Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 47
12:32-53
Luke–ACTS
35
“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness
to give you the Kingdom.
“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure
for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes.
Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you
were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you
will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and
knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and
serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night
or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants
who are ready.
“Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was
coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must
be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the
master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has
done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will
put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant thinks,
‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced
and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with
the unfaithful.
“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared
and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But
someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be
punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will
be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much,
even more will be required.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!
I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy
burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace
to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From
now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—
or two in favor and three against.
‘Father will be divided against son
and son against father;
