Luke 12

vs 32

There is something we don't need to fear because of God's willingness for us to have the kingdom. Is it perhaps that we don't need to fear material need? That seems in context.

vs 33

Yep, that sounds about right. If we have inherited the eternal, then the temporal seems to be less valuable all of a sudden. And if there is a way of building up an eternal treasure, then we should invest in it with temporal means. It's always people who buy shares in the future that get rich. If we follow what Jesus says, we're buying shares in an eternal future.

vs 34

Never a truer saying has been uttered. And increasingly so when you are feeling a pinch. There is no substitute for heaven, and you either have heaven in mind, or earth in mind when you do something.

vs 35-36

A very interesting parable, or at least simile, here. While the idea of servants is a bit beyond us, I am sure anyone who has watched (or read) Jeeves and Wooster would get the idea. The whole point of being the kind of person who has a wealth of servants is that they, well, serve you. They wait on you hand and foot.

So when you get home, you don't expect them to be sleeping, no matter how late it is - you expect them to be ready to look after you. Fully dressed, lights on, door open.

vs 37

Now this, this is a funny picture. And it is not a picture of reality. In fact, when you read a lot of the parables (possibly even the majority) they depart from reality at some point, in that what happens in them would not have been the normal experience of people in these things. Most of the parables have a twist. Just like this one - the master dresses in servant's clothes and serves his servants! That would not happen - just imagine if Wooster tried to serve Jeeves! Hilarity would ensue.

But the thing we have to decide is whether Jesus' hyperbole was designed to cause a couple of laughs and to get the point across - "the master will be happy", or whether Jesus is painting a picture of the kingdom of heaven - "the master is also a servant". Second one sounds more kingdomly, doesn't it? Doesn't stop it from being funny, though.

vs 38

This guy is coming home from a wedding, and so he could be really, really late. Remember, too, that travelling way back then in the middle of the night was dangerous - there was little portable light around, there was not street lighting, and thieves and muggers were about. So the servants could think "Ahh, it's the second watch now, he won't bother coming home - he'll pass out at the wedding feast and we'll see him in the morning".

vs 39

And now the parable changes tac. Jesus is no stranger to mixed metaphors, like a sheep with a limp. His idea of watchfulness shows both the good side (the master will be happy) but also the necessity for it - you have to be watchful all the time, otherwise you won't be aware when things are happening.

vs 40

Oh, by the way, Jesus is the thief, not Satan or anything like that. This shows the sometimes necessary limitations we have to put on parables! Not every parable is like the parable of the sower! We don't need to read into every little bit of the illustration. Jesus is the thief because, like a thief, he comes at an hour we do not expect. Not because he is going to spiritually steal our stereo. Not because it's ok to steal things. Not because Jesus was a thief. It's an analogy, and analogies always break down. So does this one - he's a thief because he's stealthy, that's all. Just like in 2nd edition D&D - all sneaky, quiet, light-fingered classes are called thieves (except Kender handlers). By the time they got to 3rd edition, they had to start calling them rogues, because they realised that not every thief character actually had the ability to steal stuff (and that stealing stuff doesn't really come into D&D all that much. Not in most hack & slash dungeon bashes anyway).