By Martin Morrison
Death has always been an enigma for us humans. On the one hand we all know that it is inevitable. On the other hand it seems to be a mistake. Shakespeare’s King Lear voiced a universal reaction to death. When his daughter who had just died lay in his arms, he cried out, “No, No, No. Why should a dog, horse, a rat have life. And thou no breath at all”.
One of the privileges of my work, is to be with people at their time of greatest need, a death in the family. You never hear the family say that it was normal. No, it always feels abnormal. It feels abnormal because it is abnormal! But not only is it abnormal, it is often unexpected. We all know people whose lives were cut short in a heartbeat. That is what Jesus warns us about in Luke 12: 35 – 40. He says in vs.40, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”.
The metaphor that Jesus uses in this passage, is that of a large household. The master of the household is away and the servants are in charge. It is night-time. In this household, instead of the lights being put out at night and everyone in bed, the master expects the lights to be kept burning and the servants are meant to be working. In fact, it seems from vs.38, that the servants are meant to be working till after midnight. Obviously there were no labour laws or CCMA! So what Jesus is saying, is that even when the master isn’t there, even at 3.00am in the morning the servants need to be dressed for work and at work!
First, let’s apply this passage to the church. Verse 40 says, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. What Jesus is describing here is what we may call the church age. The period after the ascension of Christ and before the return of Christ. What is significant about the church age, is that Christ, our Master is not with us. Jesus is absent. The master is away from the household. And so of course, the church must function in his absence. It is true, that we have the Holy Spirit, but nonetheless, the Master is not physically present. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
So Jesus has handed over the responsibility of governing his church to us. It’s up to us. We are responsible. And the Master will hold us accountable. The metaphor is meant to draw a contrast between those servants who weren’t awake or working and those who were. Think of a bunch of school kids when the teacher leaves the classroom for a few minutes. It only takes twenty seconds before the class starts to stir and soon thereafter it’s chaos. No work is being done at all.
After the Master has been absent for 2,000 years, there is a marked contrast between the living church and the dying church. The living church has the lamps burning, the members are living godly lives, teaching the Bible, sharing the Gospel, reaching the poor, loving their neighbour. How extraordinary, despite the passage of time, the light of the Gospel still burns brightly. No wonder Jesus says,
“Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds awake when he comes. He will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them”. Vs. 37.
Sadly, in the dying church the lamps have gone out, and no-one even knows what their job description is! There’s no Bible teaching, no godliness, no evangelism and no outreach. Darkness has settled on the household and under the cover of darkness all the treasures have been stolen. If they’d known when the thief was coming, they would have been prepared and awake. The lights would have been on and ADT would have been waiting in the lounge!
But no, they weren’t awake and the house has been cleaned out. TV’s, laptops, silver ornaments, all the treasures gone. What a vivid picture of the dying church. All the treasures accumulated over the centuries stolen. Strong Bible teaching, missionary organisations, evangelistic projects, buildings filled with families, all gone! Stolen! Sadly, the servants were asleep, the lamps weren’t burning and all that’s left are ecclesiastical museums. There may be form, but no substance. There may be rituals, but the life has gone and the lights have gone out. And when Christ returns, judgement.
The answer for the church is not more strategic plans or more money or more buildings. No, it needs a return to the Bible, a return to the Gospel, to evangelism, to godly living and Gospel work. Perhaps the most important thing the dying church needs to do, is “…to open the door to the Master when he comes and knocks and let him in”. Vs. 36.
For the individual, the truth is the same. Though no-one knows when Christ will return, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. These words stand for all generations. Each one of us will die. Each one of us will face God on judgement day. This fact is inescapable. It is only the timing that is somewhat uncertain.
And therefore we must be ready. How? Jesus is knocking, will you let him in?