Are We Watching and Serving?
by H. H. Snell
Luke 12LUK 12
In meditating on our Lord's discourses in the gospels, we should remember that He said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished." Luke 12:50. That is, He could not then bring out the full truth, because His death and resurrection had not been accomplished. He was straitened. This is why the coming of the Lord as our hope could not be so distinctly set forth as it was afterward in the epistles. There we find the distinction made between the coming of our Lord for us, and the revelation or appearing of our Lord when we come out of heaven and reign with Him. This could not be made known till the nation of Israel under the law had rejected their Messiah, and came under God's judicial dealings.
Now that we have the instruction of the epistles, we can go back and trace, in the parable of the virgins and in the beginning of our Lord's farewell discourse, an allusion to His coming for us, when only those who are truly His will be caught up.
In Luke 12 after the Lord had spoken much about His coming, Peter said: "Lord, speakest Thou this parable unto us, or even to all?" And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household?" (vv. 41, 42). Knowing full well that He would be rejected, His coming for us was anticipated by Him. This shows also that the great thing our Lord looks for now is caring for His household during His absence.
This question of Peter's also reminds us of our Lord so kindly allowing Himself to be interrupted by questions to which He graciously replied, and then resumed His discourse. In the end of John 13 and 14 our Lord was interrupted by Peter, Thomas, Philip and Jude asking questions, each of which He at once answered. We see the same in our chapter. The Lord began by addressing His "disciples" in the presence of a multitude of people; then, in verse 13, "one of the company" asked Him to speak to his brother about dividing the inheritance with him. The Lord's reply to this extended to the end of verse 21, when He again addressed His "disciples." It is sweet to trace these gracious ways of our adorable Lord!