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Jun 09, 2026 06:00am

Walking Through Luke: Be Ready

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When something important is left to us, we want to take good care of it. If someone lends us their car, lawnmower, or a copy of their favorite book, we ensure that we return it to them in the same condition we received it, if not better. When someone asks us to dog-sit while they’re on vacation, we make sure the dog is well attended.

Years ago, my family had a former neighbor who kept a chicken coop in his backyard. While we had moved a few blocks down the road from him, we were still within walking distance of his house (everything in the small town I grew up in was within walking distance). One week, he asked us to take care of his dogs and chickens while his family was on vacation.

On a particular evening that week, we were walking to his house to corral the chickens into the coop. A heavy cloud cover had moved in, and it was very windy. It became obvious during the walk that a storm was about to arrive. My dad made it clear: we needed to get the chickens inside quickly and then hurry home. Unfortunately, the chickens also sensed the impending bad weather and were quite agitated because of it.

Our friend’s backyard was fenced in, and within that fence he had a smaller fenced-in coop for the chickens, and a shed connected to that. My dad thought that getting them all into the shed would be the safest place for them in the storm. The chickens did not like that idea. It took several minutes of work for my brothers and me (who were somewhat skittish around animals as it was) to convince the ornery birds to get inside. We finally shut the door.

And realized one chicken was left outside.

We couldn’t reopen the door to the shed. If we did, the other chickens would surely escape and our work would start over again. And so, my dad decided that it was acceptable for the single remaining chicken to stay in the inner fence. The problem was, we could not convince it to go inside. What followed was so comical that the image of it has remained seared in my head since. My dad grabbed a snow shovel, scooped up the chicken, and hurled it into the air. The first throw did not give the chicken the altitude necessary to clear the inner fence. So he repeated his effort. Three or four times, he scooped up the chicken in a shovel and hurled it into the air, until at last it landed inside the pen.

All the while, the storm continued to move in. Thankfully, we finished just in time and were able to hurry home before it started raining. But that night was a uniquely hysterical event that lives in the memory of my family. All because we had agreed to be stewards of a neighbor’s chickens for a week.

In Luke 12:22–34, Jesus warned His disciples that their hearts would be wherever they chose to store treasure: in God’s kingdom or on Earth. As He often did, He then launched into a parable to explain some aspect of God’s kingdom. In the case of Luke 12:35–48, He wanted them to be active and watchful stewards while they waited for His return, rather than focused on getting possessions for themselves.

He told the story of a landowner who left his home in the care of his servants. He was at a wedding feast, and the stewards caring for his property were to be ready for his return. A good servant would remain attentive, with their lamp lit and their garments tied for service, even into the late hours of the night—the second and third watches stretched from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Imagine the master returning from his trip, knocking on the door, and finding that all of his servants were asleep. He’d be locked out of his own house in the middle of the night! Not only that, but if they were asleep, they could not be on guard against a thief who might know the master was gone and look for an opportunity to break in.

Just like the master or the thief, Jesus will come at a time when no one would expect it. Even before He left, He warned His disciples in advance about this. Peter was curious if the parable was meant only to alert the disciples, or if everyone had to be alert and active in their service. Though Jesus did not give a direct answer, His next statement was clear enough: anyone who wants to be considered a wise servant needs to remain alert. Our responsibility as Christians is to continue the work that was set out for us, not to become idle or inactive, as if we have all the time in the world.

On the other hand, a poor servant would take advantage of the master’s absence. They would grow greedy and abusive, consuming what belonged to the master and mistreating his servants. Imagine if my family had decided, while our friend was out of town, to kill one of his chickens and eat it! That would have been disrespectful to the friendship we’d established. It would have also been theft. And that is what the poor servant was doing: dishonoring his lord and stealing his property for personal use.

The most frightening part is that this servant knew the will of the master. He was not someone from outside. To us, he would be someone within the church. Someone who understands God’s will, knows Jesus was returning, and plays the part of a faithful believer. In spite of this, he lived a life of sinfulness and excess, and when it came down to it, he received the same penalty as the unbelievers.

We might wonder if this means someone can lose their salvation. That runs contrary to Jesus’ assurances that no man can pluck one of God’s children from His hands, though. A better understanding would indicate that Jesus was warning those who have Bible knowledge, understand the ins and outs of Christianity and church culture, but never make a true commitment to the Gospel. They use and abuse the body of Christ as a tool for their own benefit and pleasure. The Bible becomes a weapon for them, a status symbol, something to wield rather than to follow. In that regard, even though they seem to be a believer, their faith is never truly in Jesus. That’s the kind of person that is likely being referenced here. And their punishment is severe: cut in pieces and “put with the unfaithful.”

This is followed by the treatment of the servant who did know the master’s will but, while they did not misuse the master’s property, also did nothing to prepare for his return: they would receive a severe beating. This is another one that’s hard to interpret. Does the severe beating imply that true believers who become lax in their obedience will receive some sort of punishment in heaven? I can’t say for sure. It clearly indicates some form of punishment, but I can’t say what it was. This is all metaphorical, since it’s in a parable, but it holds a deep meaning for the kingdom.

Finally, there is the one who did not know the master’s will. This would represent an objectively lost person, one who never met Jesus or experienced salvation. Interestingly, their punishment is less severe than the one who claimed to be a servant but acted unfaithfully. This lines up with what Jesus said about Tyre and Sidon a chapter or two back: those who never knew the truth would not be punished as severely as those who knew the truth and rejected it.

What does all this mean for us? Rather than dissecting the meanings of the punishments and how they apply to believers, we should focus most on His command: stay dressed for action and keep our lamp burning. We should be ready for His return. That doesn’t mean we constantly study the stars, monitor world events, and try to predict the exact day He’s coming back. Plenty of so-called visionaries have tried to do that and made fools of themselves. What it means is that we work while we wait. We stay active for Jesus, living the life He wants us to live, so that when He does return, He finds us being faithful stewards.