41. Then Peter said unto HIM, “Lord, speakest thou this 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. Blessed is 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.
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 eat and drink and to be drunken;
46. The lord of that servant will 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 beaten with 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.
Introduction
Sportscasters Tom Hammond and Joe Dean were interviewing former Kentucky Governor A. B. “Happy” Chandler during a break in the action of the 1982 Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament.
Hammond referred to Chandler’s tenure as baseball commissioner, and remarked: “Governor, while you were the baseball commissioner, you were involved in a landmark decision. Would you like to comment on that?”
“Yes,” said Chandler, “I’d be glad to. When the owners met, they had voted 15 to 1 not to let Jackie Robinson or any other black play baseball in the heretofore white Major League Baseball. I had seen the young man play and I knew he was talented. I knew also that Branch Rickey would have to have my support if he was to bring Robinson in and make him a member of his team. Well, Rickey came to visit me and asked what I thought I would do. I told him that I had thought about it and that I knew that one day I would have to answer to my Maker for what I did. I felt that the good Lord would not take kindly to me if my only reason for keeping Robinson out was that he was black. So I voted with Mr. Rickey, and we brought Robinson in.
(Proclaim: The Pastor’s Journal for Biblical Preaching. The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Nashville, TN. JFM, 1987.
Jesus is coming again! And when HE does come, HE will reward HIS servants for the manner in which they have performed the responsibilities that were assigned to them. Jesus does assign responsibilities to each of you who are HIS. Those responsibilities are not given arbitrarily. The responsibilities the Lord gives are based on the resources and circumstances which HE provides for the individual or the church.
1. The Will of the Lord Known. V. 47.
Explanation
The Lord assigns responsibilities to some servants, using a means of communication that the servant understands. In verse 47 of Luke 12, see these words: that servant which knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to HIS will...” When the will of the Lord is known by the servant, that servant has responsibility for doing the will of the Lord. And the Lord does make HIS will known to HIS servants. In John 15:15, Jesus speaking to HIS disciples said, “Henceforth I call you not servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of MY Father I have made known to you.” And last week in the Bible study passage we considered in Sunday School, in Amos 3:7, Amos preached, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but HE revealeth HIS secret unto HIS servants the prophets.” Then there is that occasion in Genesis 18:17, when God chose not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah without first telling HIS friend Abraham.
Not everyone who is a child of God knows the will of God in all matters. Some do not know because they do not want to know. And there are some matters in which the Lord reveals HIS will to those for whom it is important to know, and others have no knowledge of the will of God because they are not assigned the responsibility. God does make HIS will for each servant’s life known to that servant as they seek to know God’s will for their own life. Sometimes they must ask, and persistently seek to know. The servant may not have listened in their past, and may take some training to learn to interpret what God is saying. Yet, God desires to make HIS will known to HIS servant for the life of that servant.
And the will of the Lord is revealed in segments, on some occasions. God does not tell the servant HIS will for that servant’s entire life all at once. God’s will is sometimes revealed incrementally. The will of God for the life of the servant can be known by that servant, but God knows that the servant will be blessed by the continuation of the relationship that continues as the servant keeps coming back to God to know the will of God.
Illustration
A grandfather was constantly being asked questions by his inquisitive four-year-old grandson. In between the countless questions the grandfather asked, “Do you have to ask so many questions?”
The grandson replied, “Well, Grandpa, I just don’t know as much as I want to know.”
The shocked older man said, “Then just keep asking, boy, keep asking.”
God wants HIS children to keep asking and seeking to know HIS will.
(Proclaim: The Pastor’s Journal for Biblical Preaching. The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. JFM, 1989. P. 35.)
Application
God wants you to know HIS will for your life. And HE will reveal that will to you as you faithfully perform the assignments HE has given already. Children, do you want to know what God wants you to be when you grow up? Then it is important for you to do what God gives you to do now. Obey your parents. Worship Jesus as fully as you are capable. Sing the hymns as beautifully as you can. Learn as much about your Bible as you can. Attend Sunday School. Participate in the children’s bible skills training. Ready Bible story books. Pray frequently. God will reveal to you more of HIS will as you do what HE has given you to do now. Do you think it is possible that there are some people who are grown and do not know what God wants them to do because they did not do what God wanted them to do when they were children? If you want to know what God wants you to do later, do what God gives you to do now.
You know there are some things that you are to do, if you are a servant of the living Lord Jesus. You may want the Lord to give you something else to do. HE will, when you are doing what HE has given you to do now. It is doubtful that HE will give you something more to do when you are not doing what HE has given you to do now. Do as much of the will of the Lord as you know to do. Do not become distracted by others who are not doing what they should, or who are doing what they should not be doing. The ONE whose servants they are will deal with them. You do what the Lord has given you to do.
2. The Requirement of the Lord for Those Who Know HIS Will. V. 48
Explanation
God’s will is communicated individually to HIS servants. The will of God is “love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And love your neighbor as you love yourself”, according to Matthew 22:37. This is God’s will for everyone. HE communicates that, and gives means of living that out, individually. No one is going to receive direction from the Lord that will be contradictory to the will of God revealed in HIS written word. Those who know God’s will for their lives. And observe that in verses 43, 45, and 46, reference is made to the coming of the Lord, and the Lord examining the work that had been done in compliance with HIS will. Every one who knows Jesus has requirements for carrying out HIS will for their life.
Some of HIS servants have opportunity to live out that life of love in ways that are greater than the way which others have. The Lord orchestrates the life of those are HIS servants so that HE determines how much HE requires of them. Examine verse 42. The servant of the Lord is given the task of giving “meat” to other of HIS servants.
Also, don’t miss, in verses 47 and 48, that the one beaten with many stripes did not do the things that he knew to do. And the one beaten with few stripes did some things that he did not know not to do. It is worse to know God’s will and not do it than it is to do something wrong, not knowing it is wrong.
Illustration
Leonard Dubrofsky was cruising down a street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when he heard the siren and saw the flashing blue lights that alerted him that he had broken the law. Dubrofsky, however, decided to make a chase of it; and he sped on for another seven blocks before he finally stopped and waited for the officer to inform him of the violation.
At this point in the story there is nothing that unusual going on. Traffic violations happen all across the country, every single day of the week. What makes this account a bit different was that Dubrofsky was not driving a car. He was jogging.
The violation was not for speeding; it was for running a traffic light. The reason Leonard did not stop as soon as he was aware the police offer was after him was because he had another half-mile to go on his training run for an upcoming marathon. At any rate, the arresting officer cited him for ignoring a traffic signal and wrote him a ticket for $17. Dubrofsky was upset and decided he would contest the ticket in court. When he appeared in court, his luck changed.
The judge, Steven Shutter, is also a competitive runner. He asked Dubrofsky what his best time in the mile was, promising that if the defendant ran the mile more slowly than the judge, the fine would be reduced by $7. Leonard estimated that his best time was 6:30. Judge Shutter ran the mile in 6 minutes flat. Dubrofsky let the courtroom that day happy. It is still unclear whether jogging or justice was served, but the fine was reduced.
When we come before the Lord Jesus though, the judgment will be based on the obedience to HIS will for our lives.
(Proclaim: The Journal for Biblical Preaching. Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Nashville, TN. Spring, 2002. p. 36.)
Application
The LORD’s requirement to love neighbor does not seem so difficult to some of you. Others have someone in your life who is extremely difficult to love. That person who is difficult to love in your life, God has assigned you greater responsibility. Perhaps the person has mistreated you in the past. Perhaps they have been dishonest with you. The will of God is that you love them. The will of God is that the difficult person receive from you that good thing which will cause them to grow strong spiritually. The Lord’s requirement is that you make the difficult person in your life more conscious of the presence and goodness of God. And, of you then, more is expected than is expected of those who have ideal families, wonderful friends, and really kind people with whom they go to school or work. HE has given you more opportunity to show HIS love. Of you HE requires more.
Some have musical ability. Others are musically challenged. Those who have musical ability are given by the Lord the requirement of developing that ability continually and using it so that others are brought into touch with God. It may stroke your ego when other people applaud. You know, though, that finally you will stand before the Lord and you want HIM to say, “People came to know me better because you played (or sang).” I gave you more ability in music, and you fed others using that which I had given you. Those of you who are musically challenged, use what you have been given at every opportunity the Lord gives.
Those of you who know it is the will of God for you to make a personal and public commitment of your life to Jesus, so that you are prepared for the return of the LORD, and yet you have not made that commitment, that exposes you to the “many stripes” from the Lord. Since you know the Lord wants you to make an announcement that you have accepted forgiveness of sins and life eternal through Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, you can do that today.
Conclusion
2 Corinthians 5:10 reads, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Verse 43 says that “Blessed” or “happy” is the servant who is doing the will of the Lord when the Lord returns. You will have greater joy now as you do those things that are the will of the Lord for your life.
When the Lord returns, the more opportunity you have been given to do HIS will, the more closely the Lord will examine you. Since none of us knows when Jesus is going to return, respond in every interaction with others in the manner that you know to be the will of God.
