Verses: Luke 12:41:48
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Devotion:
Ok… let’s be honest. This isn’t your typical “feel good” parable. Reading it doesn’t instantly make you feel good and honestly it made me pause for a minute. Cut him in pieces…? Whatcha mean, God?
So… I did some deep diving. These verses are actually a statement Jesus is making to those of us in leadership positions. When we step into leadership, we are representing the name of Christ. He has entrusted us to bring His name to the world, just as the parable gives the example of the master giving his servant responsibilities.
The parable provides us a tangible example to understand God’s gift to us, but also our responsibility. In the parable, the master selects a manager to oversee his servants. He trusts him to oversee his household, his possessions, his food, to provide for his servants. There are four players in this parable. The master, the manager, and the two types of servants (servants who knew the masters will, and those that did not). The punishments the master provided are the harshest for those whom he trusted most, first the manager, then the servants who knew his will, and then the servants who did not know his will.
You see friend, in this parable, the players represent us. The master is the Lord. The manager are those who claim the name of Christ and are in a leadership position. The servants who know better are Christians, and those who do not know any better are the lost.
God has given us the biggest, most amazing, purest act of love in human history. He has given us life, love, freedom, identity. He has also given us the great commission to represent His name well and to share it with the world. You see, friend, this parable is sharing with us that the more our sweet Jesus has given us (closeness to Him, leadership, responsibilities, influence, etc.), the more He expects from us.
Prayer:
Lord, help us to sit with this truth. Help us to meditate on this teaching. Show us with clear eyes all that You have graciously given us. Let us represent Your name as an overflow of love from you. Show us how to honor You with the gifts you have given us. Use us as vessels to make your name known. God, show me how to use the influence you’ve given me to bring others closer to you. Amen
Author: Becca Artymenko
Recent Comments