What strange and difficult-to-unpick things Jesus has been saying prior to this passage. About the end of days, the close of the age, the second coming of the Son of Man and the signs that will accompany this. Perhaps he saw in his hearers, and sees in us, the desire to stare into the future, trying to win some special understanding of these things, because here, at the beginning of today’s reading, he adds a caveat, as if to prevent eschatological gazing into the distance: no one knows the day or the hour, he says, not even him.
For those who are determined, there is still the possibility of trying to draw out details of what that end of days will look like from this passage. Two are side-by-side, and one is taken. Taken where? Taken how? We could ask many questions to which there are few clear answers, but thankfully, the details of the close of the age don’t seem to be Jesus’ point.
His point seems to be preparation.
He tells us of the people around Noah and the two pairs of workers. All of them doing everyday life without a thought for what is coming. And so the time comes upon them unexpectedly. They’ve made, it seems, no preparation. Don’t be unprepared, stay awake, Jesus says.
Then we have the thief in the night. Again, the householder isn’t prepared. Had he known the hour, he would have been prepared, but you, Jesus says, should be prepared even though you don’t know the hour.
Next we meet the two servants, both of whom know the master is returning but not the hour. One faithfully undertakes the tasks left for him. The other, telling himself the master might not return, at least not soon, spends his time differently; fitting in the things he knows the master has not asked of him. Neither are looking to the master’s return, so when he comes he catches them in the act – one acting faithfully and righteously, the other selfishly and unrighteously. They’ve not explicitly prepared, but their actions while he is away have formed their preparation for his return. They have, if you will, prepared by doing.
In the two servants I think that we see examples of how often what we do flows from how we perceive ourselves. In particular here: what is their attitude to being servants of the master? The good servant appears content with his position, he acknowledges his master’s lordship and serves him accordingly. The wicked servant does not. He feasts and beats his fellow servants – that is, he makes others serve him and takes the authority for choosing and issuing punishment. In essence he begins to act as though he were the master.
One says his lord is lord, and the other says ‘I am lord’.
What they do in their ‘preparation by doing’, whether righteousness or wickedness, very clearly flows from their attitude to being servants – who they see themselves as, and who they see the master as. There is, of course, a feedback loop between identity and action. For those who act like they are a lord will, sooner or later, come to think of themselves as such.
The parallels to our attitudes to God and ourselves, and our actions, are reasonably clear.
And there are, I think, three basic attitudes:
Firstly to refuse to see God as master, and instead to proclaim ourselves lord of our lives. We see an echo of this in the worst of the attitudes of our age – ‘if the master is not going to return [or, as many might say, ‘there is no master’] what is to stop me becoming king and living in whatever way I choose, putting me first to the detriment of others?’ It’s not particularly difficult to think of both large and small examples of this both in the world, and far too frequently, in our own hearts. Whether explicitly or merely by our actions, how often do we say ‘I am lord’?
The second response is one halfway between the good and the wicked servants. An attitude that says ‘I accept God as my master ultimately, but I’ll just wear the crown of lord myself for a little while, while he’s not here, or in this small part of my life that he won’t look too closely at’. ‘Jesus is coming, look busy’, so the pithy phrase goes – Jesus isn’t stupid though, he sees very clearly between ‘looking busy’ and having been serving faithfully.
Certainly I recognise this attitude of procrastination in myself: How often do we put off doing something good because no one will know if we do it at the last minute? Tidying or cleaning, completing a piece of work, exercise, calling my parents, offering help to someone else, spending time reflecting and praying and engaging with God. It’s so very easy to say ‘I will do it, but it’s just a bit too much effort right now.’ I’m not suggesting constant work, clearly rest is God-ordained and good, but when we choose to be Lord of our own lives, even in part, or for a time, are we neglecting to attend to the ‘preparation by doing’ to which we’re called?
And so finally, the attitude of the faithful and wise servant, who says ‘My lord is lord’, found in us when we say ‘God is my king’. Out of this right understanding of identity flows righteousness, and attending to preparation by doing good. Again, there is an obvious link between identity and action, or at the very least our actions proclaim our attitude to our identity.
I have, as I’m sure have many others, been asking in this season what might living with Christ as Lord look like, in our homes, in our work, in our routines of prayer and worship, in our service and love of others, and ultimately, in our acts of love and devotion to Him?
How might we follow the example of the faithful and wise servant in the diligent stewarding of the resources and responsibilities we have been given?
What would it look like to listen and respond to the call and command of God, as we see in Noah?
Will we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbour as ourselves, as Jesus instructs the Pharisees a few pages earlier?
My prayer is that I, that we, will recall and proclaim that Jesus is Lord, in both our identity and our actions. And that in this we will be making good preparation for his return, for ‘concerning the day and hour no one knows’.
Heavenly Father, give us true humility to see ourselves in light of your love and lordship, mercy when we wrongly think or proclaim ourselves as master of our own lives, wisdom to know what faithful service to you looks like in our specific circumstances, and strength to continue in preparing for your return by doing the good works you have set before us. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and saviour, we pray.
Amen.