Lord will have to pass through a bloody baptism. He sees how inevitable this
dread experience is, and yet he pants for the cross whichis to crownhis work
and revolutionize the world. The cross ofChrist is really the great divider of
mankind; by its instrumentality families are divided into different camps, and
the battle of the truth begun. But the division Christ creates is infinitely better
than the unity without him. Better far that we should have to fight for truth
than that we should live, like lotus-eaters, through indifference towards or
ignorance of it. The battle for Christ is wholesome exercise,and the victory at
last is assured.
V. HE CHARGES THEM WITH MISUNDERSTANDINGTHE SIGNS OF
THE TIMES, WHILE THEY CAN APPRECIATE THE SIGNS OF THE

WEATHER. (Vers. 54-56.)He is now speaking to the people, and not to the
apostles. He points out how they can anticipate showerand heat by certain
signs on the face of nature. People become "weather-wise,"andcan often
show wonderful predictive power. And yet the times were providentially more
significant than the weather. And before their eyes were hung the signs of a
greatcontestbetweengoodand evil, betweenChrist and the world; and yet
their hypocritical hearts would not allow them to appreciate the signs or take
the proper side. It is a curious fact that many will study the laws of physical
nature with intense interest and success, andyet neglectutterly those laws of
the Divine government which involve the mightiest of revolutions. The
hypocrisy of the heart is, our Saviorhere says, the secretofsuch inconsistent
apathy.
VI. HE DECLARES THE URGENCYOF RECONCILIATION WITHGOD.
(Vers. 57-59.)The adversary, magistrate, and officer, are three individuals
needful for the initiation and executionof human judgment. But the context
shows that Jesus here refers to the Divine judgment which these hypocrites
are courting. In this case - as Godet, in loco, observes -the adversary, judge,
and officerare united in the Personof God. He is the Adversary to charge us
with our defaults; he is the Judge to decide our guilt; he is the Officer to
execute due vengeanceon us in case we incur it. Christ consequentlyurges
reconciliationwith Godwithout delay upon these hypocrites. To secure this he
appeals to their conscience. Theycansurely come to this conclusion
themselves, that, in opposing and persecuting him, they are not doing right.
Their own inward monitor must witness to the guilt of their present course.
Let them see to it, then, that they are delivered from their doom. Only one
way is open, and that is by throwing themselves upon his mercy manifested in
Christ. In this appointed way our Lord leaves them without excuse. There is
surely a hopeless air about the terms of this judgment. The payment of the last
mite is surely impossible in the prison-house of eternity, and current remedial
programmes about the future life are but "will-o'-the-wisps" to lure
thoughtless minds onwards towards doom! May we calculate upon no post-
mortem reformation, but enter upon the pardon and spiritual progress God
offers to us now! - R.M.E.

Biblical Illustrator
For unto whomsoevermuch is given.
Luke 12:48
The law of accountability
T. Manton, D. D.
-These words are rendered as a reasonwhy those servants that know their
master's will are beaten with more stripes than those that knew it not, because
they did not improve their advantages. And Christ pleadeth the equity of it
from the customof men, ex
Privilege the measure of responsibility
T. Stapleton.
The husbandman, the more he improves his ground the greatercrop he looks
for; the more completely the soldieris armed, the better service is required of

him; the scholarthat is well instructed must show greatfruits of his
proficiency. Thus the earthly part of man drinks in the sweetshowers ofgrace
that fall upon it. The blessedSpirit of God puts upon us that panoply, the
whole armour of God. And the same Spirit teachethus all things, leads us into
all truth, and brings all things to our remembrance which Christ hath spoken
for our good. Shall we then, being thus cultivated, thus armed, thus
instructed, not bring forth fruits in some measure answerable to so great
indulgence? Shall such blessings of God be receivedin vain?
(T. Stapleton.)
Gifts entail responsibility
The husbandman looks for more fruit from some of his fruit-trees than from
others; those upon which he bestows mosttime, cost, and labour, from these
he expects most fruit; and is displeasedif his expectationbe not answered
accordingly. This shadows out unto us that God expects greaterreturns of
duty from some persons than from some others, and neglectthereof provokes
God againstthem. In the ceremoniallaw God required more sacrifices from
the rich than from the poor: such as had greatstore of oxen, sheep, and other
things to be offered in sacrifice, shouldnot have been acceptedhad they
offered "a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons," whichyet were
acceptedfrom the poorersort of persons. So also under the gospel, "to whom
much is given, of them doth He require the more." God had done great things
for Eli and David, and expected(accordingly)greaterreturns of duty and
obedience all their lives after; but they failing in some greatparticulars, God
is sore displeasedwith them, and reckons up the greatbenefits and particular
engagements theyhad received, and tells them He expectedother returns
from them. So also Hezekiahreceivedmuch, and God lookedfor answerable
returns; but he rendered not according to the benefits received, and God was
displeasedwith him upon that account. God planted a vineyard, and bestowed
much care and pains about it, and lookedfor an answerable return of good
fruits, but because it brought forth wild grapes insteadof goodand pleasant
grapes, He laid it waste. Some have receivedmore, and lie under greater

engagements fromGod than others, therefore God looks to receive more. This
shows us the greatdanger such persons lie under who have receivedmuch
from God, and return but little; having receivedmany talents, and not
making an answerable return by improving of them to the honour of God and
advantage of His people;nay, who perhaps use all againstGodand His
people. God gives to some many gifts of nature and common graces, much
knowledge, learning, wisdom, greatriches, honours, offices, places,much
time, liberty, greatand choice means of grace, specialprovidences and
dispensations, and many other talents which others have not: of these God
requires more than of those who have fewer and less ofthese things, and the
not making suitable returns provokes Godagainstthem. If God spared not
His choice servants, Eli, David, Hezekiah, &c., if judgment begin at the house
of God, how shall the ungodly and sinner escape? Letevery one of us consider
what we have received, that so we may make unto God some answerable
returns: God lookedfor more (and receivedmore) from him that had the five
talents, than from him that had receivedbut two. No one (not the lowest, or
meanest)is freed from making returns of duty to God: though Godrequires
much from those who have receivedmuch, yet the mean person, who has but
a little, must return of that little. "Let him work with his hands, that he may
have something to give to him that needeth";and it will be "accepted
according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." So, also,
of the use and improvements of all other talents, gifts, graces, liberty, power,
and the rest.
( Austen.)
Duty measured by ability
Biblical Things NotGenerally Known.
In Xenophon's "Memorabilia" it is recordedof Socrates that, "whenhe
offered small sacrifices fromhis small means, he thought that he was not at all
inferior in merit to those who offerednumerous and greatsacrificesfrom
ample and abundant means;for he said that it would not become the gods to
delight in large rather than in small sacrifices;since, if such were the case, the

offerings of the bad would oftentimes be more acceptable to them than those
of the good;nor would life be of any accountin the eyes of men, if oblations
from the bad were better receivedby the gods than oblations from the good;
but he thought that the gods had most pleasure in the offerings of the most
pious. He used also to quote with approbation the verse, ' Perform sacrifices
to the gods according to your ability,' and used to say that it was a good
exhortation to men with regard to friends, and guests, and all other relations
of life, to perform according to their ability."
(Biblical Things Not GenerallyKnown.)
Responsibility according to knowledge
Richard Knill was one day talking to some military officers in Madras, when
one of them asked:"Whatdo you missionaries mean? Do you think that poor
black fellow will be damned? I hope not," replied Knill, "but if he is, I think
his punishment will be very light comparedwith yours if you neglectGod."
The words so struck home that the officerlifted up his hands and said: "I
believe it; I have long thought so."
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(48) He that knew not.—The words manifest the tenderness of a considerate
equity, like that which uttered itself in our Lord’s words as to Sodom and
Tyre and Sidon, in Luke 10:12-13. Man’s knowledge is the measure of his
responsibilities;and in the absence ofknowledge, more or less complete,
though stripes may be inflicted as the only effective discipline for teaching
men what things are or are not worthy of stripes, yet they shall be “few.” The
words throw a gleamof hope on the darkness that lies behind the veil. We

know not whether the “few stripes” imply limited duration, or suffering less
acute, the tolerabilior damnatio of Augustine, and need not care to know. We
may well be content to leave that question to Him who spake the words, and in
so doing gave the most convincing proof that the Judge of all the earth will
assuredlydo right (Genesis 18:25).
Unto whomsoevermuch is given.—The two clauses differ slightly, though they
are parallelin meaning; the first referring to “gifts” which involve what we
speak of as a generalmoral responsibility, the secondto that which has been
solemnly “committed to men as a trust or deposit.” (Comp. 1Timothy 6:20;
2Timothy 1:12; 2Timothy 1:14.)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:41-53 All are to take to themselves whatChrist says in his word, and to
inquire concerning it. No one is left so ignorant as not to know many things to
be wrong which he does, and many things to be right which he neglects;
therefore all are without excuse in their sin. The bringing in the gospel
dispensationwould occasiondesolations. Notthat this would be the tendency
of Christ's religion, which is pure, peaceable,and loving; but the effectof its
being contrary to men's pride and lusts. There was to be a wide publication of
the gospel. Butbefore that took place, Christ had a baptism to be baptized
with, far different from that of water and the Holy Spirit. He must endure
sufferings and death. It agreednot with his plan to preach the gospelmore
widely, till this baptism was completed. We should be zealous in making
known the truth, for though divisions will be stirred up, and a man's own
household may be his foes, yet sinners will be converted, and God will be
glorified.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Few stripes - The Jews neverinflicted more than forty stripes for one offence,
Deuteronomy 25:3. For smaller offences they inflicted only four, five, six, etc.,
according to the nature of the crime. In allusion to this, our Lord says that he

"that knew not" - that is, he who had comparatively little knowledge -would
suffer a punishment proportionally light. He refers, doubtless, to those who
have feweropportunities, smaller gifts, or fewerteachers.
Much is given - They who have much committed to their disposal, as stewards,
etc. See the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
48. knew not—that is knew but partially; for some knowledge is presupposed
both in the name "servant" of Christ, and his being liable to punishment at
all.
many … few stripes—degreesoffuture punishment proportioned to the
knowledge sinnedagainst. Even heathens are not without knowledge enough
for future judgment; but the reference here is not to such. It is a solemn truth,
and though general, like all other revelations of the future world, discloses a
tangible and momentous principle in its awards.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 12:42"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But he that knew not,.... His Lord's will; either not having the means of
knowing it, as the Heathens;or through neglectof them, not attending to
them, and making use of them, which is the case ofmany, where the Gospel
revelation is:
and did commit things worthy of stripes;or punishment; as the Gentiles, by
sinning againstthe law, and light of nature; and those who might have the
advantage of a divine revelation, but neglectit: the Septuagint in
Deuteronomy 25:2 have the same phrase as here, , "worthy of stripes":

shall be beaten with few stripes;their punishment shall be less, and it shall be
more tolerable for them in the day of judgment, than for knowing professors.
The Jews did not always inflict forty stripes, or forty save one, upon
delinquents; but according to their crimes, and as they were able to bear
them, more or fewer: so it is said (w),
"when they judge a sinner, how many (stripes) he can bear, they do not
reckon, but by stripes that are fit to be trebled: if they judge he is able to bear
"twenty", they do not order that he be beatenwith twenty one, that so they
may be trebled, but that he be beatenwith "eighteen":if they condemn him to
receive forty, and after he is begun to be beaten, they observe him to be weak,
and they sayhe cannotbear any more than these "nine", or "twelve", with
which he has been beaten, lo, he is free; if they condemn him to receive
"twelve", and after that he is beaten, they see that he is strong and able to
bear more, lo, he is free, and he is not to be beaten any more, upon that
estimation: if they condemn him today that he is to be beaten with "twelve"
(stripes), and they do not beat him till tomorrow, and lo, tomorrow he is able
to bear eighteen, they do not beat him but with twelve.''
And elsewhere the rule is (x),
"he that commits a sin, in which there are two negative (commands broken) if
they pronounce but one sentence, he is beaten and is free; but if not (i.e. if
more than one) he is beaten, and when he is healed, he is beatenagain.''
For unto whomsoevermuch is given, of him shall, much be required: the more
knowledge a man has, the more practice is expectedfrom him; and the
greaterhis gifts are, the more useful he ought to be, and diligent in the
improvement of them:

and to whom men have committed much, or to whom much is committed, of
him they will ask the more; not more than what was committed to him, but
more than from him, who has less committed to him; in proportion to what a
man is entrusted with, the greaterincrease andimprovement it is expectedhe
should make.
(w) Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 17. sect. 2, 3.((x) Misn. Maccot, c. 3. sect.
11.
Geneva Study Bible
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask {m}
the more.
(m) More than the one who did not receive as much.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 12:48. ὁ δὲ μὴ γνοὺς: the opposite case is that of one who does not know.
What he would do if he did know is another question; but it is not to be
gratuitously supposed that he would neglecthis duty utterly, like the other,
though he does commit minor faults. He is a lowerservant in the house to
whom the master gave no particular instructions on leaving, therefore without
specialsense ofresponsibility during his absence, andapt like the average
servant to take liberties when the masteris away from home.—παντὶ δὲ ᾧ
ἐδόθη, etc.:a generalmaxim further explaining the principle regulating
penalty or responsibility (cf. Matthew 25:15 ff.).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges

48. that knew not] i.e. that knew not fully (Jonah 4:11; 1 Timothy 1:13), for
there is no such thing as absolute moral ignorance (Romans 1:20;Romans
2:14-15)
shall be beaten with few stripes]A most important passageas alone clearly
stating that punishment shall be only proportional to sin, and that there shall
be a righteous relation betweenthe amount of the two.
They who knew not will not of course be punished for any involuntary
ignorance, but only for actual misdoing.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:48. Ὀλίγας)not merely fewerthan he who knew his Lord’s will, but
few absolutely.—ᾧ ἐδόθη πολύ, to whom much has been given) especiallyif he
himself has got it by solicitationand by violence.—παρἐθεντο)To whom those,
whose business it was to commit it, have committed as a deposit, much. A
personalverb used with the ellipsis of the person [those or men].
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Luke 12:47 "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not getready
or act in accordwith his will, will receive many lashes,

KJV Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared
not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many
stripes.
And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in
accordwith his will Luke 10:12-15;Numbers 15:30,31;Mt 11:22-24;Jn 9:41;
12:48;15:22-24;19:11;Acts 17:30; 2 Cor2:15,16;James 4:17
will receive many lashes Deuteronomy25:2,3
Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 12:35-48 Are You Readyfor Christ’s Return? - StevenCole
Luke 12:41-48 Rewardand Punishment at Christ's Return - John MacArthur
And that slave - The one described in this passage.
Who knew his master's will - Compare Acts 22:14;Rom 2:18.
NET Note on knew his master's will - Grk "ordo according to his will"; the
referent (the master) has been specifiedin the translation for clarity. This
example deals with the slave who knew what the command was and yet failed
to complete it.
And did not get ready or act in accordwith his will will receive many lashes -
As Stein says "he is more guilty than the next man, for “anyone then, who
knows the goodhe ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (Jas 4:17). To sin in the
face of much spiritual light is a sobering thought which yields a frightening
fate! Compare the fate of the Jews in Jesus'day of His Light with that of the
abominable cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Mt 10:15). Many passagesallude
to the principle of degrees ofpunishment - Mt 11:20-24, 12:41,42Jn19:11, Lk
10:12-16, 11:31,32,12:47,48, 20:45,46,47,Mk 12:38,39,40, Heb10:29.

MacDonald- Verses 47 and 48 setforth a fundamental principle in regard to
all service. The principle is that the greaterthe privilege, the greaterthe
responsibility.
Spurgeon- So that there are different measures of responsibility; there are
degrees in guilt, and degrees in punishment.
Hendriksen on the punishments in Lk 12:46, 47, 48 - Among those who at the
master’s return are punished there is indeed a difference: some are punished
severely, others lightly. This shows that not only are there degrees ofglory in
the new heaven and earth (1 Cor. 15:41, 42), but there are also degrees of
suffering in hell....Eventhe Old Testamentteachesthis (Lev. 26:28;Nu 15:22–
31; Ps. 19:12, 13;and, last but not least, Amos 3:2).... Why should the servant
who did not know his master’s will be punished at all? Answer: ignorance is
never absolute. See Rom. 1:20, 21; 2:14–16.The entire passage—seeespecially
verse 48b—makes clearthat the talents with which God has endowed men
must be used, the time must be “redeemed,” the opportunities improved. No
one has the right to be lazy. Also, no one has the right to live for himself alone.
A person must live for others (1 Cor. 9:22), and for God (1 Cor. 10:31). (Ibid)
MacArthur feels the unfaithful servants in Lk 12:47-48 are still unbelievers -
But while all unbelievers will be sentencedto hell, our Lord makes clearhere
that the degree of their punishment will differ. Jesus alluded to that fact by
describing, in addition to the defiant slave mentioned above, two other types
of unfaithful slaves.
Steven Cole - Others will be punished severelybecause they knew about the
Master’s coming, but did not getready (Lk 12:47). This categoryknew the
Master’s will, but they did not get ready or actin accordwith His will. They
will receive many lashes. This refers to people who have been in religious
circles enoughto know the truth, but they don’t acton it. Maybe they
procrastinate, thinking, “SomedayI’ll follow Christ and serve Him, but right

now I’ve gotto devote myself to my business. Besides, to getahead these days,
you’ve gotto cut a few corners, and so I’m not quite ready to follow Christ.”
Beware:To sin againstgreaterlight means greaterpunishment! To hearthe
truth proclaimed in church every Sunday and to go out and ignore that truth
the restof the week is a risky way to live. What if the Mastercomes this week?
(Are You Readyfor Christ’s Return?)
Will receive many lashes - KJV preserves the sense ofthe passive voice "shall
be beaten." In this context the passive is the so-called"Divine passive" as it is
God Who administers the punishment. And yet while this punishment is less
severe than being cut in pieces, it is still punishment.
Receive...lashes (1194)(dero)literallymeant to remove the skin (flay = strip
off skin) and in the NT is used to depict the action of whipping, beating,
thrashing or scourging in a manner calculatedto take off the skin (Mt. 21:35;
Mk 12:3, 5; Lk 20:10, 11;Ac 16:37;22:19). Dero is used with its literal
meaning once in the Septuagint (2Chr 29:34).
Dero - 15x in the NT most often by Luke -
Matt. 21:35;Mk. 12:3, 5; 3:9; Lk. 12:47; 12:48;20:10; 20:11;22:63; Jn. 18:23;
Acts 5:40; Acts 16:37;Acts 22:19; 1 Co. 9:26; 2 Co. 11:20
Hughes - Equity at the end of this unfair world is a delectable thought. Praise
God that he is such a judge that nothing will getby him. Praise him for his
fairness. And, of course, praise him for his grace—ouronly hope. (Ibid)
Crawford - This part of the parable is most important teaching. It shows that
God's punishment of evil is in accordancewith the light and knowledge ofthe
evildoer. Two sinners may commit the same act, yet one may have a greater

measure of guilt than the other, and this is measured according to the
knowledge ofeachone. The Lord Jesus taught this principle to Pilate (John
19:11). (Ibid)
Luke 12:48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of
a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask
all the more.
KJV Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
stripes, shall be beatenwith few stripes. For unto whomsoevermuch is given,
of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of
him they will ask the more.
NET Luke 12:48 But the one who did not know his master's will and did
things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who
has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, even more will be asked.
NLT Luke 12:48 But someone who does not know, and then does something
wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much,
much will be required in return; and when someone has beenentrusted with
much, even more will be required.
but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging,
will receive but few Lev 5:17; Acts 17:30; Ro 2:12-16;1 Ti 1:13
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required Luke
16:2,10-12;Ge 39:8-23;Mt 25:14-29;Jn 15:22; 1 Cor9:17,18;1 Ti 1:11,13;
6:20; Titus 1:3; James 3:1;

Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 12:35-48 Are You Readyfor Christ’s Return? - StevenCole
Luke 12:41-48 Rewardand Punishment at Christ's Return - John MacArthur
But the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging,
will receive but few - Sinning in ignorance receives a lesserpenalty.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required - Spurgeon-
O my brethren! Let those of us who are privileged with the possessionofthe
gospel, and privileged with any amount of ability to spread it, enquire
whether we could give in a goodaccountif the Lord were to come tonight, and
summon us, as stewards, to give an accountof our stewardship. Godbless to
us all the reading of his Word! Amen.
Spurgeon- Judge ye, then, brethren and sisters, how much of ability and
talent your lord has entrusted to you, and be not contentto have rendered him
some service;but look for proportionate service, and humble yourselves in his
presence if your service is not in proportion to the opportunities entrusted to
you. Who among us can refrain from humbling himself before Godwhen he
thinks of this?
To whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more - Those who
have been entrusted with many abilities, gifts and responsibilities will be held
to a higher standard (cf. Matt. 25:29;Mark 4:24, 25). As a teacherof God's
Word, James continually resonates (sometimes painfully) in my mind
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we
will incur a stricter judgment. (James 3:1)

NET Note on entrusted much To be gifted with precious responsibility is
something that requires faithfulness.
Norman Crawford sums up Lk 12:47-48 - These two verses fully explain that
in the day of judgment the Lord will judge men according to their evil works
(Eccles 12:14), but it will be righteous judgment. Although ignorance does not
exempt a sinner from judgment (note the "few stripes"), yet light and
knowledge make a sinner much more responsible when he sins againstthat
light. From all we are told in the NT, there do not seemto be degrees of
punishment in hell (hadēs Ed: but the final "hell" is Gehenna), the present
prison house of the lost, unless the remorse of memory is consideredas added
torment (Lk 16:25), but in the lake of fire there will be degrees ofpunishment
according to works and the light that has been given (Rev 20:11-15).This
principle that light given results in increasedresponsibility has a broad
application to saint and sinner. The latter part of Lk 12:48 makes this clear.
We must answerto God for our obedience to the truth that He has given to us.
Some have far higher privilege than others. (Ibid)
Steven Cole - Others will be punished less severelybecause they did not know
about the Master’s coming or live in light of it (Lk12:48a). The final category
for judgment are those who did not even know the Master’s will. They will be
judged less severely, with a few lashes, but judged nonetheless. Ignorance of
God’s law is no excuse for not obeying it because we are responsible to know
it. As J. C. Ryle points out, “Our very ignorance is part of our sin”
(Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Baker], p. 94). Even those who have
never heard of Christ have enough revelation through creationand conscience
to know that there is a righteous God. But they have suppressedthe truth in
unrighteousness, so that they are without excuse (Ro 1:18-20). Those who have
been given the most light have the most responsibility and will be judged the
most severely. There will be gradations of punishment in hell. Jesus clearly
assumes His own authority to judge every person! Eachpersonneeds to
answerthe question, “Do I have a ‘welfare mentality’ regarding spiritual

things?” Are you living for today only, with no regardfor the Master’s return
and the accounting that He will demand? Are you foolishly putting it out of
your mind by thinking, “I’ve gottime”? Jesus says that we should be “like
men who are waiting for their masterwhen he returns.” We should live each
day with an eye on that future day when “the Lord Himself will descendfrom
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of
God” (1 Thess. 4:16). We will be blessedif the Masterfinds us ready when He
comes. (Are You Readyfor Christ’s Return?)
Hughes - The thrust of Jesus'messagecanbe summed up in two words: Get
ready! His return is as sure as his Incarnation. The SecondAdvent of Christ is
as sure as the First Advent. He will come when leastexpected. CNN will not
expectit. Wall Street will have no hint. The nations will have no clue. The
world's religions disbelieve it. To these, he is coming like a thief in the night!
Revelationcloseswith Jesus'promise, "Yes, I am coming soon." And we say
with the people of God, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). How can we
be ready? By living a godly life that reflects the abundant truth God has given
us. "Forthe grace ofGod that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It
teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, andto live self-
controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the
blessedhope—the glorious appearing of our greatGod and Savior, Jesus
Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). By joyful service. "Be dressedreadyfor service and
keepyour lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a
wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks theycan immediately
open the door for him" (Luke 12:35, 36). Roll up your sleeves, turn the lights
on, get ready—Jesusis coming soon!(Ibid)
Rod Mattoon- What are you doing with your life? Is Jesus first? Are you
living for Him? That is what really matters. Take heedto the words of C.T.
Studd.
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life's busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soonbe past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soonwill its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfishaims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, a few brief years, Eachwith its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Eachwith its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory
score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soonbe past, Only what's done for Christ will last.322

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soonbe past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all";
Much Received—Luke 12:48
Jeff, a 20-year-oldin our community, has been given more than he deserves.
He had deliberately dropped a brick from a highway overpass that went
through the windshield of a cardriven by Vickie Prantle. It split open her
face, put out her right eye, destroyedher teeth, and necessitateda long series
of painful surgeries.
Jeff could have expectedVickie to have a vengeful attitude. But even as she
awaitedthe paramedics, Vickie prayed for the grace to forgive the
perpetrator.
Later, she askedthe judge to give Jeff a secondchance, andhe was sentenced
to 90 days in a boot camp. “She gave me a gift,” he said, “and I’m going to
take it to the fullest extent. I’m very thankful she was a Christian. If she
wasn’t, I would still be lockedup.”

If that troubled young man puts his faith in Jesus Christ, he will fully reward
Vickie for her gift. But if not, his guilt will increase on the final judgment day.
Jesus said, “Foreveryone to whom much is given, from him much will be
required” (Luke 12:48). Jeff has been given much. But so have you and I. We
who know Christ have receivedsomething much greater—the salvationand
forgiveness that Jesus gives.
What will you do with His gift of grace?ByHerbert Vander Lugt
Thou hast bought us, and no longer
Can we claim to be our own;
Giving freely, naught withholding,
We shall serve Thee, Lord, alone. —Murray
Grace is an unearned blessing given by God to an unworthy recipient.
Leadership—Luke 12:48
Leadership is a God-given privilege. There is no greatersatisfactionthan
what comes from unselfishly seeking the physical and spiritual welfare of
those entrusted to our care or supervision.
William Wilberforce, popular leaderin England from 1780 to 1833, died with
the satisfactionthat the emancipationbill for which he had expended so much
of his time and energy would be passed. The end of slavery in the British
Empire was assured.

On the other hand, leadership is not always givenrecognition. A woman I
knew, whose role had been that of mother and Sunday schoolteacher, faced
death with contentment. She expressedgratitude to the Lord for entrusting
these responsibilities to her and enabling her to fulfill them honorably.
Leadership, however, canbe abused. Those who vie for prestige, power, and
expensive perks will someday appearbefore God to give an account. Psalm82
describes God’s judgment of self-serving leaders.
We too will one day give accountfor our lives. So let’s fulfill our God-given
role with the solemn realization that “to whom much is given, from him much
will be required” (Lk. 12:48).ByHerbert Vander Lugt
Use now what God has given you,
Count not its worth as small;
God does not ask of you greatthings,
Just faithfulness—that's all! —Bosch
Only as we follow Christ canwe lead others in the right direction.
ALBERT BARNES
Verse 47

Which knew his lord‘s will - Who knew what his master wishedhim to do. He
that knows whatGod commands and requires.
Many stripes - Shall be severelyand justly punished. They who have many
privileges, who are often warned, who have the gospel, and do not repent and
believe, shall be far more severelypunished than others. They who are early
taught in Sunday schools,orby pious parents, or in other ways, and who grow
up in sin and impenitence, will have much more to answerfor than those who
have no such privileges.
Verse 48
Few stripes - The Jews neverinflicted more than forty stripes for one offence,
Deuteronomy 25:3. For smaller offences they inflicted only four, five, six, etc.,
according to the nature of the crime. In allusion to this, our Lord says that he
“that knew not” - that is, he who had comparatively little knowledge -would
suffer a punishment proportionally light. He refers, doubtless, to those who
have feweropportunities, smaller gifts, or fewerteachers.
Much is given - They who have much committed to their disposal, as stewards,
etc. See the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.
JIM BOMKAMP
The first unfaithful slave is one who believes that his master is not going to be
returning for a very long time. So, as a result he ‘begins to beat the slaves,
both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.’ This man is taken
over by rebellion againstthe Lord. He is really a false or spurious believer.

His life is consumed with dissipation as he beats those whom he has been given
charge over, both men and women, and he becomes gluttonous and a
drunkard. As a result of his having turned completelyaway from following
the Lord, this man will be completely dismembered and be assigneda place
with the unbelievers, which is to say that this man shall spend eternity in hell
separatedfrom the Lord.
4.6.2. The secondunfaithful slave is one who ‘knew his master’s will and did
not getready or actin accordwith his will.’ This man did not live his life in
complete disregard for the Lord and His will. However, he knowinglyallowed
some disobedience to exist in his life. The punishment for this slave is that he
will ‘receive many lashes.’ This slave will not spend eternity in hell but he
will be punished severely.
4.6.3. The third unfaithful slave is one who whose disobedience to the Lord
was done in ignorance. This man should have known better because he
should have soughtthe Lord’s will more diligently. However, because this
man’s rebellion was done in ignorance he will receive few lashes as his
punishment.
4.7. To sum up His response to Peter’s question about who this
teaching of Jesus applies to, Jesus says, “Fromeveryone who has been given

much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they
will ask all the more.” In answerto Peter’s question, since the 12 have spent
the most time with Jesus and He has entrusted the most to them, then it is
more important that they be found faithful with what they have been taught
and told to do. All should be faithful servants but those to whom the Lord has
entrusted more will have more that they will expectedto be faithful with as
God’s steward.
4.8. Notice in Jesus’use of the word ‘they’ here that He is
indicating that it is a generalconceptin this world that great privilege brings
greatresponsibility. For instance, if someone gives you greatprivilege, say
through a promotion at work, then they expectthat you will respond to that
privilege and not disappoint them by your performance in that job.
ADAM CLARKE
Verse 47
Shall be beatenwith many stripes - Criminals among the Jews couldnot be
beaten with more than forty stripes; and as this was the sum of the severity to
which a whipping could extend, it may be all that our Lord here means. But,
in some cases,a man was adjudged to receive fourscore stripes!How could
this be, when the law had decreedonly forty? Answer: By doubling the crime.
He received forty for eachcrime; if he were guilty of two offenses, he might
receive fourscore. See Lightfoot.

Verse 48
Shall be beatenwith few - Forpetty offenses the Jews in many casesinflicted
so few as four, five, and six stripes. See examples in Lightfoot.
From this and the preceding verse we find that it is a crime to be ignorant of
God's will; because to every one God has given less or more of the means of
instruction. Those who have had much light, or the opportunity of receiving
much, and have not improved it to their own salvation, and the goodof others,
shall have punishment proportioned to the light they have abused. On the
other hand, those who have had little light, and few means of improvement,
shall have few stripes, shall be punished only for the abuse of the knowledge
they possessed. See atthe end of the chapter.
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 47-48
Jesus clarifiedthe standard by which He would judge these unfaithful
servants. The extent of their knowledge oftheir Master"s willwould affect
their punishment (cf. Numbers 15:30;Deuteronomy 17:12;Psalm19:13).
Privilege increases responsibility(cf. Luke 11:29-32;Romans 2:12-13;James
3:1). This fact should not discourage disciples from discovering God"s will but
should motivate us to maintain our faithfulness as we increase our knowledge.
All God"s servants have a responsibility to know their Master"s willas fully
as we can, since we are His servants, and to do it.
"This concernto admonish the leaders of the church also appears in Jesus"
farewelldiscourse the night before his death ( Luke 22:24-38)and in Paul"s
farewelladdress to the Ephesianelders ( Acts 20:18-35). These passages

mention various abuses of position by church leaders." [Note:Tannehill,
1:250.]
JOHN MACARTHUR
Rewardand Punishment at Christ's Return
Sermons Luke 12:41–48 42-177 Nov14, 2004
A + A - RESET
Well, we come now to the 12th chapter of the gospelofLuke again, moving
through these lengthy chapters, being so greatly enriched by the teaching of
our Lord Jesus. And we find ourselves in Luke chapter 12 verses 41 through
48. It is that paragraph to which we direct our attention this morning. Let
me readit to you because it's goodto have it in mind, particularly when it's a
parable, as it is, a story that is memorable, easyto hold onto.
Verse 41, Luke 12, "And Petersaid, 'Lord, are You addressing this parable to
us or to everyone else as well?' And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful
and sensible stewardwhom his masterwill put in charge of his servants to
give them their rations at the proper time? Blessedis that slave whom his
master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him
in charge of all his possessions. Butif that slave says in his heart, my master
will be a long time in coming. And begins to beat the slaves, both men and
women, and to eat and drink and getdrunk, the master of that slave will come
on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and
will cut him in pieces and assignhim a place with the unbelievers. And that
slave who knew his master's will and did not getready or actin accord with
his will shall receive many lashes. But the one who did not know it and
committed deeds worthy of a flogging will receive but few. And from

everyone who has been given much shall much be required. And to him they
entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.'"
It's a simple story really, typical of the kinds of stories that Jesus told. In fact,
there are many variations on this same story. In factwe just lookedatone in
the very antecedentpassage, verses 36 to 38, a very similar story about a
master who went awayand was ata wedding and was coming back at a time
that was not predetermined and his servants needed to be ready. And when
he showedup to give an accountfor how they had managedhis affairs while
he was gone. Here is the very same kind of story. And as I say, you find them
in...elsewherein Luke and you find them in Mark and you find them in
Matthew, very similar stories. In a world of masters and slaves, this was life.
And in a world that was not so defined by the clock and schedules and
predetermined transportation and all of that, it was a little bit unsure as to
when things were going to happen and when people were going to come and
go. And masters had to go to do their business and leave their affairs in the
hands of servants whom they assumedto be faithful in discharging the
responsibility to sustain the life in their care. This is one of those stories.
There is a masterwho has servants. He goes awayandputs them in charge
and tells them to oversee the distribution of the household commodities to the
appropriate usages among the people who were there to feed them, care for
them. And when that master comes back, if he finds a servant who has done
exactly what he was told to do, he's going to bless him and he's going to give
him more responsibility because he's proven himself. On the other hand, if he
comes back and finds a...a servant who rather than care for the people who
were put in his charge and dispense the foodand the resources neededhas on
the other hand abused the people and harmed the people and beaten the
people, both men and women, and indulged himself so that he becomes
gluttonous and drunk, when the master comes back it's not going to go well
for that servant; in fact, pretty dramatic dealing with that servant. Verse 46

says, "The masterwill cut him in pieces and assignhim a place with the
unbelievers." Pretty severe action, isn't it?
And then there's the possibility that there were some other servants who
weren't as blake...blatantor flagrant in their disobedience and they'll receive
many lashes. And then there were some who really didn't know what they
were supposedto do and they'll receive a few lashes. Butit's really all about
stewardship. It's all about how you handle your opportunity under the
master.
Now all of this is built around verse 40, where Jesus says, "Youtoo be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." I'm coming
back in an hour you do not expectand you need to be ready. Back in verse 35
He started and gave four little analogiesofreadiness. Have your loins girded
up. Getyour clothes on. Be ready to move. That's a picture of readiness. The
secondone was, getyour lamps lit. Don't be in the dark. Be alert. Be aware.
Be watchful. The third one is, be like servants who don't exactlyknow when
the masteris coming back from a wedding feast. And the fourth one is, be like
a householderwho knows a thief is coming, just doesn't know when, so he's
ready all the time. Those are images ofreadiness. “You too be ready,” He
says in verse 40, “for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour that you do not
expect.”
So we've alreadybeen introduced, starting in verse 35, to this greatreality of
truth that Jesus is coming back. The Son of Man, messianic title for the Lord
Jesus, is coming back, as Daniel7 says, to take His kingdom, the kingdom the
Father will give to Him as the rightful heir to the universe, to the earth and to
all its inhabitants.

The final earthly scene in the life of our Lord happened out on the Mount of
Olives one day, forty days after His resurrection, when Jesus ascendedinto
heaven. He was there talking with His followers and all of a sudden He
ascendedinto heaven in the clouds and disappeared. And according to Acts
chapter 1 verses 6 to 11 two angels appearedin human form as men and said,
"Why are you gazing into heaven? This same Jesus who is takenup from you
shall so come in like manner as you have seenHim go into heaven." The last
scene was His going. That's the lastearthly scene ofour Lord Jesus and it set
the stage forthe next. "Justas He went, so He will come," physically, bodily,
with clouds and angels. Jesus is coming back to earth. And it's not a spiritual
coming because His ascensionwasn'ta spiritual going. It was a real,
incarnational, physical, literal ascending. And that's exactly how He will
come and He will come. That is a fact, an expectedreturn, but at an
unexpected time.
And so, we are calledthen to be ready all the time since none of us knows
when that will happen. And even though it's been a couple of thousand years,
that might seemlike a long time for the church to be waiting for His return,
we remember the words of Peterwho said, "A day with the Lord is like 1,000
years, and 1,000 years like a day." The SecondComing of Jesus Christ is a
cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. It is not minor, it is not unimportant,
it is not secondaryor tertiary, it is critical. It is a substantial reality in our
faith. In fact, in some ways the SecondComing of Jesus Christ is the most
important of events because it's the end of the story, because the Second
Coming consummates everything, everything. To minimize the Second
Coming is to minimize everything else because this is the finale, the
culmination. His return consummates the history of the world and the history
of redemption and the fulfillment of all God's pledges and promises and
covenants and threats and warnings. All blessing and all judgment in its final
disposition is connectedwith the coming of Jesus Christ. World history seems
sometimes to be careening sortof helter-skelter, pell-mell into blackness,sort
of uncontrolled. But that is not the case. While men's behavior becomes less
and less controlled, the very movement of history is under the sovereign

control of God, who is moving it inexorably, exactly to the point which He has
predetermined, and that is the return of Jesus Christ.
Scripture is very clear on this. And it's very clearon what's going to happen
when Jesus comes. First, His coming will be launched when He raptures the
church, gathers the redeemedchurch to Himself, glorifies them in their
heavenly home and rewards them. Then He will unleash a time of tribulation
on the earth, a horrific time of judgment that will literally alter the universe
as we know it as well as bring about horrific destruction and death. During
that time, however, Israelwill see the One they have pierced, repent, be saved.
A fountain of cleansing will be opened to them. They will embrace their
Messiahand God's promise through Romans chapter 11 of the salvation of
Israelwill be fulfilled. There will be then conversionof people from every
tongue and tribe and nation at that same time, evenwhile unparalleled
judgment is going on in the world. At the end of that time, the Lord will
come, destroy the ungodly of the world, establishHis kingdom, take the
believers into the glorious 1,000-yearkingdom. He will bind Satanand
demons for the duration of that 1,000 years. And then at the end, let them
loose and they will gather unbelievers who have been born during that
kingdom and not believed in Christ. They will gatherinto a final rebellion.
Christ will destroy them all at that rebellion. All unbelievers will then be
from all the ages brought before the GreatWhite Throne Judgment of God
and they will be sent into the Lake of Fire in resurrection bodies suited for
that suffering forever. The Lord will then disintegrate the universe as we
know it, create a new heaven and a new earth, which becomes the infinitely
righteous and perfect dwelling place for the godly in the presence of God
forever.
That's how the story ends, and all those components are laid out in Scripture.
I'm not speculating. I'm not writing Christian fiction. That is what the Bible
says. So let me sort of sortit out a little bit for you. When we talk about the
SecondComing of Jesus Christ, we're talking about the events that necessitate

Jesus'coming being brought to their culmination, and their fruition, and their
fulfillment, and their realization.
To show you how critical this is on a broad level, let me just take you through
a little list. Jesus must return because the promise of God demands it. The
promise of God demands it. In the Old Testament, Psalm2, God promised
that His Son would come and be King and rule with a rod of iron over the
nations of the world. Thathas never happened. In Isaiah, the prophet said
that this Sonwould have the government of the world upon His shoulders.
That has never happened. Micahchapter 4 speaks ofHis rule. Zechariah14
says He will come and He will come and set His feet on the Mount of Olives
and split the mountain and create a valley and a river flowing into the desert.
And from there He will reign and rule in the glory of His kingdom. In fact,
there are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testamentof the Messiahthat
were not fulfilled in His first coming. Some have estimated330 prophecies at
leastof Christ, maybe 100 fulfilled in His first coming, which leaves a couple
100 more to be fulfilled in His SecondComing.
And even the angel Gabriel saidto Mary, "He will be great, called the Son of
the MostHigh. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David. He
will reign over the house of Jacobforeverand His kingdom will have no end."
This is the promise of God, the promise of a greatkingdom and the coming of
the Messiahto establishit. The promise of God demands the return of Christ.
Secondly, the claims of Christ Himself demand it. Jesus repeatedlysaid that
He was coming, that the Son of Man would come. He says it here. He says it
repeatedly. You find it in all the gospels, in Matthew, in Mark, in Luke, in
John, that He's coming, that He's awayfor a while preparing a place but He's
coming back, that He's coming to take His own, that He's also coming in
judgment. This is His ownpromise and His own Word is at stake.

Thirdly, the testimony of the Holy Spirit demands it. The integrity of the
Trinity is at issue here, friends. God promises the coming of Christ. Christ
Himself promises His coming. And the Holy Spirit promises it through the
Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired the prophets to speak of
His coming to setup His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired
Paul. The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired Peter. The Holy Spirit is the
One who inspired John. The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired James and
Jude and the writer of Hebrews. And they all refer to the return of Christ to
establishHis glory.
And so, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit all promise it and that demands it.
Number four, the future of the church demands it. The church has been told
that we're looking for the blessedhope and glorious appearing of our Lord
and SaviorJesus Christ, Titus 2:13. That's what we're looking for. We're
looking for Christ. First Thessalonians1:10, "We are waiting for His Son
from heaven." He's gone to prepare a place for us. He'll be back to take us to
be with Himself. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye we'll be changedand
takeninto His presence. “Atthe trump, at the voice of the archangel, the
dead in Christ will rise first and we'll be gatheredto meet Him in the air and
will ever be with the Lord.” These are all promises to the church and the
future of the church depends on it. We're told there will be a judgment seatat
which we will be rewardedfor our service to Christ. Paul writes of that in 1
Corinthians. We're told that there will be a marriage supper of the Lamb
where we'll sit down and feastwith our...with our bridegroom when He takes
us to be with Himself. Revelation19 describes that greatevent. The
Bridegroomis coming for His bride. We are pictured in expectation. We are
pictured even in the pictures of brides waiting for a bridegroom to come. And
the future of the church demands that the bridegroom come and take His
bride to the prepared home that He has made ready for her.
Number five, the corruption of the world demands it. The last chapter of
world history will not be written by Adam and Eve and Satanin the Garden.

The lastchapter of world history will not be the curse. The last chapter will
be the coming of the Messiahwho is the rightful heir to this world, who has a
right to take the title deed to the earth, and He does it in Revelation5, takes it
out of the hand of God on the throne, unrolls the title deed to the earth,
breaks the sevenseals, sets loosethe judgment of the tribulation. The seven
seals followedby the seventrumpets followedby the sevenbowls and out of
that judgment then He takes overthis world and establishes His kingdom and
it's a kingdom of peace and righteousness, it's a Kingdom that's completely
different. The desert blossoms like a rose, righteousnesspervades the earth
and the knowledge ofGod is everywhere and joy dominates, and Christ rules
with a rod of iron and we who are His saints who have been taken to heaven
come back to reign with Him and saved Israelreceives their promised
kingdom. And the world is a paradise regained. The corruption of the world
is not the last story. This world will be judged and it will be altered and
changedand takento something like its original Eden. Christ will come as
judge. He will bring about destruction, devastationand death on the ungodly
and establishHis righteous kingdom.
And the last chapter of this world will be written by Jesus Christwhen He
returns and establishes a kingdom of righteousness. And this world for that
final 1,000 years will be as close to what Godintended it to be when He
createdit originally, as close as it canbe in its sin-cursed condition. That
won't completely be eliminated because there will still be sin in the kingdom
because human beings will go into the kingdom who are saved during the
tribulation. They'll have children who will even rejectChrist. But Christ will
rule with a rod of iron and righteousness and truth and holiness will prevail.
So the corruption of the world is not the end of the story. The corruption of
the world demands the lastchapter to be written by Christ.
Number six, Jesus must come because the covenantHe made with Israel
demands it. The covenant He made with Israel demands it. Paul reminds us
in Romans 11 that all Israelwill be saved. There is coming a time of Israel's

salvation. Israelwill be gatheredback into the land, Ezekielsays, and they
will be the dry bones that come to life. They will be given life. They will come
back. They will receive the gospeltruth. They will have their stony heart
removed. They will be given a heart of flesh. God's Spirit will be put within
them. They will be the recipients of New Covenantsalvation. Zechariah
describes it as a fountain of cleansing will be open to them because they look
on Him whom they've pierced and mourn for Him as an only Son, and they
will be washedfrom their sins and from their iniquities. God has promised
the salvationof Israel. He has promised to them that being savedthey will
then receive the kingdom. The covenantwith Israeldemands that Christ
come and fulfill His promise.
Number seven, the vindication of Christ Himself demands His return. Are we
to think that the last view the world will ever have of Jesus is Him hanging on
a cross, nakedin shame? No unbelievers saw Him after that. When He rose
from the dead He was seenonly by those who believed in Him. There were no
appearances to the Romans. There were no appearances to the Jewish
leaders. There were no appearancesto the populace. The last view the world
has of Jesus is hanging on a cross. Butthat will not be its lastview. He will be
vindicated. Matthew chapter 24 in very concise andyet very clearand
dramatic language explains. Listen to what Jesus Himself says, "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not
give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will
be shaken." Godturns out all the lights in the universe at the end of the time
of the tribulation. It's a horrific thing. And in that blackness,it says, "Then
the signof the Son of Man will appear in the sky." Not the whole world, by
any means, saw Him on the cross. The whole world is going to see Him next
time and they're going to see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky
with powerand greatglory. And He will send forth His angels with a great
trumpet. They will gathertogetherHis electfrom the four winds from one end
of the skyto the other. And then it goes onto say He's going to punish the
wicked.

That's going to be the final view the world is going to have of Jesus, atleast
the world prior to His glorious kingdom. Christ will be vindicated. This is the
testimony in a number of other places in the Scripture, and this is His own
testimony, that He is coming to be glorified. Johnwrites in Revelation1:7,
"Behold, He's coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those
who pierced Him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him."
Everybody is going to see Him, everybody. The vindication of Christ means
He has to come.
Number eight, the judgment of Satandemands His coming. The ruler of this
world will be castout. The ruler of this world will be destroyed. The ruler of
this world will be finally vanquished, defeated. He will be bound during
the...takenprisonerin a chain, Revelation20 says, and he will be bound for
1,000 years with this demons, at the end of which he will be loosedfor a little
while, lead the rebellion at the end of the kingdom, then all of them will be
destroyedand sent into the Lake of Fire to be punished foreverand ever. The
judgment of Satandemands this. Satan will not have the lastword in human
history.
Number nine, the hope of believers demands it. He already said that. We live
in the hope of the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We
are waiting for God's Son from heaven. This is our hope. We are groaning
along with rest of creation, eagerfor the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to
liberate us and to free us from sin and this cursed world. “I consider,” writes
Paul, “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory that is to be revealedto us.” And he calls it the anxious longing,
the anxious longing. We are saved, he says, in hope, we are savedin hope.
And what are we hoping for? “We groanwithin ourselves waiting eagerlyfor
our adoption as sons and the redemption of our body.” We want Christ to
come because He promises when He comes we're going to getnew bodies and
be glorified, sinless bodies. This is our hope.

And number ten, the groaning of the whole creationdemands it. Romans 8,
that same section, verses 18 to 22, says the whole creationgroans, the whole
creation. It sortof personifies creationas experiencing the pain of the curse
and wanting the glorious revealing of the Son of God and the sons of God so
that they too can be liberated in the millennial blessing.
God's promise, Christ's promise, the Spirit's promise, the future of the
church, the future of the world, the future of Israel, the future of Christ, the
future of Satan, the future of believers, and the future of creationitself all
demand that Jesus return. This is not a minor issue. .This is the end of the
whole story. And He is coming.
Now let's go back to the 12th chapter. Verse 40, we don't know when so the
point is “you too be ready for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour that you do
not expect,” that you do not expect. Now this is pretty riveting teaching from
our Lord. And it certainly captures the minds of the listeners. And in verse
41, Peter, speaking onbehalf of the rest, He was the spokesman, I'm certain
that this was on everybody's mind and as most often Peteris the spokesman
for the group. Petersaid, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to
everyone else as well?" What parable? Well the parable in the middle of the
prior passage, verses36 to 38, about a master who went awayto a wedding
feastand left his servants with responsibilities and is coming back at a time
they don't know, hoping to find them doing what they should have been doing,
prepared for his coming. And if he finds them that way, he'll gird himself to
serve and he'll have them recline at the table, he'll come and wait on them
whether he comes in the secondwatch, or even in the third. If he finds them
doing what they're supposedto be doing, they'll be blessed. But imply...That's
a positive parable. Now He's going to come back, you don't know when He's
going to come but oh, if He finds you the way you should be, if He finds you
doing what you should be doing, if you finds...if He finds you obedient and
faithful, you're going to be blessed. And then Jesus says, "Youbetter be
ready."

Well the implication of that parable is that there's some danger here. The
danger is not being ready. And immediately, I think, in a very honest sense
they all do some heart examination and they come up with this idea, "Who's
He talking to? Is this us? Are we in danger of not being ready?" I mean,
that's really the issue here. It's very personal. Are we the ones that He's
talking about or is He talking about all these other people around here?
There was a huge crowd there. Back to verse 1, so many thousands of the
multitude had gatheredtogether, they were stepping on one another. But out
of that crowd, verse 1 says, He was talking to His disciples. And verse 22 says
the same thing, "He said to His disciples," so there's this massive crowdof
multiple thousands, if not tens of thousands, but Jesus is really addressing this
to His students, His learners. They were not all apostles among the twelve,
nor were they all true believers, but they were all still learning and still open
and still listening. And so Petersort of says, "Are you talking to the whole
crowdhere of the curious and all of that, or are...who are You talking to here?
Who is in danger? Who needs to hear this?"
That's a very important question and it's had some interesting answers. You
say, "Well it doesn'tseem that the Lord gives an answer." WellHe doesn't
give a direct answer. The answeris in the parable. He doesn't give Petera
direct answer. He gives him an indirect answer. It's...it's in the parable. And
the Lord says this, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward?" And
we'll stop there. And then in verse 45 He says, "But if that slave says in his
heart, 'My masterwill be a long time in coming, begins to beat the slaves,'"
etc., etc. You've got two people here...two kinds of people, two groups of
people. You've gotthe people who are faithful and therefore ready, and the
people who are unfaithful and therefore not ready and the first group are
going to be blessedand the secondgroup are going to be punished. Jesus
really then doesn't need to answerthe question anything...in any other way
than to say the parable is self-explanatory. If you're in group two, you're the
one who needs to get ready. If you're in group one, you're the faithful and the
sensible, you're ready now. Some people have suggestedthat this is about

church leaders. Manycommentators have done that. It's a strange thing. It's
almost like one guy thought of it and everybody else just went down that path.
I wonder...these people weren'tchurch leaders, these are just the apostles.
They're not sure what their future leadership responsibility is. One would
question whether they were even concernedabout leadership. This isn't about
church leaders. Othersays, "Wellthey all have to be believers because
they're all servants of the master and doesn't that mean that if the masteris
the Lord, and they’re His servants, they're all believers?" No, not necessarily
because it says in verse 46 that some of these servants of the masterare going
to be cut in pieces and assigneda place with unbelievers. Now you don't get
thrown in with the unbelievers unless you're one of them. So we're not talking
about some inside thing, we're not talking just about believers. Everybody is
in this somewhere, believers andnon-believers. The believers are pictured by
the faithful and the unbelievers are pictured by the unfaithful. And that
becomes self-evidentand is the only answerthe Lord really needs to give to
Peter. Two categories;that's it, you're in one or the other.
Well somebody would say, "Well, you're pushing the point because how can
you be a servant of the masterif you're not a believer?" Oh, listen to me, do
you understand that ultimately in this universe every knee will bow to Jesus
Christ because everyknee must bow to Christ. Why? Becauseyou are
accountable to God for your life. You're not a child of God...notall men are
child of...orchildren of God by salvation, but they're all children of Godby
creation. They're all children of God by obligation. They're all children of
God by virtue of being under the authority of His law. You are responsible to
God. Every human being everborn has been given as his life or her life a
divine stewardship, everyone. We are all men...We are among all men
accountable to God, we're accountable to Him, to His will, to His honor, to His
law, to His Word, to His Son, to His authority, to His gospel, to His judgment.
Everyone is. Nobody is out from that accountability. In that sense, Godis the
master of all, the sovereignof all, and the judge of all and all men are
accountable to God and to God only. And no one is excusable. Romans 1 says
we are all accountable to God. And that which may be known of God is
within us so that we are without excuse. And Romans 2 says we have a

conscienceandwe have the law of God written in our heart and therefore we
are all accountable to God for that moral law and that reasoning that leads us
back to the primary cause who is God Himself. We are all accountable. In
that sense, Godis the master of all of us.
It's the same sense in which you have Luke 15 the story of the prodigal son.
Remember the story of the prodigal son? There were really two sinful sons,
one left and one stayedhome. Everybody agreesthat the father in that story
is God. And He had a sonwho wastedhis inheritance, wastedhis privileges,
wastedhis opportunity, and went and lived in this immoral, dissolute,
dissipated life until he was destitute, bankrupt and eating pig slop, crawled
home and was welcomed. And that's the picture of God who receives the
sinner. But there was anothersinner in the house who never went anywhere.
He was smug, he was self-centered, he was legalistic,self-righteous andhe
never repented. And the picture, of course, is the difference betweenthe
prostitutes, and the tax collectors, andthe publicans, and the riff-raff, and the
Pharisees who stayedaround God's house but were corrupt, whereas the
more sinful people came to their senses and more readily repented. Both,
however, are accountable to the same God, to the same Fatherfor what they
do with their...what the Puritans calledgospelopportunity, spiritual
opportunity. Every sinner in the world has spiritual opportunity. You have
the knowledge ofGodbuilt into you and you have the law of God written in
your heart. And if you follow that path, you follow it to the light of Christ.
But if you don't follow it, you're accountable to God, you're without excuse.
This is the stewardshipof every person.
The book of Ecclesiastesends with this statement, "Godwill bring every act to
judgment, everything which is hidden whether it's goodor evil." Godholds
every person accountable foreverything. And that's the story Jesus is telling
them. By the way, this story is in Matthew 24 verses 45 to 51 and Jesus
teaches the same story later on in His life in the greatSermon on the Mount of
Olives in which He preaches specificallyabout His SecondComing.

Let's look at the story just for a moment. Two parts: number one, the faithful
servant, the faithful servant, verses 42 to 44. "And the Lord said, 'Who then
is the faithful and sensible stewardwhom his master will put in charge of his
servants to give them their rations at the proper time?'" This is just an
illustration. One servant might be given one duty. Another servant might be
given another duty. I mean, there might be a whole group of differing duties
that servants would be given. In fact, Jesus lovedthis kind of motif, this kind
of image, so He used it a lot. And over in Mark 13:33 He says, "Takeheed,
keepon the alert, you don't know when the appointed time is." It's like a man
awayon a journey who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in
charge, assigning to eachone his task and even commanding the door keeper
to stay on the alert, and that sort of broadens it to say everybody had his own
task, everybody had his ownstewardship, everybody had his own way to
prove himself faithful. Therefore, He says, "Be on the alert, you don't know
when the masterof the house is coming, in the evening, midnight, cock crow in
the morning, lest he come suddenly, find you asleep, and what I say I sayto
you all, be on the alert." Jesus saidthis againand againand again. And
every person in the world has been given a stewardship, a stewardshipof time
and talent and opportunity to follow the path of conscienceand reason. Every
one of us have been given the blessing of common grace and to one degree or
another, an opportunity to follow the path of truth to the knowledge ofGod.
The faithful are those who have followedthat to the truth. The faithful are
those who are ready. They're ready for the rapture, or if they're saved after
the rapture, they'll be ready when the Lord comes in judgment to be taken
into the kingdom and to escapejudgment then. And even then they...they will
see the signs of His coming but they won't know the day or the hour. We're
waiting for a signless event. They still won't know the day or the hour, even
though they will see the generalsigns. There will be those who will be ready
who are ready now. What does it mean to be ready? It means if you go back
in chapter 12 and look at all that we've already covered, it means you've
rejectedfalse teaching and false teachers, you've turned to fearing God

instead of fearing men. You've confessedChrist. You've put your life in the
trustful care of the Holy Spirit. You're turned awayfrom materialism and
the love of money and the love of the world and you've pursued the King and
His kingdom of salvation, and you now understand that you must do that with
urgency because He may come at any moment. And those who are ready are
here depicted and calledthe faithful and sensible steward, or servant.
Faithful, pistos, that very important verb meaning believing...the believing
and the phronimos, phronimos, a word having to do with thinking, phroneō,
the thoughtful, the prudent, the discreet, the wise. “Sensible” is a great
translation. They understand the urgency of this reality. They understand
what matters. And that faithful steward, when his master comes back, he's
going to show him that when he was put in charge of his servants to give them
their rations at the proper time, he did exactlywhat he was told to do. This
particular servantwas given the responsibility of generalmanagementof the
food supply and he had the responsibility to make sure everybody in the
family and everybody in the extended family and all the servants in the estate
were caredfor. And he is a representative of every human being. You've
been given resources. You've been given knowledge. You've been given the
law of God in your heart. You've been given an understanding mind that
reasons you back to the f...to the first cause. You have been given talents and
capabilities and gifts. You can see the creationaround you and the
handiwork of God. You have been given opportunities. You have been given
spiritual experiences. Youhave been exposedto the truth and the gospel. The
question is: What have you done with it? This is like the parable of the talents
in Matthew 25 in which Jesus says some receive one talent, some more, some
more. Noteverybody has the same stewardshipbut we all have enough to be
accountable and responsible. This is again gospelopportunity, opportunity to
come to the truth. And if we turn from it, we are without excuse. Butwhen
the Lord comes back, verse 43 says, "Blessedis that slave whom his master
finds so doing when he comes. If he comes back and he finds you ready and
you've takenyour opportunity and you've responded to it in an appropriate
way and you've obeyed the call of the gospeland you have followedthe
reasoning of your mind to that first cause in the necessityofa God who is a
creatorand you followedthe law of God in your heart to a moral lawgiverand
your consciencehas reactedin convicting you of sin. And you have lookedfor

a solution and you've come to the gospeland you're ready for His coming,
you're going to be blessed. You're going to be blessed. In fact, verse 44 says
it's going to be magnanimous. Truly I say to you...and “truly I say to you” is
sort of like saying, “Wow, this just needs a sort of an introductory phrase, this
is so great.”
“He will put him in charge of all His possessions."The Lord will give you His
kingdom. Back in verse 32, "Don't be afraid, little flock, your Father has
chosengladly to give you the kingdom." Notjust part of it, not just pieces out
of it, all of it. You get it all. You reign with Christ as a co-regent, as a joint-
heir. You sit on His throne, on His Father's throne. We will who are
raptured in the church come back with the Lord when He sets up His
kingdom and reign with Him there and even throughout eternity. First
Corinthians 6 talks about us ruling and reigning. And in the story, if you
came back and you took it in its human sense and you found a servant who
would discharge his responsibility to absolutely accurate and faithful degree,
you would say, "If I can trust you with that, I'm going to give you more." And
you'd give him more. And that's what eternity is going to be for believers. It's
going to be the opening up of everything God has, all the goodness ofGodin
that perfectenvironment of eternal bliss.
But, that's the faithful. What about the unfaithful? Look at verse 45, the
unfaithful. "But if that slave says in his heart..." Here's the other option.
Instead of being faithful and sensible, if that slave says, "Mymaster will be a
long time in coming, and because he has no sense ofurgency about that, he's
just going to do what he wants, he begins to beat the slaves, both men and
women, and eat and drink and getdrunk." Instead of distributing, he
engagesin gluttony and drunkenness and he abuses the people that he's been
given responsibility to care for. Instead of feeding them, he beats them and
engageshimself in self-indulgent abuse and dissipation. And he says, "Ah,
he's going to be a long time in coming, I'm not going to worry about it. It's
not going to happen soon." So he engages himselfin this kind of life with

some kind of illusion that somewhere downthe road, you know, I'll just kind
of slide in there at the end just before he comes. That's foolishillusion, but it's
one that a lot of people entertain. I want to live my life, I want to sow my wild
oats, I want to fulfill my desires, I want to live by my lusts and passions, I
don't want to sayno to anything that I want, I want to do all that, and just
before the end I'll get it all right with God. You're very deceivedif you
think... First of all, you don't know how much time you have. You don't know
when Jesus is coming. You don't know when you're going to die. And
furthermore, you stayon that path and you're going to find yourself down the
path so far, where do you think you're going to find some spark that's going to
turn you around? Becausethe deeper and deeper you go into sin, the further
you are from any deliverance. There's nothing you're going to find in you if
you turn againstthe truth. In fact, if you've turned fully againstthe truth and
become an apostate, you couldn't repent, Hebrews 6 says. Very dangerous
way to live your life, especiallyif you don't know how long you're going to
live, especiallyif you don't know when Jesus is going to come. And also, that
sin builds its own chain link by link by link until you're so inexorably bound
by it, there is no turning. That's the foolish person.
You say, "Well just who might Jesus be talking about here?" Wellanybody
really, but particularly this had real application to the Phariseesand the
religious leaders, who instead of feeding people fleecedthem, who instead of
helping people with their needs wouldn't lift a finger to help anybody but
indulged themselves endlessly. Jesus says this is a foolishway to live because
if you live...and this is defiant. If you live in this kind of disregardfor the
commands of God and the call of the gospel, if you live this kind of sinful life,
the master, verse 46, will come on a day when that slave doesn't expectit and
at an hour he doesn't know. And what will he do? He'll cut him in pieces and
assignhim a place with the unbelievers. That's dichotomeō, from which we
get the word “dichotomy,” to cut in pieces. Prettydramatic, wouldn't you
say? That's pretty severe. Youcome back and you say to your servant, "You
didn't do what I told you to do, I'm hacking you into pieces." That's a long
way from "You're fired!" or "You're lashed." But that is familiar stuff to
them.

First Chronicles chapter 20, these Jews knew aboutthis, this is one of the
greatOld Testamentstories. In the days of David, in his wars and his captain,
Joab, 1 Chronicles 20, "It happened in the spring in the time when kings go
out to battle, that Joabled out the army and ravagedthe land of the sons of
Ammon, came and besiegedRabbah." Davidstayed at Jerusalem. Joabstruck
Rabbah and overthrew it. "And David took the crownof their king from his
head, found it to weigh a talent of gold," a veritable fortune, "and there was a
precious stone in it, it was placed on David's head." He had conquered. "And
he brought out the spoil of the city of Rabbah, a very greatamount, and he
brought out the people who were in that city and cut them with saws and with
sharp instruments and with axes," hackedthem is a better way. "And thus
David did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon."
That's just unbelievable. They chopped them up. This is probably one of the
fiercestlittle incidents in the whole of the Old Testament, meant to be a
warning to the enemies of Israel. This same word is used in Exodus 29:17 of
hacking up an animal for sacrifice. This is the severestjudgment. God is
going to come back, the Lord is going to come back in judgment with the
greatestseverityon the one who knew what his Masterwanted done and
refused to do it and flagrantly lived in antagonismtoward his Master's will.
Verse 47 then says, "There might be another slave who knew his master's will
and didn't get ready, or act in accordwith his will." He just...It isn't that he
did things the opposite of it, he just didn't get ready. He just was unprepared
and he'll receive many lashes. Manylashes is less than being hackedto pieces.
And then verse 48 says there's another one who didn't even know what his
master wanted. You know, I mean, maybe he was in the far corners of the
field when his masterleft orders and he didn't know what he was supposedto
do and though he committed deeds worthy of a flogging, he'll receive just a
few.

And the principle is, from everyone who has been given much, shall much be
required and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
And here we find a very interesting principle, folks. Truth is dangerous.
Truth is dangerous. Betterto have never known than to have known and
rejected. Betterto have never known than to have known, rejected, and
rebelled. Here we are introduced to the possibility, the reality that there are
at leastthree kinds of unfaithful people, three categories ofpeople that are
going to face judgment: Some hackedto pieces in the severestjudgment; some
lashed; some with a few lashes.
Does this teachus that eternal judgment will have degrees ofpunishment?
The answeris obvious. Jesus is coming and there's only two possibilities.
“Who is this for?” Peter says. Who needs to be afraid? Wellnot the faithful
servant, the faithful, sensible servant, he's ready. And when the Master
arrives, he's going to be blessedand he's going to be given the kingdom. But
that servant...thatservant who is aggressivelydisobedient, that servant who is
indifferent, that servant who is ignorant, they're going to be punished. And
the more you know, the more dangerous your condition. That's an important
word to those of you who may sit and hear and hear and hear and hear and
not respond. Now next week we're going to talk about that principle, and I'm
just going to take you in to those final verses and I want to show you what the
principle means from everyone who has been given much, shall much be
required. Those ofyou who have heard the truth are in such dangerous
condition.
William Barclaytells a greatstory, and I'll close with this. It's sortof a fable
of three apprentice devils who are coming to earth to finish their
apprenticeship, kind of a C.S. Lewis story. And they were talking to Satan
and they said, "You know, we want to go down and ruin men." And so Satan
said, "Wellwhat's your plan?" And the first devil said, "I'm going to tell
them there's no God."

"Thatwill not delude many," he said, "becausethey know there's a God."
The secondsaid, "WellI'm going to tell men there's...there's no hell."
Satansaid, "You'll deceive few that way, they know there's a punishment for
sin."
The third one said, "I'll tell men there's no hurry."
"Go, you have found success."
There is a hurry. He's coming and you don't know when.
Father, again we come to Your Word with open minds and open hearts and
always we are filled and now responsible for this truth and for its discharge
around us, we are made accountable not only to be ready for the coming of
our Lord Jesus but to be doing...so doing, as the text says, whatYou've asked
us to do. And what is that? To be discharging this stewardship, this gospel
stewardshipthat we have by proclaiming Christ to the ends of the earth.
When You come, we want You to find us doing it. We want... We don't want
You to find us clinging to some pastevent, or some earliertime in our life
when we were serving You, but we want You to come and find us engaged
with all our powers and all our might and all our hearts and all our souls in
the enterprises of Your glorious kingdom. And we pray, oh God, for those
who are not ready, for those who are living in defiance, those who are living in
indifference, and those who just don't know. We pray that they would all be
exposedto the truth and embrace the truth and enter the realm of the blessed

by faith in Jesus Christalone. Oh Lord, we ask that You would bring these
ones to repentance for their sin and trust in Christ to forgive them and wash
them and deliver them from judgment and hell. Father, we pray that You
would do a saving work in the hearts of many. We ask in Christ's glorious
name. Amen.
RICH CATHERS
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself
or do according to his will, shall be beatenwith many stripes.
:48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall
be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will
be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the
more.
:48 But he who did not know
We learn about God’s judgment process here.
The extent of God’s judgment is based on how you’ve respondedto what God
has shownyou.
If you have known what God requires of you, and you didn’t do it, then it will
go harder for you.
Even if you didn’t know what God required of you, you will still be
responsible.
Illustration
The other day a man was driving down the road behind a police officer at 45
mph. The man was in a hurry and decided that since he was only going 45
mph, it would be safe to pass the officer. After pulling in front of the officer,
the lights went on and the man was pulled over. “But officer!” said the man,

“I was only doing 45 mph!” “Yes,” saidthe officer, “But the speedlimit here
is only 25 mph.!”
:48 much is given … much will be required
It kind of reminds me of that famous line from Uncle Ben…
Video: Spiderman – Greatpower greatresponsibility
If we have been given much by God, then He will be expecting much in return.
As believers in the United States of America, blessedto be in a church where
we freely study the Scriptures every week, we have been given much.
He will expect much from us.
:45 My master is delaying his coming
Lesson
Live as if…
Video: Clouseauvs. Cato Round 2
Will you allow me to be your “Cato” today?
Let me encourage youto anticipate the unexpected.
We need to life as if Jesus is coming today.
With the choices we face with the upcoming presidential election, some folks
on Facebookare making it sound as if we are facing the end of the world.
You do realize don’t you that this would mean that Jesus is coming back?
If anything, it ought to getus excited. It ought to influence the way we choose
to live our lives.
John writes,

(1 John 3:2–3 NKJV) —2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not
yet been revealedwhat we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this
hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Keep your eyes on the soonreturn of Jesus Christmy friends.
Live as if it’s today.
Let God use you.
Let God find you as a faithful servant doing His will.
DON F0RTNER
God’s Servants—The Faithful and the Evil
Text: Luke 12:41-48
Reading:
Subject: CharacteristicsofFaithful and Evil Preachers
Date: Sunday Evening—December8, 2002
Tape # X-32b

Introduction:
The title of my message tonightis GOD’S SERVANTS—THE FAITHFUL
AND THE EVIL. My text is Luke 12:41-48.
(Luke 12:41-48) "ThenPetersaid unto him, Lord, speakestthouthis parable
unto us, or even to all? (42) And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and
wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them
their portion of meat in due season?(43)Blessedis that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (44) Of a truth I sayunto you, that he
will make him ruler over all that he hath. (45) But and if that servant say in
his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eatand drink, and to be drunken; (46) The
lord of that servant will come in a day when he lookethnot for him, and at an
hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him
his portion with the unbelievers. (47) And that servant, which knew his lord's
will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beatenwith few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more."

PoorPeter, he seems to always have his foot in his mouth. But how many of
us, like him, have heard a message, maybe a little biting, and thought to
ourselves, if we did not openly ask, “Was he talking to me?” Peter just blurted
it out. He said, “Lord, were you talking to us or to everybody?” And the Lord
Jesus seems to have just ignoredthe question. But he really didn’t. He gave
the same instruction again, in more detail.
In these verses our Savioragaingives us a parable in which he describes two
servants, one faithful, the other evil. Notice that both the faithful and the evil
are the Lord’s servants. The fact is, all things serve the gracious purposes of
God toward his elect(Pro. 16:4; 21:1; Ps. 76:10).
(Proverbs 16:4) "The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the
wickedfor the day of evil."
(Proverbs 21:1) "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of
water: he turneth it whithersoeverhe will."

(Psalms 76:10) "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of
wrath shalt thou restrain."
· Satanis as much the servant of God, though unwillingly, as Gabriel is
willingly.
· The fallen angels, the very demons of hell, are as fully the servants of
God, though they despise him, as are the angels of heavenwho adore him.
· Every human being is the servantof God, too.
Some of us rejoice in that fact. What a privilege is ours, to serve the living
God! Others despise the thought of God’s dominion; but they are nonetheless
under God’s dominion and serve his purposes (Rom. 8:28; 11:36;Eph. 1:11).
Our God rules everywhere, everything, and everyone, totally and absolutely!
(Ephesians 1:11) "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who workethall things after
the counselof his own will:"

However, the point I am making is this: Even those evil men who are false
prophets and messengersofSatan, deceiving the souls of men with their
perverse doctrine, are the servants of our God, sovereignlyusedby him to
accomplishhis purpose (1 Cor. 11:19).
(1 Corinthians 11:19) "Forthere must be also heresies among you, that they
which are approved may be made manifest among you."
Proposition:This parable is a word of instruction, inspiration, and warning to
those men who stand in the house of God as his servants.
Divisions: My messagetonight will have just two parts. I want to talk to you
about God’s faithful servants first. Then, I will take just a few minutes to talk
to you about those who are here describedas evil servants.

I. In verses 42-44, OUR LORD GIVES US A DESCRIPTIONOF GOD’S
FAITHFUL SERVANTS.
Without question, the instruction of the parable may be applied to every
believer in his particular calling in life. We who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ gladly bow to his dominion as our Lord. We are his servants. Our lives
are spent in his service. Whateveryour particular gifts are, whateveryour
station in life may be, that is the place of your calling and service in the
kingdom of God, where you are to use your gifts for the glory of Christ and
the goodof his people. Be God’s faithful servant where you are.
Those men who are gifted of God to be preachers and teachers in his church,
but are not calledand gifted as pastors, are also his servants;and ought to be
highly regarded as such. God has gifted this congregationwith some men who
are clearlygifted of God as preachers and teachers ofthe Word. Lindsay,
Ron, and Larry are all gifted to preach the gospelof God’s grace. Theyare all
gifted teachers in this assembly, though none of them are calledof God to be
pastors. They are, therefore, to be heard and treated with the respectthat
their gifts demand, as the servants of God. But our text is talking about that
specific group of men who are trusted with the care of God’s householdas
pastors of localchurches (v. 42).

(Luke 12:42) "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward,
whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion
of meat in due season?"
What a greattrust!
(2 Corinthians 4:7) "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, thatthe
excellencyof the power may be of God, and not of us."
(Ephesians 3:7-8) "WhereofI was made a minister, according to the gift of
the grace ofGod given unto me by the effectualworking of his power. (8)
Unto me, who am less than the leastof all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preachamong the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;"
Perhaps you think, “The messagetonight has no bearing upon me. I am not a
pastor, and never plan to be.” Do not be so foolish. You may never be a

pastor; but you will, as long as you are in this world, need the services ofa
faithful pastor. You will be wise to know what to expectfrom God’s servant,
how to pray for him, and how best to assisthim in the work God has put in his
hands. And you need to know how to recognize and distinguish betweena
faithful and an evil servant. So I ask you to give me your careful attention, as I
endeavorto explain to you the things here taught by the Son of God.
In these verses, our Lord Jesus Christ describes his faithful servant, a faithful
gospelpreacher, a faithful pastor by four things in which he is distinguished
from a self-serving false prophet. These four things describe and are
characteristic ofGod’s true servants in every age ofthe church and in every
place where gospelchurches are found.
A. HIS POSITION—God’sservantis here describedas one “whom his Lord
hath made ruler over his household.”
The church of God is his household, the household of faith, and the household
of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God’s family and God’s church, not
mine, not yours, not this or that denomination’s, but the Lord’s! This is God’s
House and God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17;Ephesians 3:15; 1 Timothy
3:15).

(1 Corinthians 3:16-17) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
(Ephesians 3:15) "Ofwhom the whole family in heavenand earth is named,"
(1 Timothy 3:15) "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou
oughtestto behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
In the family of God there are some fathers, some young me, and some
children. There are some who are strong and some who are weak. There are
some who are very independent and need little attention, and some who need
a goodbit of attention. Eachone has been placed in his house and family
exactly according to the Masterwill.

God ordained pastors have been placed by him as rulers over his household.
They are not tyrants, dictators, or lords over God’s household, but rulers,
placed overthe house to governit as stewards under Christ.
· Acts 20:28
· 1 Timothy 3:4-5
· Hebrews 13:7, 17
Mostpreachers these days are Junebug preachers. The church, the deacon
board, the board of elders, or the denomination has a string tied to his leg and
controls everything he does, like a little boy ties a string around a Junebug’s
leg. Not God’s servants. God’s servants serve his people, but they are not
controlled by them.
Note:Where in the Word of God can you find a prophet, or a preacher, who
was ruled, governed, or even influenced by the will of the people to whom he
was sent to preach? The only preacherlike that you can find in this Book is a
hireling prophet! God’s servants are responsible under Godto rule his
house...

· By His Word (2 Tim. 3:16).
· According to His Will.
A faithful stewardrules his Master’s house exactlyaccording to his Master’s
will. As he does, all in the house are expectedto honor and obey the stewardin
charge of the house. And that household is most honorable and most happy
that is well-governed, with eachmember of the family knowing his place,
working togetherwith every other member in love for the welfare of the whole
family.
B. HIS WORK—The pastor’s work is “to give them their portion of meat in
due season.”
How I wish I could make this generationunderstand that it is the work, the
calling, and the responsibility of gospelpreachers to feedthe church of God
with knowledge andunderstanding, with the meat of gospeltruth.

· Jeremiah3:15
· Acts 20:28
It is not the pastor’s work to be a goodsocializer, an analyst, a therapist, a
counselor, a priest, or a community door knocker. God’s servants are
preachers!They feed the house of God by preaching the gospel, by opening
the bead of life and dispensing it to the family. If a pastor does that, he has to
spend his time in his study, not running the roads (2 Tim. 2:15).
(2 Timothy 2:15) "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workmanthat
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
1. It is the work of the pastor “to give,” not to take (Ezek. 34:7-8).
(Ezekiel34:7-8) "Therefore,ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; (8)
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my

flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd,
neither did my shepherds searchfor my flock, but the shepherds fed
themselves, and fed not my flock;"
2. That which is to be given is “meat.”
It is not our business to enactlaws, but to give meat. It is not our business to
regulate the lives of men, but to feed their souls. And that with which God’s
servants feed his children is the sweetmeatof the gospel, not the husks of
intellectualism, the mists of mysticism, the stones of useless doctrinal
speculation, or the poison of heresy. God’s servants come with the meat of
saving grace in the knowledge ofChrist, declaring
· Ruin by the Fall!
· Redemption by the Blood!
· Regenerationby the Holy Spirit!

3. We are to feed the saints of God with “meatin due season.”
The Word of God must be rightly divided; and eachmember of the family
must be fed with the meat that is suitable for him at the time.
· Grace forthe Guilty!
· Pardonfor the Fallen!
· Redemption for the Ruined!
· Righteousness forthe Wicked!
· Cleansing for the Defiled!
· Reprooffor the Wayward!
· Comfort for the Troubled!
· Strength for the Weak!

· Christ for All!
C. HIS CHARACTER—OurLord describes his servants as men with these
two traits of character:“faithful and wise.
1. God’s servants are faithful men (1 Cor. 4:2).
(1 Corinthians 4:1-2) "Let a man so accountof us, as of the ministers of
Christ, and stewards ofthe mysteries of God. (2) Moreoverit is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful."
God’s servants are stewards ofthe mysteries of God, of the manifold grace of
God, and of the unsearchable riches ofChrist (1 Cor. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:10; Eph.
3:8).
· Stewards ofthe Mysteries ofGod

· Stewards ofthe Manifold Grace of God
· Sent to Preachthe Unsearchable Riches ofGod’s Grace in Christ
“Theyare faithful to the trust reposedin them... They preach the pure gospel
of Christ, and the whole of it; concealno part, nor keepanything of it; seek
not to please men, but God; neither seek their own things, their ease, honor,
and profit, but the glory of God, the honor of Christ, and the goodof souls;
and abide y the truths, cause, andinterest of the Redeemerat all costs.”
(John Gill)
“A faithful minister of Jesus Christis one that sincerelydesigns his Master’s
honor, not his own; delivers the whole counselof God, not his own fancies and
conceits;follows Christ’s institutions and adheres to them; regards the
meanest, reproves the greatest, and doth not respectpersons.”
(Matthew Henry)

2. As they are faithful, God’s servants are wise.
They are neither faithful nor wise by nature; but God has made them both
faithful and wise by grace and by his gifts upon them, making them fit and
able ministers of the gospel. Theyare well-instructed in the things of God,
given a clearunderstanding in the doctrines of the gospel, and wiselyexercise
their talents and gifts for the glory of God.
They seek constantlyto improve their knowledge, make the best use of their
time, and manage their lives to best serve Christ and his people. God
graciouslygives his servants wisdom to guide and direct his people and to care
for them, like a father guides and cares forhis family.
3. Notice this too: The faithful and wise pastoris a man who is doing what
God calledhim to do (v. 43).

(Luke 12:43) "Blessedis that servant, whom his lord when he comethshall
find so doing."
God’s servant always has something to do. And he is always found doing what
he has been sent and calledof God to do. He is not found dreaming, or
loitering, or talking, but doing his Master’s will and work, feeding his sheep.
Illustration: John Calvin, “What, do you want the Lord to find when he
comes?”—“Iwanthim to find me not idle when he comes?”
· This implies that God’s servantis constant in his labor.
· It also implies that he perseveres in the work God has put into his hands.
D. HIS REWARD (v. 44).

(Luke 12:43-44) "Blessedis that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall
find so doing. (44) Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over
all that he hath."
The Scriptures nowhere teach, or even imply that there shall be degrees of
reward in heaven. That is contrary to everything taught in the gospel(Rom.
8:17). Certainly, our Lord does not exalt one servant in his kingdom above
another. But God does reward faithfulness, both in this world and in the
world to come.
1. Those who are faithful over a few things shall be made Lord over many
things (Luke 19:17). Frequently, Godhonors faithful service by giving greater
service to perform.
2. God’s servants shall find immensely greatreward in seeing those for whom
they have labored around the throne of Christ in glory (1 Thess. 2:19).

3. And God’s faithful and wise servants shall themselves inherit all things with
Christ in glory (John 17:5, 22).—“He will make him lord overall that he
hath.”
II. In verses 45-48, OUR LORD DESCRIBESTHOSE MEN WHO ARE
EVIL SERVANTS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.
(Luke 12:45-48) "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth
his coming;and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat
and drink, and to be drunken; (46)The lord of that servant will come in a day
when he lookethnot for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will
cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (47)
And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But
he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten
required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more."

Here again, our Lord gives us four things which are descriptive of that man
who is a false prophet, an evil servantin the house of God. I will not saymuch
about him. But you will see immediately what such a man is.
A. His Character—Unbelief(v. 45) “My lord delayeth his coming.”
B. HIS CONDUCT -(v. 45)
(Luke 12:45) "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eatand
drink, and to be drunken;"
· He is Judgmental.
· He is Legalistic.

· He is Self-serving.
C. HIS ASTONISHMENT(v. 46)
(Luke 12:46) "The lord of that servantwill come in a day when he looketh
not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder,
and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."
D. HIS DOOM (v.46-48)
(Luke 12:46-48) "The lord of that servantwill come in a day when he looketh
not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder,
and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (47)And that servant,
which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to
his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beatenwith few stripes. For unto
whomsoevermuch is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

Application:
(1 Thessalonians5:12-13) "And we beseechyou, brethren, to know them
which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
(13) And to esteemthem very highly in love for their work's sake.And be at
peace among yourselves."
(2 Thessalonians3:1) "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the
Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:"
(Isaiah 52:7-8) "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth goodtidings, that publisheth peace;that bringeth goodtidings of
good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (8)
Thy watchmenshall lift up the voice;with the voice togethershall they sing:
for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring againZion."

(Isaiah62:6-7) "I have setwatchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which
shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the
LORD, keepnot silence. (7) And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he
make Jerusalema praise in the earth."
(Isaiah 56:10-11) "His watchmenare blind: they are all ignorant, they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11)
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are
shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one
for his gain, from his quarter."
JOHN GILL
Verse 47
And that servant which knew his Lord's will,.... Not his secret, but his
revealedwill; the will of God, which lies in the declarations ofhis grace and
mercy in the Gospel, and in the commands and ordinances expressedin his
word; and which are the good, perfect, and acceptable willof God; the
knowledge ofwhich is necessary, in order to practice: and where there is a
spiritual and saving knowledge, there will be practice:but there may be
knowledge, where there is no practice, and which was the case here:Christ
here distinguishes betweenwickedservants, some being knowing, and others
ignorant; and accordinglythe aggravationsoftheir guilt are more or less:

and prepared not himself; so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions supply, but the
Syriac version, "for him", that is, for his Lord: but it may as wellbe read as
in the Vulgate Latin, without any supplement, "and prepared not"; he took
no thought nor care about doing it; there is no preparation, readiness, nor
disposition, in a natural man, to the will of God: no man is prepared or ready
to do it, but he that is regenerated, oris made a new creature;who has the
laws of God written on his heart, and who has the Spirit of God put within
him, to cause him to keepthem; and who has faith in Christ, and strength
from him to observe them; but there may be knowledge, where sucha
preparation is wanting; persons may know much, and profess to know more,
and in works deny all, and be to every goodwork, unfit, disobedient, and
reprobate: this clause is left out in the Persic version:
neither did according to his will; the will of God is done aright, when what is
done, is done according to the command of God, in the strength of Christ,
from love to him, in the exercise of faith on him, and with a view to his glory,
and without any dependence on what is done; but there may be knowledge,
without any thing of this: the words, "neither did", are wanting in the Syriac
version: and such a man that has knowledge without practice,
shall be beaten with many stripes; alluding to the law of the Jews, by which a
wickedman was to be punished, by beating him with stripes, not exceeding,
forty, according to the nature of his fault, Deuteronomy 25:2 and here it
signifies, that persons who have light and knowledge, andthe means thereof,
and actnot according to them, shall be punished with the greatestseverity,
and endure the greatestdegree oftorments in hell; see Matthew 11:21
Verse 48

But he that knew not,.... His Lord's will; either not having the means of
knowing it, as the Heathens;or through neglectof them, not attending to
them, and making use of them, which is the case ofmany, where the Gospel
revelation is:
and did commit things worthy of stripes;or punishment; as the Gentiles, by
sinning againstthe law, and light of nature; and those who might have the
advantage of a divine revelation, but neglectit: the Septuagint in
Deuteronomy 25:2 have the same phrase as here, αξιος πληγων, "worthy of
stripes":
shall be beaten with few stripes;their punishment shall be less, and it shall be
more tolerable for them in the day of judgment, than for knowing professors.
The Jews did not always inflict forty stripes, or forty save one, upon
delinquents; but according to their crimes, and as they were able to bear
them, more or fewer: so it is saidF23,
"when they judge a sinner, how many (stripes) he can bear, they do not
reckon, but by stripes that are fit to be trebled: if they judge he is able to bear
"twenty", they do not order that he be beatenwith twenty one, that so they
may be trebled, but that he be beatenwith "eighteen":if they condemn him to
receive forty, and after he is begun to be beaten, they observe him to be weak,
and they sayhe cannotbear any more than these "nine", or "twelve", with
which he has been beaten, lo, he is free; if they condemn him to receive
"twelve", and after that he is beaten, they see that he is strong and able to
bear more, lo, he is free, and he is not to be beaten any more, upon that
estimation: if they condemn him today that he is to be beaten with "twelve"
(stripes), and they do not beat him till tomorrow, and lo, tomorrow he is able
to bear eighteen, they do not beat him but with twelve.'

And elsewhere the rule isF24,
"he that commits a sin, in which there are two negative (commands broken) if
they pronounce but one sentence, he is beaten and is free; but if not (i.e. if
more than one) he is beaten, and when he is healed, he is beatenagain.'
For unto whomsoevermuch is given, of him shall, much be required: the more
knowledge a man has, the more practice is expectedfrom him; and the
greaterhis gifts are, the more useful he ought to be, and diligent in the
improvement of them:
and to whom men have committed much, or to whom much is committed, of
him they will ask the more; not more than what was committed to him, but
more than from him, who has less committed to him; in proportion to what a
man is entrusted with, the greaterincrease andimprovement it is expectedhe
should make.
What does it mean that “to whom much is given, much will be required”
(Luke 12:48)?
videomuch given much requiredaudio
Question:"What does it mean that ‘to whom much is given, much will be
required’ (Luke 12:48)?"
Answer: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be

asked” (Luke 12:48). This statement of Jesus has become somewhatofan
idiom in Westernculture and is found, paraphrased, in Uncle Ben’s words of
wisdom to PeterParkerin Spider-man: “With greatpower comes great
responsibility.”
The idea of “to whom much is given, much will be required” is that we are
held responsible for what we have. If we are blessedwith talents, wealth,
knowledge, time, and the like, it is expectedthat we use these well to glorify
God and benefit others.
In context, Jesus had just told a parable about being ready for His return. His
disciple Peteraskedif the parable was for just them or for everyone. Jesus
replied with another parable in which He defines the “faithful and wise
manager” as one who gives out food and other allowances“atthe proper
time.” When the master returns and finds the faithful servantmanaging his
resources well, he “put him in charge of all his possessions” (Luke 12:42–44).
We have been entrusted with certain things, and faithfulness requires that we
manage those things wiselyand unselfishly.
Jesus continued the parable with a contrast:“Suppose the servant says to
himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’and he then begins to
beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get
drunk. The master of that servantwill come on a day when he does not expect
him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign
him a place with the unbelievers. The servant who knows the master’s will
and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten
with many blows” (Luke 12:44–47). The unfaithful servant mismanages the
master’s resources to satiate his own greed, and Jesus warns that judgment is

certain for that servant. The Lord then summarizes the point of the parable
with these words: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be
required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the
more” (verse 48, ESV). A related parable that also deals with stewardshipis
the Parable of the Talents (or the Parable of the Bags ofGold) in Matthew
25:14–30.
It is easyto assume that only wealthy people have been “given much,” but, in
truth, we have all been given much (1 Corinthians 4:7). We have been granted
the abundant grace ofGod (Ephesians 1:3–10;3:16–21;Romans 5:8–11;
8:14–17), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–21;
16:13;Romans 12:6). “Eachof you should use whatevergift you have received
to serve others, as faithful stewards ofGod’s grace in its various forms” (1
Peter4:10).
We should also not assume that the less we know about Godand His gifts, the
less we’ll have to do. As evident in Jesus’parable, we are held responsible to
know our master’s will. God has plainly shownus what He requires (Micah
6:8).
God gives us resources suchas finances and time, talents such as culinary
skills or musical ability, and spiritual gifts such as encouragementor teaching.
We should ask God for wisdom on how to use those resourcesand commit
ourselves to expending them according to His will so that He may be glorified.
In regards to spiritual gifts, Paul said, “We have different gifts, according to
the grace givento eachof us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in
accordancewith your faith; if it is serving, then serve;if it is teaching, then
teach;if it is to encourage, thengive encouragement;if it is giving, then give
generously;if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it
cheerfully” (Romans 12:6–8). This is simply responsible stewardship.

We have been given much, and God desires us to use what He has given to
further His Kingdom and proclaim His glory. It’s what we were createdto do.
“Then Jesus saidto his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoeverwants to save
their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. . . . Forthe
Son of Man . . . will reward eachpersonaccording to what they have done’”
(Matthew 16:24–25, 27). We are living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), giving the
things God has given us in service to others, and in that we actually find life.
God, the giver of all goodthings (James 1:17), gives us everything we need to
fulfill His will. “Freelyyou have received;freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
https://www.gotquestions.org/much-given-required.html
PETER PETT
Verse 47
“And that servant, who knew his lord’s will, and did not make ready, nor did
according to his will, will be beatenwith many stripes,”
The question here is whether this is the same slave or another one. If the
stewardwas decapitatedit would certainly suggestthat this is another one.
This tagging on of an extra idea to a parable would also fit in with the way
that Jesus suddenly tagged on an extra idea to the previous parable (Luke
12:39). It is a vivid wayof stressing a point. And we must remember that the
lord will always have all his staff to call into accountfor their behaviour while
he has been away.
There would therefore appear to be three gradings (threefoldness thus
covering all the servants), the steward, the high level servantwho was in the

know about his lord’s requirements, and the lowerlevel servant who was not.
This high level servant then is one who was under the steward, but who also
knew what his lord wantedand had not made ready. He too had been
faithless, although not going as far as the steward. He is not therefor
decapitatedand assignedwith the unbelievers. Rather he is given a severe
beating. This might suggestthathe was rather seenas a believer who had to
be disciplined, although the severe beating might indicate the fate of the
unbeliever. It is, of course, picture language. It does not mean that beatings
will be handed out at the secondcoming (even though what is handed out may
in some ways be worse, ‘he himself will be saved but only as through fire’ - 1
Corinthians 3:15, compare 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Verse 48
“And to whoever much is given, of him will much be required: and to whom
they commit much, of him will they ask the more.”
And the final lessondrawn out is that the more that is given to someone, of
position and authority and trust, the more will be required of them. Those
who are given the most trust will be expected to deliver more than those of
whom that is not so true.
Note. It would be unwise to draw our theologyfrom a parable. Parables
illustrate theologynot make it, for interpretations are always open to doubt
and depend very much on viewpoint. Thus while learning the lessons we
should not draw firm conclusions about what will happen in the afterlife from
this parable. Some see some ofthe servants as erring believers. Others see all
the erring servants as unbelievers. Eachcan draw his lessonas he will. But the
theologyof the afterlife must be drawn from elsewhere.End of note.

J. C. RYLE
We learn, lastly, from these verses—thatthe greatera man's religious light is,
the greateris his guilt if he is not converted. The servant which "knew his
master's will, but did not do it—shall be beaten with many stripes." "Unto
whom much is given—ofhim shall be much required."
The lessonofthese words is one of wide application. It demands the attention
of many classes. It should come home to the conscience ofevery professing
Christian. His judgment shall be far more strict, than that of the heathen who
never saw the Bible.
It should come home to every hearerof the Gospel. If he remains
unconverted—then he is far more guilty than the inhabitant of some dark
land, who never hears any teaching but a sortof semi-heathenmorality.
It should come home to every child and servant in Christian families. All such
are far more blameworthy, in God's sight—than those who live in houses
where there is no honor paid to the Word of God and prayer. Let these things
never be forgotten. Our judgment at the lastday—will be according to our
light and opportunities.
What are we doing ourselves with our religious knowledge?Are we using it
wisely, and turning it to goodaccount? Or are we content with the barren
saying, "We know it—we know it!" and secretlyflattering ourselves that the
mere knowledge ofour Lord's will makes us better than others—while that
will is not done?

Let us beware of eternal mistakes!The day will come, when unimproved
knowledge—willbe found the most perilous of possessions. Thousands will
awake to find that they are in a lowerplace in Hell, than the most ignorant
and idolatrous heathen. Their knowledge not used, and their light not
followed—willonly add to their condemnation.
SPROUL
Accepting GraduatedResponsibility
There is an oft-neglectedprinciple taught in the New Testament. I call it the
principle of “graduatedresponsibility.” This principle is taught by Jesus in
Luke 12:48: “Fromeveryone who has been given much, much will be
demanded” (NIV).
This saying is part of the parable of the faithful steward. It underscores the
terms of the judgment the lord in the parable renders to his servants. The
punishment meted out is given in direct proportion to the prior knowledge
eachservant had:
“Thatservant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not
do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who
does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beatenwith few
blows.” (vv. 47-48, NIV)
Here we see that judgment and punishment are rendered according to
knowledge as wellas action. The greaterthe knowledge, the greaterthe
accountability.

Coram Deo
Are you a faithful stewardover all that God has entrusted to you?
Passages forFurther Study
Luke 12:47–48
1 Corinthians 4:2
12:41-48 When Much Has BeenGiven Then Much Shall Be Demanded
Previous Next
Luke 12:41-48 “Peterasked, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to
everyone?’The Lord answered, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise manager,
whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food
allowance atthe proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the
master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. Butsuppose the servantsays to himself, ‘My
master I taking a long time in coming,’ and then begins to beat the
menservants and the maidservants and to eat and drink and getdrunk. The
master of that servantwill come on a day when he does not expecthim and at
an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assignhim a place
with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his master’s will and does not
get ready or does not do what his masterwants will be beatenwith many
blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment
will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
much more will be asked.”

One problem we have with the religious broadcasting of the BBC is its lack of
discrimination. Virtually all the speakersin the early morning ‘Prayer for the
Day’ or the slightly longer‘Thought for the Day’ say‘we’. The promises and
blessings which are described in the Bible as purchased with the blood of
Christ, and sealedto every disciple of Christ by the regenerating and
indwelling Spirit are made by these broadcasters ‘ours,’that is, the possession
of every single personwho happens to be listening to the radio at that
moment, atheists, agnostics, scorners,unrepentant, irreligious as well as the
true followers ofJesus Christ. What are very rarely mentioned, in factI have
never heard them on the radio, are the warnings of our Lord about unbelief,
the need for personalrepentance which was his very first message, the
dangers of false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) whom he denounced in
the Sermonon the Mount, and the reality of the broad road that goes to hell.
This religion is, in effect, humanism stealing Christian language for which it
has no entitlement. This is what has destroyed the impact of Christianity as
salt and light in Wales in the last 150 years, the lack of discrimination and
application in public preaching. All those in a congregationare consideredto
be believers, but many of you know that that is not so. You are not all
Christians yet. You are still counting the costof repentance and following
Christ.
So in this comprehensive sermon in the chapter before us our Lord Jesus has
come to preach about the end of the world, his return, and our need to live in
a state of preparation for that event like men waiting for their master to
return from a wedding banquet. Everything is to be ready for his coming
again. Then Peterinterrupts Jesus’monologue. He puts his hand up, “Lord,
are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” (v.41). Peteris perplexed at
Jesus’assumptionthat the twelve apostles neededa warning to be ready for
the appearing of their Master. They had given up everything to follow him.
They were his preachers. He could count on them serving him with all their
hearts for the next fifty years. Such disciples didn’t need messagesofwarning.
“Be positive, Lord Jesus. Encourageus. We’ll always be there for you.” He

wants that to be made clearto Jesus as the apostles are glancing at one
another a little concerned, wondering why Jesus is wasting time warning them
about being ready. Didn’t he trust them?
Our text is Jesus’answer. He knew them better than they knew themselves.
He knew that one of them was going to sellhim in betrayal for 30 pieces of
silver to be nailed to a cross and put to death. He knew that another was going
to deny any knowledge ofhim with cursing. He knew that when they saw the
soldiers coming they’d all abandon him running off like frightened rabbits.
Jesus knew what was in man; it was a desperatelydeceitful heart, and that
true Christian pastoring and preaching consists ofa balance of
encouragementand warning, of promise and searching, discriminating
application of the Bible’s words. The road to heavenis narrow, and it has a
ditch on eachside. On one side is the ditch of presumption and on the other
side is the ditch of despair. But God has seta wall before eachditch to prevent
us falling in. Before the ditch of presumption is the wall of the commandments
and warnings of God – “Be ye holy as I am holy . . . Without holiness no man
shall see the Lord.” By keeping God’s commandments and heeding his
warnings we are kept from presumption. Before the ditch of despair is the
wall of the promises of God that say that whosoeverbelieves in Jesus Christ
will be saved. Is your hope of eternallife basedon the goodworks that Jesus
did perfectly and not on your owngood works whichare all imperfect? Are
you trusting in him? Have you come to him? He will not cast out any who
come to him.
Jesus does not answerPeter’s questionas to who the Lord was targeting in his
sermon. He doesn’t say, “Of course, you’re O.K. Peter, and John too, and
James and Andrew and the restof you. I didn’t make it clearthat these
warnings of mine weren’t meant for you but for the curious people who’ve
turned up today and want to know how they canget to heaven. I was telling
this parable to all of them – not to you Judas or Matthew or Thomas.” Christ
never said that; he gave them no false assurance thatthey were fine. Let him

that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Jesus’response was to tell all of
them this story about a number of different personalities. Where did they fit
in? Who were they?
i] There is the ‘master’ (v.42), the land-owner of a great plantation, and he
stands for God our Creator, the one in whom we all live and move and have
our being. Our breath is in his hands. We are made in his image and likeness.
He offers to become our Saviour, and is our Judge, the one we’re to answerto
for our lives.
ii] Then there is someone else “the faithful and wise manager” (v.42). The
master puts this man in charge of the plantation. He has hands-on authority
for the successfulrunning of the business, but he doesn’t own the plantation.
He merely manages it, and if he forgets that and behaves as if he were the
managerhe is going to be in a lot of trouble. He is merely the most prominent
of the servants. He tells the slaves what they are to do eachday, and he gives
them their food allowance. This managerstands for me, and for every
Christian who has any kind of authority in the church, in the home, in
business. Our task is to implement all that the owner expects in his plantation.
For example, we may not organize a Woodstock orGlastonbury-type festival
on this land, or Sunday car bootsales, orpoint to point races with bookies and
betting. Our Masterhas made it clearthat he would not be in favour of that
sort of thing. Replenishing the earth and subduing it, sowing and reaping,
watering and weeding, producing an abundance of crops – that is what the
Masterwants and the manager must see that his wishes are completely
respected.
iii] Then, thirdly, there are the slaves and labourers who work the fields, men
and women who need constant supervision, exhortation and inspection from
the manager. They neededto be rewardedpromptly for the work they did by

him. They stand for all the people in the professing church, made in God’s
image, many of them true believers and some are not.
Then Jesus tells us that the Owner of this land is very interestedand involved
in what is being done in his plantation even though he can be awayfrom it for
some years at a time. He is not a careless absentee landlord. Still, periodically,
the Masterwill return to see how things are going on there. He hopes to find
the managerdoing all he has askedhim to do, and when he finds that this is
indeed the case he is delighted. He extends the man’s responsibilities, and he
puts him “in charge of all his possessions” (v.44). He might sayto his
manager, “You see that hill over there? I have long thought of planting the
side of it with a large vineyard. I want you to do that for me, and that valley
down there, I always consideredit was suitable for damming and building a
reservoir. I want you to do that. Of course I’ll increase your salary very much
for these new responsibilities. You have been faithful in little; I believe you
will also be faithful in much.” Just like Pharaohraisedup Josephand gave
him authority over the cornfields of Egypt.
But when the Masterinvestigates anotherofhis plantations he finds the
situation to be very different. The manager there has been saying to himself,
“‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’and then he begins to beat the
menservants and maidservants and to eatand drink and get drunk” (v.45).
What will happen when out of the blue the master turns up and discovers
violence, intimidation, abuse and drunkenness? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild
will show that he can also be angry at such a dissipated life. The Lord says
this: “He will cut him to pieces and assignhim a place with the unbelievers.
That servant who knows his master’s will and does not getready or does not
do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows” (vv.46&47). He
will cut him in little pieces. He will beathim with many lashes. He will put him
in hell with all unbelieving rebels. That is what the Lion of the tribe of Judah
says. What is the implication of all this for ourselves? There are two or three
things.

1. BEING TRUSTED IS TO TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITY.
God has entrusted you with children. That trust means responsibility. The
Masterthat Jesus refers to in our text was not putting this man in charge of
some little allotment for the summer with a few rows of potatoes and kidney
beans. It was nothing as trivial as that. This plantation was a vast tract of land
with men and womenworking thousands of acres, and the manager had been
given very greatresponsibility by the ownerand was paid accordingly. He had
been entrusted with much by the Master. You or your parents have at times
handed over something valuable to a friend, to a bank, or to a good family.
People do this all the time. They leave the country but they keepa house in the
U.K. and they hand it over to a rental agencyto look after it and to pick up
the rent during the years they are away. Or they might place a child in the
home of adopting parents. Or they depositfunds in a bank. Or they tell a
sensitive secretto a goodfriend.
What allows people to hand over a valuable personor an objectas costlyas a
house in this way? How canthey take this risk? They do it because they have
goodreasons fortrusting those to whom they give the personor the object.
What reasons might they have for such trust? A family I knew who went to
live in Tasmania had a house in Aberystwyth and they put it in the hands of a
man whom they knew went to church. They askedhim to rent it out and
collectthe rental for them. They lived to regret a brokentrust. There were
thousands of men and womenin New York who entrusted their life’s savings
to a man who ripped them off so that they lost everything. What a breakdown
of trust! He will end his life in prison and they will scrimp and save for the last
years of their lives. He stole everything from them. Many of them were Jews
and he was a Jew too. It meant nothing to him. We are to be careful. An
adoption agencywill study the family who wishes to adopt a child. A
homeownerwill ask a tenant for references. A teenagerwill know from
experience whether a friend can be trusted with a secret. This week the people

of Tunisia have gone out onto the streets in their tens of thousands crying that
enough is enough. They have lostany trust they had in the dictators that run
their country.
It is a fearful thing for a nation or a civilization to lose trust in people, in
politicians, and businessmen, and evangelists, andthe police force. Without
trust, and reasons to trust, and things handed over in trust, human life
becomes terrifying. Corrupt countries are tough places to spread the gospelof
Jesus Christ because they are places of distrust. The most valuable thing ever
handed over in trust is the knowledge ofthe Lord and his salvation. We say,
“You must believe it because it is true. The third day he rose from the dead,
and it is true. He will give restto those who come to him, and it is true. You
can trust what Jesus has done and said” Our messageis that God entrusted to
Jesus Christ his Son the messagethathe was to tell the world. The night
before Golgotha we find Jesus praying and one of the things he says to his
Father is, “I’ve given them your word,” (Jn. 17:14). He hadn’t failed to tell
this world exactly what the Creatorhad given him to teach us. He had kept
nothing back though it meant men hated him for saying it and they put him to
death, but he didn’t break his trust with his Father, and he expects us to keep
the same trust with him. We are to teachmen all the things that the Lord has
told us. That is how we disciple all nations.
Why should Almighty God trust us to be faithful? There are two reasons:
i] He has given us the Bible. Stick to the Bible. Its message ofsalvationand
how we should live is lucid, The moral teachings ofthe Bible are the clearest.
ii] He has given us the indwelling Spirit of God. We have free access to an
indwelling God and he strengthens us and energizes us to keepfaithful.

So we have been given the messageofGod and given strength to live it out and
be faithful to it.
Without this knowledge thatJesus Christ alone gives men, the world is
trapped in a maze with no one knowing the way out. Men wander like the
Ancient Mariner across endless oceans forever and ever. Life should not be
like that! There must be landmarks! There are the greatI AM’s of Christ. “I
am the way, and the truth, and the life, no man comethunto the Father but by
me.” Without the Christian faith entrusted to believing repentant people, men
are like reflectors lacking any light source to shine on them. They are at best
some decent people. That is not enough. Our calling is to be the light of the
world and that is only possible with the light of Christ’s truth shining in us
and through us. I was reading this week ofthe poorestplace in Africa, the
southern Sudan, where there are certainskilful womenwho are experts in
breeding camels. Eachyear they take a journey of 500 miles across the desert
eachleading 50 camels to camelsales. There are no roads and no maps – the
women are illiterate. They are guided by the stars and the memorized pattern
of the succeeding dunes. They have to reacha water hole eachtwo days, and
these waterholes canbe just one metre square. They take a spare supply of
water, enough for one day, and if they go three days without water they are
dead. When the clouds coverthe stars and the winds move the dunes they are
in serious trouble.
Now I am saying that without the words of Jesus Christ that have been
entrusted to this world men and women are lost. Who are you? What is the
purpose of life? What is man’s chief end? Why do men behave as abominably
as they do? What must I do to be saved? How can I inherit eternal life? Who
can answerthose questions exceptthe Son of God? You are like sailors near
the shoreline on a black and stormy night without a rudder or a compass.
Where else canyou find directions for living as fathers and mothers and
preachers and bosses and workmen? You will find them in the words of

Christ and his Old Testamentprophets and his New Testamentapostles.The
instructions have been entrusted to us in the Bible.
The Christian message is unspeakablyprecious. “In the beginning God
createdthe heavens and the earth . . . In the beginning was the Word, and the
word was with God and Word was God . . . Come unto me all ye that labour
and are heavy laden and I will give you rest . . . ForGod so loved the world
that he gave his only begottenSon. . .” That gospelis the most precious thing
men can have. What will it profit them to gain the whole world and lose the
gospel? The Christian faith is, in fact, a trust. God entrusts the Christian faith
to the church, to me particularly to teachand preach it, but to you parents to
keephanding it on to your children, and all of you to pass on to your younger
brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and friends in whateversphere of
influence you live. It is the message ofeternallife, and the forgiveness ofall
our sins and God has entrusted it to his people to pass on to the world. What
are these words of our text telling us? That God is interested in how we are
keeping his trust in what he has given us. Of course he is. You preach a false
gospeland you grieve the Spirit. Away the Spirit goes!Modernism is
supremely a betrayal of trust.
Do you understand the agitationfelt by Paul about the church in Galatia that
had broken the trust and was preaching another message?The heretics of
Galatia were saying that the finished work of Christ and putting all one’s
hopes of eternallife in the Lord Jesus’personand work was not goodenough;
it was insufficient for salvation and God’s blessing. In addition to such trust
every Christian also had to be circumcisedand keepOld Covenant
ceremonies and food laws and feasts in addition to trusting in Christ. Canyou
see Paul’s concern? Canyou hear it in the opening words of his letter? “I am
astonishedthat you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the
grace ofChrist and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel
at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusionand are trying
to pervert the gospelofChrist. But even if we or an angel from heavenshould

preach a gospelotherthan the one we preachedto you, let him be eternally
condemned! As we have already said, so now I sayagain: If anybody is
preaching to you a gospel otherthan what you accepted, lethim be eternally
condemned!” (Gals. 1:6-9). What responsibility comes from being entrusted
with a divinely-created and a divinely-given and a divinely-enabled message!
That messagetells us how we should live if we have been redeemed with the
precious blood of Christ. We are to present our bodies as living sacrificesto
God. We are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the power
of God and his Word, our minds renewed. We are to be clothed in all the
armour of God. There is very important word in the New Testament. It is the
word ‘therefore.’ You know that greatpattern of a number of Paul’s letters.
He begins an epistle by explaining the gospel, andhaving done that with
beauty and conviction, he says, ‘therefore’if this is true for you, if you have
receivedthe mercy of God then let’s see the effects of your trust in your daily
walk;this is how you should live. Be this sort of father and mother and
husband and wife and child, and so on.
You say, “But I still sin as a Christian. I cannotsay that my trust in Christ is
100 per cent.” That’s me! If everI became conscious ofreal, absolute trust in
God, without having trust in anything else, I feel I would be the happiest man
on the face of God’s earth. I hope it is true of me that I do so, and I hope it is
true of you. Even when we come to trust in the blood of Jesus Christ we carry
so much of our own false sufficiency with us. We carry so much of ourselves
with us even in prayer. We mix so much of pride and self-confidence with our
faith that we are not really trusting as we ought. We are trusting, but not
wholly. Not as we ought to, because we carry so much of this self-sufficiency
with us.
So I am not saying that when the lastday comes Christ will be looking for
sinless people and that you have to be free from sin in order to keepthe trust.

We come to trust in God as sinners. We came to him as sinners and we keep
coming to him until our dying day as sinners. But there is a difference
betweensins in the life of a believer, and sin in an unbeliever’s life. Think of
the difference betweena cat and a pig. A catfalls into mud and the cat gets
out as fast as it can. It goes to the bank and begins a meticulous task of
cleaning all of its fur. It is concernedthat it is filthy and it will not ceaseuntil
it is clean. That is a cat. A pig, on the other hand, falls into mud and gladly
wallows in it, considering it to be its element. When the Master, the owner of
his estate, visits his plantation that is being run by a man who has no thought
of the Lord’s eye upon him, or of giving an accountto the Lord for his life,
then who does he find in charge, a cat or a pig? Does he find a man grieving
over his foulness and seeking to purify himself? No. He finds a pig. Here is the
perfect description of a pig in the 45th verse;“the servant says to himself, ‘My
master is taking a long time in coming,’ and then begins to beatthe
menservants and the maidservants, and to eatand drink and get drunk.” His
behaviour is a total repudiation of the trust his Masterplacedin him. His life
is marked by the old sins, violence and drunkenness. What are you doing with
the trust God has given you in the knowledge ofthe gospelof Jesus Christ and
the gift of the Holy Spirit that you have received? There is another lesson
from this passage.
2. GOOD WORKS ARE THE SIGN OF TRUE FAITH.
You see it in our text; “It will be goodfor that servant whom the master finds
. . .” (v.43), what? Thinking about taking up the responsibilities of being a
farm manager? Dreaming about them? Talking about them? Taking a course
in them? No, “It will be goodfor that servant whom the masterfinds doing so
when he returns” (v.43). Jesus is talking about the immense importance of
working, practical, diligent, useful Christianity. We hear a greatdeal about
religious people’s intentions, and hopes, and wishes, and feelings, and
profession. It doesn’t impress the man in the street. It would be far better if
we heard more about people’s practice. “Actions speak louder than words.” It

is not the servant who is found wishing and thinking and planning and
studying, but the servant who is found ‘doing,’ whom Jesus calls ‘good.’Faith
without works is bogus. It is a greatdeal better to live a holy and loving life
than talking about it and defining it. A lighthouse does not need Saatchiand
Saatchi’s advertising agencyto draw attention to its shining – it just shines!
Let your light shine before men.
When we read the teachings of Christ it doesn’ttake long to discoverthat he
wasn’t slow to insist on changedbehaviour. He taught that salvationwould be
by his work on the cross. Ofcourse he said, “The Son of man . . . came not to
be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45).
We do not save ourselves if our zealno respite knew or our tears for ever
flowed all for sin could not atone. Christ must save us, and Christ alone by
giving his life as our ransom. But Jesus also said words like these, “If any man
would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me” (Lk. 9:23). He said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do
what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does
them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who
dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock;and when a flood arose, the
stream broke againstthat house, and could not shake it, because it had been
well built. But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a
house on the ground without a foundation; againstwhich the streambroke,
and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Lk. 6:46-49).
He told the disciples, “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10:22).
He told the Jews ofhis day, “Unless your righteousness exceeds thatof the
scribes and Pharisees, youwill never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).
These verses teachthat a savedperson shows he’s in a state of grace by doing
goodworks, and continuing in them until the end of his days.
Not a perfectlife but a new life, the life of heaven in the soul of man, that is
what God is seeking, notjust genuinely changed behaviour and doing good
works but that our goodworks exceedthe goodworks of others. Of course!

God the Holy Spirit indwells us, energizes us, motivates us and keeps us.
“Unless your righteousness exceeds thatof the scribes and Pharisees, youwill
never enter the kingdom of heaven” means “Unless you who call yourselves
Christians, who profess to be justified by faith alone and that God the Son
gave his life to die for you and that is all your hope in life and death – unless
that shows by living in a way which is utterly superior to the conduct of decent
average people who are hoping to save themselves by their sincerity and
works, then you will not enter God’s kingdom. You are not really Christians.”
The lessonofthese verses is not about justification, but about sanctification;
not about faith, but about holiness;the point is not what a man should do to
be saved, but what ought a saved man to be doing. The teaching of Scripture
is clearand express upon this subject. A saved man ought to be “carefulto
maintain goodworks” (Tit. 3:8.) The desire of a true Christian ought to be, to
be found ‘doing.’ If we love life, let us seek by God’s help, to be ‘doing’
Christians. This is to be like Christ: He “wentabout doing good” (Acts 10:38.)
This is to be like the Apostles:they were men of deeds even more than of
words. This is to glorify God: “Herein is my Fatherglorified, that you bear
much fruit.” (John xv. 8.) This is to be useful to the world: “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your goodworks, and glorify your Father
in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). He will say to many in that day, “Inasmuch as you
served and visited and helped others of my people in my name then you did it
unto me. Come you blessedpeople of mine!” But there is one more lesson.
3. JUDGMENT IS ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.
The more a servant knows about what his master requires, the more serious is
his sin when he fails to obey, and the more strictly will he be punished for his
defiance. This is what Jesus is saying: “Thatservant who knows his master’s
will and does not get ready or does not do what his masterwants will be
beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things

deserving punishment will be beatenwith few blows. From everyone who has
been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (vv.47&48). Isn’t that
repetition of the word ‘much’ in verse 48 – and two such repetitions –
graphic? Four ‘muches.’ Given much? Much demanded. Entrusted much?
Much askedfor. We are being confronted with the sins of omission. What of
the honour that servants should give their masters? Whatof the reverence,
and the love that God requires? These have never been rendered to him and
there is an infinity of guilt in that fact. That guilt will be pardoned for Christ’s
sake if you ask for it.
People sometimes ask whetherit would be fair of God condemning people
who have never heard the gospel. Fromwhat Jesus says here, their
punishment will be less severe. The more knowledge we have, the greaterour
responsibility, and the greaterour guilt in failing to live up to what we know,
and the more severe our condemnation. The personwho has never heard of
Christ still possessesa conscience andit rebukes him wheneverhe abuses and
lies and steals. He also has the things of the law written on his heart. He also
has the majesty of God in the skies above and earth beneath; the heavens are
telling him of the glory of God so that he is without excuse when he does not
bow his head and cry to the God of creationand conscience,“Godbe merciful
to me a sinner,” and ask for help to please this mighty One, but there is still
this condemnation that every man knows more than he practices.
The more you have been given, the greateryour responsibility to use it for the
glory of God. You have lived in a land where the Christian faith has had
influence for over 19 centuries. You have the Bible in your own language.
You’ve had gospelpreachers.You are surrounded by true Christians. So we
have far more responsibility than a member of a tribe in the north west
Amazon rain forestof Brazil barely touched with the gospel. Our judgment in
the lastday will be according to light and opportunities.

Dr. Philip Rykenthe president of Wheaton College has saidthis recently. “If I
may be permitted a word of personaltes-timony, God has used this verse—as
much as any other verse in the Bible— to shape my life as a Christian and my
calling as a minister of the gospel. Mygrandmother would give this verse to
me when I was a little boy. She would remind me how much I had been given:
my family, church, abilities, education, and so forth. Then she would say, ‘To
whom much is given, of him shall much be required.’ From time to time, as I
thought about what God wanted me to do with my life, I would remember this
verse. I would considerhow much God had given to me, and how much he
would require. In the end, this is one of the main reasons Ibecame a minister.
Perhaps you are able to give a similar testimony. Whether or not you came to
know Christ at an early age, and whether or not you serve in the church full-
time, God has called you into his service and prepared you for that calling. He
has provided for your daily needs. He has given you sound spiritual
instruction through the preaching of the gospel, through goodChristian
literature, and through the personal discipleship of godly men and women.
How much God has given you! And how much he will require on the day
when Jesus comes again!Are you ready to give him that much, or not?”
(Philip Graham Ryken, Luke Volume 1, P.&R. Publishing, 2009, pp.
692&693).
16th January 2011 GEOFFTHOMAS

Jesus was clear knowledge determinse judgment

Jesus was clear knowledge determinse judgment

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Jesus was clear knowledge determinse judgment