Title: Parable of the Blessed Servants
Contents br> Jesus gave several parables related to the second coming of Jesus. The parable of the blessed servants is one of them. In this parable, Jesus describes two blessed servants. One blessed servant was a servant who opened the door as soon as his master returned from the wedding and knocked on the door. Another blessed servant was a wise and sincere servant who distributed food to the master's other servants on behalf of the master at appropriate times. The reason Jesus spoke about these servants was to prepare us for the coming of Jesus as such servants.
“Be ye like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding and knock on the door as soon as it is opened” (Luke 12:36).
“Therefore, be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
First, in the words of this parable, Jesus directly or indirectly said that Jesus Himself would come again. “The master returned from the wedding house” (Luke 12:36), “the master came” (Luke 12:37), “the master came in the second or third watch” (Luke 12:38), “the master time” (Luke 12:43), “the master said that his coming was delayed” (Luke 12:45), “the master of this servant has come” (Luke 12:46), and “the Son of Man is coming” (Luke 12:40).
In addition to the words of this parable, Jesus Himself spoke of His coming to this earth in several other words.
“The Son of Man comes with his angels in the glory of the Father, and at that time he will repay each one according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27).
“You have said it, Jesus said, but I tell you that after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64).
“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27).
“As lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27).
“Therefore, be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all the angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory, and gathers all nations before him, and separates them from each other as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32).
“I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have and let no one take your crown” (Revelation 3:11).
The disciples of Jesus also foretold the return of Jesus.
“In the same way Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, and will appear a second time, free of sin, for salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).
“For yourselves know fully that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2).
“Behold, I am coming like a thief, and blessed is anyone who watches and keeps his garments, and walks not naked, and shows no shame” (Revelation 16:15)
“Be patient with the way and be strong, for the coming of the Lord is near” (James 5:8).
“After a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay” (Hebrews 10:37).
“Let your generosity be known to all, for the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5).
“Beloved, we are children of God now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed; but when he appears, we know that we will be like him, because we will see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the coming of the Lord, who will bring to light the things hidden in darkness, and will reveal the will of the heart, and at that time each will receive praise from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).
“It is the justice of God to repay you with sabbath rest with us in affliction when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with his mighty angels in flames” (2 Thessalonians 1:7).
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who will pierce him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn over him, so it will be, Amen” (Revelation 1:7).
The two men who accompanied the Lord when He ascended to heaven also foretold this fact.
“Men of Galilee, why are you standing and looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11)
If Jesus did not come again, the words of this parable would be nothing more than a joke. But if Jesus comes again, the words of this parable will have great meaning for those who are preparing for His return. Because through this parable, Jesus taught the people who prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus what kind of person they should be and how to prepare. We can find the lessons in the blessed appearance of the blessed servants. How does a servant become a blessed servant? How should a servant live to become a blessed servant? How can a servant act in order to receive the praise of his master?
To become a blessed servant, first, the servant must be awake. If you are asleep, you will not be able to open the door for the owner even if the owner comes. No matter how much the owner knocks on the door from the outside, he can't do anything for the owner because he can't hear it. You have to stay awake to open the door right away when the master arrives. Jesus said.
“Blessed are his servants when they find their master awake” (Luke 12:37).
“Watch therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
“Behold, I am coming like a thief, and blessed is anyone who watches and keeps his garments, and walks not naked, and shows no shame” (Revelation 16:15)
For the master who will return from the wedding house, he must be awake from his physical sleep, but for the true master, Jesus, who will return, he must be awake from his spiritual sleep. Being awake from spiritual sleep means not belonging to the sins of the dark world. Because sin is a poisonous sleeping pill that puts our souls to sleep.
“You are all sons of light and children of the day; we do not belong to the night or darkness. Therefore let us not sleep like others, but be alert and sober. Let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and putting on the helmet of hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8).
“And you know this time, that the hour has already come to awaken from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is deep and the day is near, so that we put off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, and come by day Be modest, not in licentiousness and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not succumb to the lusts of the flesh” (Romans 13:11-14).
Waking up from spiritual sleep means keeping your faith fully.
“Behold, I am coming like a thief, and blessed is anyone who watches and keeps his garments, and walks not naked, and shows no shame” (Revelation 16:15)
Being awake from spiritual sleep means praying that you will not fall into temptation.
“Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
“Always persevere in prayer, watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2)
Second, the slave must wait for the master, believing that the master is coming soon. Blessed is the servant who believes in the coming of the master and waits only for him when he comes, just as the master promised. If the servants live thinking that ‘the master will never come again, or he will come very slowly,’ they will be severely rebuked by the master who has returned.
“If the servant thinks in his heart that his master will be late, and he beats his slave and eats, drinks and gets drunk, then the master of this servant will come on a day when he does not expect it, at an hour he does not know, and strikes him severely and puts the penalty of the unfaithful. The servant who knows but does not prepare and does not do his will will be beaten much; but the servant who does what is right without knowing will be beaten little. To him who has received much, much will be given, and to him who has been entrusted with much, much will be asked.” (Luke 12:45-48 )
You have to believe that the owner is coming soon and wait for the owner to welcome you when he comes. However, if the master thinks that he will not come or that he will come sooner than later, however, the servant will be greatly disappointed.
Third, a servant becomes a blessed servant only when he is faithful to his master. Look at the loyalty of this servant who opens the door for his master returning from the wedding house. This servant was standing there with a girdles girdled around his waist and a lamp lit (Luke 12:35). This servant was waiting for his master when he returned, and then opened it with agility. (Luke 12:36) This servant did not sleep at all. I stayed awake until this coming. (Luke 12:37)
Jesus said that if the master arrives at the second watch of the night (9-12 p.m.) or the third watch (12 3 p.m.), the servants wait without sleep until then, and then the servants are blessed. The meaning of a servant is only when he is loyal to his master. Why does the master leave his servants? Why does the master need a servant? It is to make you do something faithfully for your master. If a servant is not loyal to his master, then he is a useless servant. The servant exists, but it is a mana servant, and that servant is not a servant. But if you are a loyal servant like these servants here, that servant is a necessary servant and a blessed servant.
Fourth, to be a blessed servant, one must be a wise and sincere steward.
“Who is a wise and faithful steward, saith the Lord, who will give his master over his servants, and give him food in due season? 43)
A “steward” is a person who manages the master's property or the master's servants or does the master's work on behalf of the master. These are servants, but they are also servants of their masters. “A wise and sincere steward” means a steward who properly distinguishes right from wrong and manages his master’s property or servants without deceit.