The Gospel of Luke
Servants and their Master: Lk 12,35-48
The two halves of Jesus' speech are:
12,35-40: alert servants
12,12,41-48: stewardship
The passage is dominated by master (7x) and slave (9x)
The Greek word for master is kurios which normally means Lord. "Master" is the better translation here but we need to be aware of the overtones of Jesus as Lord.
Also notable is waiting in verse 36 followed by references to coming in most of the following verses.
It is I think better to speak here of slave rather than servant. Slavery as we know it is degrading labour and many in the Roman Empire were just that. Others though were trusted servants essential to the running of house and estate (as in verse 42). They could probably look forward to receiving their freedom.
A comparison with Matthew 24 shows us that verses 35-37, 41-42 and 47-48 are all unique to Luke. Luke also introduces the theme of waiting in his Gospel much earlier than the other two Synoptics. Waiting perhaps is part of journeying.
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Prepared: 12,35-40
"Gird your loins" is a classic biblical expression recalling the night of the Passover (Ex 12,11), a graphic expression for being ready and prepared for the journey. As such, it is still a common phrase in English so it's a pity translators tend to avoid it (an exception being the New American Bible). Elijah shows what it means in practice, running in front of Ahab's chariot (1 Kings 18,46).
We've seen "lamps lit" several times already (12,3; 11,33).
Blessed is a state of wholeness, happiness as we have seen in the Beatitudes (6,20) or Mary in her Magnificat (1,45).
This blessedness leads to role reversal, God as the master will serve at the heavenly banquet.
In verse 39, Jesus uses another image; the householder here is not the master of the preceeding verses. The image of the thief coming in the night is common in the NT as the examples show.
Verse 40 uses traditional language originating in the book of Daniel for the Son of Man. This is the first reference in this Gospel to the Son of Man coming in the future.
Stewards: 12,41-48
At this point Peter intervenes and he acts as a spokesman for future church leaders. His question provides a focus on the role of those leaders.
Now therefore we have "the Lord". Jesus will be the Lord of the Church community who has entrusted his Church to slaves and stewards. It is kurios again but this time it is definitely "Lord" not "master" as elsewhere in these verses.
"Steward" is the better translation in verse 42 rather than manager. He would have been a slave himself as I noted above.
Both slave and steward describe one who gives service to the Christian community: Paul calls himself a slave in Gal 1,10. 1 Cor 4,1-2 shows the role of Christian stewards.
Not all slaves or stewards will be blessed as in verses 43-44.
Verses 45 to 48 describe what happens when it goes wrong, when the slave behaves like the fool in 12,19.
There are three levels of punishment. In verse 46, the Greek word means literally being sawn in half (see Heb 11,37). Then there is lesser punishment for less culpable behaviour in verses 47 and 48. The language of judgement used by Jesus in the Gospels can be harsh but it is a warning and a reminder to his followers of the responsibility which he is leaving with them. The quotes from both Numbers and Deuteronomy give some background.
Hence the encouragement of the second part of verse 48.
We return now to the main page and continue reading the chapter.