This coming Sunday is the 19th Sunday, Year C. In the posts throughout this week Jesus is teaching his disciples to be ready to open to the Master “immediately when he comes.” The answer to Peter’s question (v. 41) directs the discourse toward the Christian leaders especially. The overriding image of authority in this text is one of service.  Something that Jesus applies in a special way to the Twelve as leaders of a restored Israel.  Where the servants are to stand in readiness for the return of the master, the stewards are responsible for their own work as well as that of the community as a whole.  The care of what has been entrusted foreshadows the parable of the sums of money (19:11–27). The sayings on the distribution of responsibilities or gifts in the concluding verse of the section are clearly pertinent for those in authority, but they have a wider application for all on whom spiritual and temporal gifts have been bestowed.

There is no inconsistency here among responsibility, mercy, and punishment. God’s mercy makes allowances for those who do not know what is expected of them. But the most severe punishment is reserved for persons who are entrusted with great responsibilities and who then high-handedly and irresponsibly mistreat others and fail the trust given to them by their Lord. In a time of permissiveness and daily reminders of the pervasiveness of immorality even within the church, these parables can still serve to remind, exhort, and warn Christians of the seriousness of their moral commitments. If much has changed since the first century, some things have changed hardly at all. [Culpepper, 265]

“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” (Luke 12:37)

But the message is not just for leadership. All disciples are urged  to remain watchful and faithful: lamps lit, loins girded, eyes alert—not with anxiety, but with readiness rooted in love and trust.

The core message is stewardship as all disciples are entrusted with the Lord’s household; our duty is not just to wait, but to actively care for what has been given to us. Jesus praises those whom the master finds “doing” — not merely believing, but living faithfully and responsibly.  In that we are accountable. Jesus cautions that those who know the master’s will and fail to act accordingly will be held to greater judgment. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much” (v. 48). Our gifts, time, and opportunities are not solely for our benefit, but for the service of others and the glory of God. We are called to spiritual vigilance—not fear, but purposeful living. The Christian life is not passive waiting; it is daily discipleship, knowing that Christ may come at an unexpected hour.

Image credit: G Corrigan | CANVA | CC-0