Have you ever read a familiar
passage of Scripture that previously had a negative
nuance that suddenly enlightened you to the
depths of God’s love? That’s what
happened to me recently when I was reading Luke
12:35-37,
“Be dressed ready
for service and keep your lamps burning, like
men waiting for their master to return from
a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and
knocks they can immediately open the door
for him. It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them watching when he comes.
I tell you the truth, he will dress himself
to serve, will have them recline at the table
and will come and wait on them.”
Every other time I read that
passage, my mind was focused on the servant—me.
My self-centeredness kept me from being blown
away by what the passage was really centered
on—the Master—God. It is so humbling
and amazing that God knows what would force
me to grasp that indeed He does love me more
than I could ever ask or think. When He comes,
He is going to come to me—his faithful
servant—and invite me to a banquet where
He serves me. He will have me recline at the
table, and He will wait on me. How could that
be? Why would He do that? What causes Him to
think about giving more than He has already
given to me?
God is not warning me to be watchful like “wait
until your father comes home”
— the way I had previously interpreted this passage. God is telling me “wait
for me like you used to wait for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve”. The party
is going to really get started when Jesus comes back. What kind of party will
it be? Will it be one where I am wearing myself out working so hard to create
a hospitable atmosphere for Jesus? No, what I am waiting on is the gift of reclining
at Jesus’ table and being served by Him.
He knows that I am working hard down here. He
knows that earthly living with sin and all has
forced me to rely totally on faith. He knows
that serving Him is sad and laced with joy and
suffering. There is a time for that, but it
is a limited time. The hospitality of heaven
is an eternal banquet. I’m sure I will
get to serve Him as He serves me, but it will
be different from the hard kind of serving I
am doing now.
This reality causes me to think differently
about what will make it good for the servant
who is watchful. While Jesus is gone, He asks
me to wait and serve. He has given me special
opportunities that He designed just for me.
He tells me that the servants who do these little
jobs for Him will feel good. Jesus does not
show favoritism. He isn’t going to say, “Debi
did more for me that Jane, so I’m going
to offer her better hospitality in Heaven”.
It’s not like that at all. I think the
phrase “it will be better for that servant”
means that I will enjoy Jesus’ extravagant
hospitality more because I was faithful to do
the few things He asked of me while I lived
on earth. You know how it is if a Hostess invites
you to a gathering where she is doing most of
the work. Perhaps she asks you to bring rolls.
You show up at her house and confess you forgot
the rolls. She is so gracious with you and pulls
some rolls out of her freezer to serve. You
enjoy her hospitality and all of her work, but
you don’t feel as good as if you had done
the small thing she asked of you.
Imagine that Jesus is waiting with His towel
ready to welcome you to heaven, wash your feet
and serve you. You will enjoy it more as you
served Him here on earth.
