Live your life chapter by chapter as you discover God's guide for life chapter by chapter.
When: Sundays at 5:00 PM Where: Follow the Map >>>>>>>>>
Or join our Bible Study via video conference with this link: https://join.skype.com/KTORY1RedNI7
Luke 12:35-59 – Keep Oil In Your Lamp
​
This passage is as follows:
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
​
“But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
(End of Passage)
Chapter 11 ended with Jesus being invited to have supper with the Pharisees and lawyers. At which time, Jesus lambasts them for their hypocrisy. After the supper, Jesus speaks to his followers. Luke notes that there were so many that they were trampling each other. Jesus warns them of the Pharisees and their hypocrisy. Jesus tells them not to fear those that can kill the body and after that can do nothing, but him who after killing can cast into hell. Jesus tells them not to worry about anything, but instead to work on having a treasure in heaven. When we get to verse 35, Jesus is continuing this idea and is telling his disciples how to store up treasures in heaven.
Let’s see what else Jesus says about this.
Verses 35-38,
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!
The Greek for “stay dressed for action” literally says, “Let your loins stay girded.” In those times, people wore robes down to their feet. If they were going to do some running, they had to wrap up their robe around their loins and bind it up so they could run without tripping over their robe. Below is a set of pictures with directions on how to gird your loins.
So, Jesus is saying, “Be ready for action at all times.” At any time, you need to be ready for action!
​
Jesus also says, “Keep your lamps burning.”
Here in the picture below is a lamp similar to what they used in that time.
In Jesus day, the lamp oils were made from nuts, seeds, or olives. For a lamp like this, you would need to keep putting oil into it to keep getting light from it.
​
Why does he say this? What does the lamp represent? Didn’t Jesus relate a lamp to the gospel in a previous passage in Luke?
Luke 8:16, “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.”
Luke 11:33, “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.”
In chapter 8, Jesus is talking about the gospel. In chapter 11 just before he mentions a lamp, Jesus is talking about the fact that someone greater than Jonah is here – that would be Jesus. So, the lamp is the gospel of Jesus, or the good news of Jesus.
So Jesus wants his disciples to be constantly ready for their master – that’s Jesus. Jesus wants his disciples to be ready with their lamps burning. Thus we should always be ready to spread the gospel of Jesus.
​
Jesus gives another illustration of readiness.
​
Verses 39-40,
“But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
​
What does Jesus want us to know from this illustration? Jesus is saying that his coming will be like a thief in the night. We don’t know when he is coming. He is coming when we do not expect him.
​
Now watch Peter is going to ask a question. Will Peter ask a smart question or a dumb question? What do you think?
​
Verses 41-48,
​
Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.
But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”
So, did Jesus answer Peter’s question? Jesus did not answer Peter’s question directly. What is Jesus saying about Peter’s question? By saying, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager” Jesus is saying that it is not a matter of whether you are an apostle or not an apostle. It is a matter of whether you are in a position to serve by serving others. So, Jesus is indirectly saying that this applies to all.
What was Peter thinking? Why did Peter ask this question? What was Peter’s thinking behind this question? Peter was thinking of a shorter time frame than Jesus. Peter was thinking that they were going to make their way to Jerusalem, make Jesus king, then Jesus would call down 20 legions of angels to defeat the Romans and kick them out of Israel. Peter was thinking that Jesus was talking about some short trip he was going to make while he was king and put Peter in charge while he was gone. This wasn’t what Jesus was talking about at all. Jesus was talking about the current span of time we are in now – the last 2,000 years and forward till Jesus returns from heaven. Jesus was talking about all of us. We should all be serving on another and caring for one another. It is not only about those that have church responsibilities. It is about how we treat one another. We all have that responsibility.
​
For the rest of the chapter, Jesus is going to talk about some topics that are not directly related to the rest of this passage.
​
Verses 49-53,
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Up to this point, it seems like everything that Jesus taught was about peace. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “Love and pray for your enemy,” and “turn the other cheek,” and “seek treasure in heaven for where your heart is there your treasure will be also,” and all that. What does Jesus mean here? Is Jesus doing a flip-flop?
Jesus isn’t doing a flip-flop here. He is just being a realist. Yes, you should always love your neighbor as yourself. However, Jesus knew that his work would cause division. What does he mean by, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!?” Jesus is talking about his crucifixion here. His crucifixion would cause division. Why? Because of its significance and whether people would accept it. Jesus says that from now on, households would be divided. Some would accept his gift on the cross and others would not. Some would follow him as Messiah and others would reject Jesus as the Messiah. This division happened right after
the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
Next saying – verses 54-56,
He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
What is Jesus saying here? In Matthew, Jesus said something similar to the Pharisees. Now he is saying this to all of his disciples. What is Jesus saying here? The key is that Jesus refers to the present time. Jesus is saying they do not know how to interpret the present time. What was the present time? Why couldn’t they interpret it? The present time was his coming as the suffering servant. They couldn’t interpret it for 3 reasons. First they didn’t understand the scriptures well enough. Second, they didn’t want their Messiah to suffer. They were not willing to accept his atonement. Third, they wanted their Messiah to call 20 legions of angels from heaven, defeat the Romans, and kick the Romans out of Israel. Their focus was only on the nation of Israel. God’s focus was on the whole world.
​
One last saying for today – Verses 57-59,
​
“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
​
What is Jesus saying here? Jesus is simply saying, “Why go before a judge for every matter?” Settle matters between yourselves and it may go easier for both parties. I remember that there was this one time that someone assaulted me. There were some damages, lost contacts and such. I sent this person a letter asking for reimbursement. He just ignored it. So, I took him to court. When we got to court, the judge added the court fees and my time and mileage to court as well. So it did not do that person well to neglect working the situation out with me directly.
Song: Give Me Oil In My Lamp by Cedarmont Kids