Before we turn to today’s scripture, I want to make two notes. First, we read about slaves in Jesus’s parable. Rudy Ross is correct in today’s video when he describes those slaves more in terms of employees in today’s language.
I learned yesterday that St. Augustine refused to talk about God in the third person. He believed that such talk distanced him from God.
Instead, when talking about God, he talked directly to Him, as we read in his “Confessions.” I’m going to try that with today’s passage as an experiment.
Jesus, please help me understand where I fit in the parable you told to your followers on the Mount of Olives.
You said, “Who, then, is the faithful and wise slave whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?
“Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.
“Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions” (Matthew 24.45-47).
Lord, I want to be identified with Your wise and faithful employee. To do that, I know that waiting for Your coming is more than sitting by the window looking for You to arrive. It involves doing the things I can do to benefit other people.
Please help me be sensitive today to Your Holy Spirit, and to see areas of Your work that You want me to be involved in. I don’t want to create work to do for You. I simply want to be guided by You to do the tasks that You place in my path.
Jesus, I understand that serving You doesn’t qualify me for an all-expense paid vacation. Instead, as I serve You, You have more responsibility for me. Help me to be willing to receive that and be engaged in it today.
As I live like this, I realize I won’t have to worry about when You will be coming, because I will always be ready for Your arrival.
Lord, I wish that was all you had to say to me, but I know there’s another side. I need to examine myself and see how I am like the bad guy in the parable.
“But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards,
“The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know.
“He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24.49-51).
Jesus, I don’t ever plan to beat my fellow servants or join the drunkards. However, I am tempted to slack, to be lazy, and to think I’ve done my part.
Help me to not go in that direction. Help me to not think that because I’m retired, my time is up. Please help me to keep my eyes open and be willing to serve where You point me.
It’s interesting that in the first part of Your parable, I don’t have to worry about when You’re coming.
But in the second part of Your parable, I need to think about Your coming because I am trying to plan how to not be obedient and still be okay when You arrive.
In the judgment part of Your parable that you talk about hypocrites. I know that hypocrites are play actors, those who claim to be something that they’re not.
I pray that You help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit and not pretend to be something that I’m not, so that I have no worry about Your coming or about Your judgment.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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