Kingdom Readiness
A potpourri of a passage.
Today’s is a bit of a longer passage for us. Perhaps you can take some time with it, being Saturday. It’s the kind of potpourri-like passage that is generally understudied. We could take a month with it.
Jesus begins where we left off yesterday - admonishing us regarding placing our trust, hope, and effort into the things of the Kingdom rather than things temporal. To have wallets fashioned that cannot be destroyed or taken by moths or robbers.
Then he launches into a lengthier section about being ready. He doesn’t exactly name what to be ready for, though we - as most have - might discern that it’s about his coming back. But if we remember the previous instructions about resting our lives in the Kingdom, and couple it with this talk of readiness, it paints a strong and inviting picture.
Readiness, then, is not anxiety. It is not a frantic kind of watching or guessing. It is a life oriented in the right direction - a life that is already shaped by what is coming, even if we cannot see it fully yet. From the outside, it may look ignorant or aloof.
Jesus speaks of servants waiting for their master, lamps lit, dressed and prepared. And then he says something surprising. When the master arrives, he will have them sit down and he will serve them. (Which is much better than being cut up in pieces or beaten.) It’s a reversal that echoes so much of what we’ve already seen. The one with authority becomes the one who serves. The Kingdom does not operate the way we expect it to.
But then the tone shifts. There is responsibility here, too. To whom much is given, much will be required. This is not just about waiting well, but about living faithfully in what has been entrusted to us. Time, resources, and relationships are not things to hold onto tightly, but to steward with intention.
And then, quite jarring, Jesus speaks of division. Not peace, but division. It is a hard word, especially from the one we so often associate with peace. But it reminds us that alignment with him is not neutral. It presses into the deepest parts of our lives, even the relationships closest to us.
All of this circles back to what it means to be ready. I just cannot figure out why so many Christians still expend so much effort guessing timelines and predicting outcomes. Jesus is clear that these things are not for us. Rather, living in such a way that our trust is in the right place, our lives are open-handed, and our hearts are attentive - this is the way.
Because if the Kingdom is truly where our treasure is, then readiness is not something we add on later. It is the shape of a life already being lived.
Luke 12:32-59
“Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to those in need. Make for yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a treasure in heaven that never runs out. No thief comes near there, and no moth destroys. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.
“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps lit. Be like people waiting for their master to come home from a wedding celebration, who can immediately open the door for him when he arrives and knocks on the door. Happy are those servants whom the master finds waiting up when he arrives. I assure you that, when he arrives, he will dress himself to serve, seat them at the table as honored guests, and wait on them. Happy are those whom he finds alert, even if he comes at midnight or just before dawn. But know this, if the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have allowed his home to be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Human One is coming at a time when you don’t expect him.”
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”
The Lord replied, “Who are the faithful and wise managers whom the master will put in charge of his household servants, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy are the servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. I assure you that the master will put them in charge of all his possessions.
“But suppose that these servants should say to themselves, My master is taking his time about coming. And suppose they began to beat the servants, both men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk. The master of those servants would come on a day when they weren’t expecting him, at a time they couldn’t predict. The master will cut them into pieces and assign them a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but didn’t prepare for it or act on it will be beaten severely. The one who didn’t know the master’s will but who did things deserving punishment will be beaten only a little. Much will be demanded from everyone who has been given much, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.
“I came to cast fire upon the earth. How I wish that it was already ablaze! I have a baptism I must experience. How I am distressed until it’s completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division. From now on, a household of five will be divided—three against two and two against three. Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud forming in the west, you immediately say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And indeed it does. And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘A heat wave is coming.’ And it does. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret conditions on earth and in the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret the present time? And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going to court with your accuser, make your best effort to reach a settlement along the way. Otherwise, your accuser may bring you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you won’t get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.”
Prayer
God,
Make my heart yours, which is to make it ready to trust and trusting that I’m ready. I generally do okay with avoiding anxiety though. It’s the opposite I’m better at (laziness and apathy).
Either way, I want to live as Christ, ready and expectant to do your will each day, in any situation, big or small. As I encounter people, creation, or even the private recesses of my own heart, lead me in compassion and grace. Make me into a lover of all people and all things, within the bounds of your living Kingdom.
Holy Father of all creation, I see your loving justice in Jesus of Nazareth. Make me more like him.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.