39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Luke 12:32-40 contain sayings and a parable around the theme of possessions and eschatology.
Jesus offers a brief exhortation that is a precise summary of the essential points for this passage and links it to the broader pericope (i.e., Luke 12:13-48). 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock. Do we find here a view the early church had of itself? Does it simply reflect the concerns of the first century church? Many church historians would agree that something has gone very wrong in the church when the “little flock” of this verse became the imperial church of Constantine. Many minority churches have lost much when they became the majority in a culture. At the same time, increased numbers do not have to mean loss of truth.[1] Many movies in contemporary culture have shown how the church, especially in 1000-1600 in Europe, became a distant echo of the vision of Jesus. In the many years of history since this saying, the church has been far from a little flock. At times, it has ruled continents and commanded armies. However, no matter how numerous, the church remains a little flock. It does not have the military, political, or economic power that other institutions have in this world. Rather, whatever power it has rests upon its continuing friendship with Jesus and its anticipation of a future participation in the kingdom. Out of this intimate relationship with Jesus, they have no need to have anxiety. For it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. This verse acts as a summary of Luke’s theological stance on possessions: As recipients of God’s kingdom, Jesus’ disciples need not worry about their food, clothing, or shelter. One commonly finds this same theme throughout Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (cf. Luke 14:33; 16:19-31; 18:18-30; 19:1-10). That Luke’s possession motif is a key concern of this passage is easy to confirm. For example, we find the theme in the parable of the rich fool (i.e., Luke 12:13-21) and extends until Jesus answered Peter’s question: “Lord, are you telling this parable [i.e., the parable about watchful slaves in vv. 35-40] for us or for everyone?” (Luke 12:41-48). In addition, the admonition “Do not be afraid” corresponds with Jesus’ earlier instruction to his disciples: “[D]o not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear” (Luke 12:22). To press this point, Jesus drew upon two illustrations from nature when he said, “Consider the ravens . . . [and] . . . the lilies” (Luke 12:24, 27). He also warned his disciples about greed and advised them: “[D]o not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying [mh metewrizesqe]” (Luke 12:15, 29). Moreover, as he had already made clear, his disciples were to “strive for his kingdom” (Luke 12:31).
Luke 12:33-34 contain sayings concerning treasure in heaven. The source is Q. They have the character of general folk sayings. Such sayings may reflect common wisdom of first century Judaism, connecting Jesus to his Jewish context. The text presents a radical view of material possessions, selling, and giving to the poor. The saying does not have an eschatological nuance. Thus, Jesus is offering the advice regarding possessions to adopt the perspective of eternity. In fact, the saying summarizes the theological stance that Luke has put together here concerning possessions. As recipients of God’s kingdom, Jesus’ disciples need not worry about their food, clothing or shelter. The emphasis on possessions continues unabated, for rather than worrying about and striving after earthly things, Luke reports that Jesus directed his disciples as follows. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. People find it far too easy to strive for creature comforts and forget a simple bit of wisdom, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” in 12:15. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The rich man also personifies “those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).
Let us pause for a moment to reflect a bit upon the importance of wisdom. We often express wisdom in short and simply sayings. Jesus said that our speech should be simple, plain, and honest speech. In Matthew 5:37, we read, “Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” Wisdom sets aside jargon and abstract speculation, whose purpose is to obscure and impress rather than to illuminate and inform. Plain speech is so difficult because we are afraid of what other people will think. We will need to listen to the divine center of our lives in order to have simplicity of speech.[2] In American legend, “Silent Cal” was a master of simplicity. He had some memorable sayings that seem to have some wisdom behind them.
• No one ever listened himself out of a job.
• I’ve never been hurt by something I didn’t say.
• The business of America is business.
• If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.
• If you see 10 troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.
Is there wisdom in simplicity? Is there depth of thought in simplicity of words? We often associate simplicity with lack of depth or shortage of intelligence. We ascribe intelligence to people who communicate using big words or hard-to-grasp concepts. We assume someone speaking in a dense, academic style must be smart. Of course, the issues we face in life are complex and full of intricacy. Yet, part of our task in life is to bring clarity. Simplicity is a skill we need to learn to guide our way through the complexities of life. Simplicity is also a skill a person needs to communicate to others. Simplicity is not easy, for it refuses to take shortcuts and it does not deny the complex reality of a human life. The wisdom we find in simplicity and clarity is a hard-fought battle in which we face thoughtfully and prayerfully the complexities of life.[3] George Plasterer is working on this virtue of keeping his writing simple.
Our relationship with our possessions is important. Acquiring them, holding them, and sharing them, is a complex matter. Precisely because of that, we need the wisdom of Jesus to help us chart the course through this complexity.
There is a story of a conversation between a young and ambitious lad and an older man who knew life.
Said the young man, "I will learn my trade."
"And then?" asked the older man.
"I will set up in business."
"And then?"
"I will make my fortune."
"And then?"
"I suppose that I shall grow old and retire and live on my money."
"And then?"
"Well, I suppose that some day I will die."
"And then?" came the last stalking question.[4]
I conclude with a brief legend.
A Cherokee Indiana legend tells how a certain rock formation in Tennessee came into being. Once upon a time, a hunter was greedy and selfish. Whenever it was his turn to hunt for his village, he kept all the food for himself. Although it was customary for a hunter to share the best portions of his kill with the village widows and orphans, these unfortunate people went hungry when it was the greedy hunter's turn to provide food for them. As the years went by, the hunter's greed extended not only to food items but to all sorts of other possessions as well. He tried to protect his possessions and keep them to himself by enlarging his house and thinking of elaborate ways to keep others from getting too close to his story of treasured goods. Finally, the hunter's greed exceeded his ability to story all his food and other possessions. According to the legend, a day came when the hunter discovered that he was completely isolated from the village. Worse than that, his possessions had taken over his house. The hunter found out that his actions had trapped him inside his own house, with no way to get out. Viewing his predicament, the guardian spirits of the village turned the hunter and his house full of treasures into stone as a lesson to the people that one can still see today.
Luke 12: 35-38, unique to Luke, are a parable concerning the returning master. It suggests the absence of the master and the need for continued vigilance of servants. The theme is that of watchfulness and alertness. Jesus offers the advice that his followers be dressed and ready for action. In context, instead of expending their time, energy and resources to amass wealth like the rich man, Jesus exhorted his disciples with another parable. 35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Jewish tradition used the figure of a banquet to depict the eschatological future of fellowship in the kingdom of God. The parables of Jesus use the figure of a banquet, especially that of a marriage feast, to depict future human fellowship in the kingdom of God.[5] Such an admonition is like the parable of the ten maidens in Matthew. Although he changed metaphors, Jesus’ message remained constant: Whoever would be one of his disciples was not to imitate the rich man who built expansive barns for himself but was to be alert, watching for the master’s return and “dressed for action” by selling his possessions and giving alms to the poor. 37 Blessed are those slaves who are rich toward God and who strive for the kingdom, whom the master finds alert when he comes. Herein lays the paradox: On one hand, the rich man who focused on acquiring wealth in this life never got to enjoy his anticipated feast; on the other hand, Jesus’ disciples who had given everything away would not go hungry but instead would be invited to a glorious banquet. Incredibly, Jesus says, truly I tell you, he the master himself will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. The reversal of roles here is a nice touch, suggesting the Messianic banquet. In that kingdom, the disciples will sit and feast while the master serves them — an image that the disciples surely had to find hard to believe. However, as incredible as it must have seemed to them, Jesus initiated the fulfillment of this promise when he celebrated the Passover with his disciples. The master’s servants, however, were not to become complacent. They were always to be mindful that their master could come at any hour. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. The slaves are to be vigilant because the master may return at any moment.
Verses 39-40 are sayings from the material common to Matthew and Luke concerning the homeowner and burglar. The passage stresses watchfulness. Up to this point, the parables and images in Luke cohere well, but an unusual metaphor change interrupts the flow of the narrative in verse 39. 39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. Rather than the owner assigning slaves to guard their master’s house, which one might expect, the owner of the house must remain on duty. If he fails to stay awake and watch, a thief will come and break into his house. Without warning, the discourse shifts away from the master-slave relationship to one that describes the conflicting aims of a homeowner and thief: While the homeowner seeks to protect his property, the thief wants to steal the homeowner’s property. Yet, the basic tenet remains constant: Jesus’ disciples are to remain alert: 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
The image of the alert homeowner is one we also find elsewhere in the New Testament.
I Thessalonians 5:2, 4
2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;
II Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Revelation 3:3
Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
Revelation 16:15
("See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.")
Yes, if you get into the study of what the Bible says about “the end,” it can become complicated. I have made the passage far more complicated than it needed to be. Yet, we find in this passage some simple advice. Do not be afraid. Adopt the perspective of eternity. Be dressed for action.
I sometimes marvel at the work of those medieval stonemasons, the ones who labored on the great cathedrals of Europe. They would spend their entire lives, some of them, carving some small section of the edifice. It may have been the face of a gargoyle up in the rafters. Or the ornate corner of a vaulted ceiling - an intricately crafted piece hidden from the view of all but the most observant spectator. They would work for years and years. Of course, they would never see the cathedral finished. A job like that took centuries to complete. What must it have felt like? I suspect they had a sense of pride in their work rarely matched by others. They knew that what they did was part of a larger whole. They had bound their lives up with something big and glorious, the results of which they might never experience in their lifetime. It did not matter that no one saw their work, or no one remembered their name. Because God saw, and God remembered. Every little shape and corner were important. Now would that not be something? To think that even the trivial things mattered. Even if no one ever noticed? Even if you yourself never lived to see the results. How many times have you asked yourself if what you did really made any difference?
[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.1 [62.2] 710.
[2] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, (New York: Harper & Row, 1978), 81.
[3] Inspired by John C. Maxwell, “Connectors keep it simple,”
[4] by William Barclay from The Gospel of Luke The Westminster Press, 1975.
[5] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 285.
[6] Inspired by Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero.
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