57. Alert

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[hanks]

1. Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)? 
Their master has gone to a wedding celebration, which in this time period, may last for several days, but being good servants, they are always dressed and ready for service. They have their long robes tucked up into their belts, so that their work will not be hampered, so that can be ready, active, and diligent at short notice and at all times, ready to serve the master. They also keep their lamps burning, keeping it stocked up with oil, and maintaining the flame, in case he returns at night, signifying preparedness. They are constantly ready for their master’s return so that when he does come back, they can open the door immediately. 
 

[hanks]

2. What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the night-time hours? 
Keep your lamps burning throughout the night required constant looking after. One can assume that there are more than one lamp involved since the passage talks about several servants. Could also be a larger home. The average lamp at the time could hold enough oil to burn for about 5 hours, but they had to attend to the flax wick as well to keep the lamp burning during the night. So, there was quiet a lot of effort required to keep these lamps lit, so that when the master arrived, which could be at any time during the night or day, they were there to open the door and serve him. Remember, these wedding feasts could last for days, often for a week. There had to be a roster drawn up for who sleeps and who stays up the whole night. To be ready at all times also required planning ahead to make sure they had enough olive oil and wicks to last until the master arrived. 
 

[hanks]

3. The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable? 
Jesus Himself said He has come to save and to serve. Here he is compared to the return of a householder from a marriage-feast to his own home at an unseasonable hour of the night, when normally all the servants would be fast asleep. On returning home he finds that his servants had obeyed him and were waiting for him; he therefore decides to reward them by serving them with a meal that he himself prepared. This hardly ever happens, as servants are normally not that dedicated, so he wants to reward this rare show of loyalty with an equally rare act of happiness and honour. The point being made here - are we living a life of faith in Jesus Christ by being dressed in readiness and having our lamps lit – immediately ready to open the door to our Lord. Are we looking forward and living as if we were ready for the second coming of Christ? Come, Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20). 
 

[hanks]

4. A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable? 
Thieves don’t inform us that they are coming to visit/steal, they come when everyone is sleeping/away, they come when least expected, and they come silently and swiftly. As Jesus explains in (12:40), speaking of His own return, this is how He too will come but not to rob but to bless His Bride. For this reason, we must be alert and ready for His coming, His unexpected coming. But for some His coming will have a similar effect of a thief, for they will lose everything of value, and worst of all will lose their chance for salvation and be themselves "lost" forever in the eternal torments of hell. 
 

[hanks]

5. Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Don't speak hypothetically, but personally. 
What I’ve found that keeps me spiritually alive is definitely studying and meditating on His Word, like this fantastic study I’m doing now. Digging deeper in answering the questions is a great help for spiritual growth. Acknowledging Him in everything I do – speaking to Him and listening. Of course, an active prayer life, and obedience to His commands. My age 83 – you realise you haven’t got a hundred years left, and the Coved-19 pandemic hasn’t helped either. We realise how vulnerable we are. 
Not being able to attend church does soften the spiritual edge, and obviously any sin, which must be confessed immediately to keep in fellowship with our Lord. 
 

[Irmela]

1.  Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)?

They are ready for service, even if the master is delayed in coming. They are ready to open the door to welcome the master. You can see they are ready for service by the way their robes were tucked in by the belt. 

Not only in their outlook are they ready but they also have the lamps ready. Every so often they need to be filled with oil and the wicks need to be appropriately trimmed. This takes effort on the parts of the servants. 

They do not just relax and at the last minute light the lamps and get dressed etc. No. They are ready to get going at a moments notice. 

They actually look forward to his coming. 

The master is looking for diligence, alertness and   honor    in his servants. 

[Irmela]

2. What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours?

They need to have enough oil nearby to refill the lamps, as there was no knowing at what time the master would return. They need to keep themselves awake and ready to serve the master when he came. 

[Irmela]

3.  The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable?

Jesus was not only a Leader, He was a Servant Leader. In this parable Jesus points out that the Master too knows how to serve and does so, to show His delight in their faithfulness (in waiting up for Him) and thus He rewards them to a dinner He Himself has prepared. 

By this we learn to serve and keep the servant mentality. 

[Irmela]

4.  A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable?

A thief comes unannounced. He breaks in when he is least expected. The second-coming of our Lord will be like that. Unexpected. Not to cause devastation (to His own) as a thief does, but to bring His loved ones Home. 

To the ones who are not ready, it will be devastating because their time to repent and turn to Him will have come to an end. 

[Irmela]

5.  Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Don't speak hypothetically, but personally.

Reading the Word. Sharing the Word. Spending time in worship and prayer. Listening to Spiritual msgs sent on WhatsApp. 

When I get busy with all sorts and start looking at others and comparing how they feel at liberty to live etc. 

I need to keep focusing on my Lord and live like I understand Him to want me to live. I need to be ready for Him at all time and not fill my thought life with garbage. 

[Katy]

Q1. The servants must be alert and awake in preparation for their masters return. Even when the master is delayed they cannot go off duty but must remain ready and waiting for his return. They must be ready to open the door without any delay. There is no consideration for their tiredness or their families. They are servants and must be ready to serve at all times of the day or night. 
Q2.The servants can give no thought to their own feelings or commitments to family. Their master expects that he comes first both day and night. They also had to be prepared, to have enough oil ready to keep the lamps burning no matter how long the master took to arrive.

Q3. The master rewards his servants  for their faithfulness to him by going against all societal norms and going into the kitchen to prepare a meal for them. This gives us a picture of service to others. It is the way Jesus acted, He washed the feet of the disciples at the last supper. In Matthew 20v28 we are told that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a random for many. It is also an example to us as Christians and followers of Jesus that we must serve others especially those who are in need.

Q4.This mini-parable follows on from our passage warning us about being prepared and being alert. It is pointing forward to the second coming of Jesus. This mini-parable takes up that theme telling us that as the thief does not announce his pending arrival nor will the Son of God. We will not know the day nor the hour but we must be ready and waiting. It is also a warning to those who are not walking with Jesus that now is the preparation time because nobody know when Jesus will return and it will be too late to do anything when He returns.

Q5.For me I need discipline. I have certain times of the day where I spend my time in the word, pray etc. I don’t allow anyone or anything to interfere with church , prayer times, Bible study etc. Being the only believer in my family, can make it difficult at times and that is why I need a strict routine, and not allow distractions. Everything becomes more difficult when I am away from home out of my routine etc. However I try to stay alert and get up earlier . I find if I leave it until evening I don’t concentrate so well. I am better now than I was years ago at being creative about getting time with my Lord. It is more important than any entertainment I might be asked to join. I am going to visit my son in the US soon and I have started praying that I will stay close to the Lord during that disruptive but joyful time. 
 

[Old Jerry]

Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)?

 

A. The ideal servant is the one waiting for his master is doing the masters work. The wealthy slave-owner is looking for a servant that is dedicated to him and will do what he wants him to do.

 

What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours?

 

A. It requires a servant to always be alert to the situations that happening in the world. We must know what the bible says about his coming and compare it to what is happening.

 

The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable?

 

A. I think that the point of this parable is that if we are alert and ready he will give us our reward or our crown.

 

A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable?

 

A. He is trying to tell us that if we are alert and ready then his coming will not be a surprise. We will be happy to see him.

 

Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Don't speak hypothetically, but personally.

 

A. I think that studying the bible and doing courses like this keeps me spiritually alert. I think the things that causes me to lose my spiritual alertness is getting involved in the 24 hour news covering because everything seem so disappointing.

[haar]

1.    Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)?

The ideal servant is the one who is fully dressed and alert and ready for his master’s arrival at any time. He must not be caught not ready to answer the door.

2.    What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours?

The prepared and ready servant must invest in time to keep alert without sleeping and in money to  keep his cloths clean and buy fuel for his lamp to remain ever with fuel.

3.    The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable?

He teaches of a Master that is willing to serve as an example for us his disciples be ready to serve those under us.

He washed the disciples’ feet and usually break the bread and serve his disciples at several occasions. He wants us to copy him.

4.    A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable?

The parable teaches the need to be ever alert. Just as the house owner is alert so as to be able to stop the thieve breaking into his house, we should be alert so as to be ready whenever the Lord Jesus comes.

5.    Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge?

I am involved in daily and weekly spiritual activities as follows:

                          i.        Personal

a.   daily morning (at 4-5am) meditations in the Bible and prayers;

b.   Bible study with Pastor Dr. Ralph for several years now

                        ii.        Family morning (6am) devotions; My family and I have daily morning devotion that includes prayers, praise and worship and reading a Bible passage

                       iii.        Church weekly mid-week prayers; Sunday morning and evening prayers

                       iv.        Weekly Men Fellowship programs.

 

What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness?

 

Work load in the garden and involvement in various investment activities that require monitoring income performance and the serious challenges involved do slow me down spiritually. This generally causes anxiety and worrying.

 

The previous lesson on Worrying and the current lesson have caused a kind of spiritual revival for me to stop worrying given that I have the promise of the Kingdome of God. Furthermore, I should not be too occupied on investment and miss being alert and ready for the return of the Lord.

[Godswriter]

1. Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)? Fully dressed, alert and watching and waiting for the master but also not power and money hungry either He must be willing to answer when it is knocked
2. What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours? Persistent energy where they don't fall asleep but also time as well.
3. The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable? This actually describes how God will be when we meet Him in heaven. Because in the prodigal son parable the father in it makes a feast for the son who returns and also put a robe on him, and a ring and he is showered with love.
4. A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable? This is to remind us that when we don't spend time in the Word and constantly poured into by the Holy Spirit, we will be unable to defeat and stay alert against the enemy.
5. Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Don't speak hypothetically, but personally When thinking on that part, there are several things that cause me to keep it instead of losing it. I am in a program of recovery which focuses on my many addictions, for this I have to do my 12-step work weekly and reading the Bible I have for this. Meetings with fellows in the program are 7 days a week and I make an effort to actually attend as many as I can. I do outreach calls and also sponsor people in it. I pour myself into people this way. For another aspect of my life, my walk with God the things that help are prayer, Bible study, obedience to the Word, listening to sermons or watching them on YouTube, listening to music that is God honoring, just to name a few. However, I have also added fasting to my list as well. The loss of it is usually lack of time in the Word, prayer, not enough accountability in program and relapsing. 

[kreilly]

 

What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours?

I think Irmela hit it on the head when she said the servants are looking forward to the master's return.  I was thinking the same thing.  This is what enables them to be ready for his return at all hours of the day or night.  Their devotion to the master is apparent by their actions.  They are excited and eagerly awaiting his return, not just working out of a sense of duty or fear.  They love their master. 

The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable?

Obviously, this is not a typical master/servant relationship.  The servants love their master and the master loves his servants as well, so much so that he is willing to serve them.  It is a love relationship, not a work relationship

Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Don't speak hypothetically, but personally.

Some of the things that help me stay sharp are reading my Bible, journaling, participating in Bible study, praying, watching sermons, worship, acts of service, and talking  about Jesus with others.  

The three main things that dull my alertness are getting busy with work, watching mind numbing TV, and eating/finding joy in food.  

[George L]

1. Describe the ideal servants waiting up for their master. What qualities is this wealthy slave-owner looking for in his servants (12:35-36)? Obedient service of readiness for his expected welcoming service. Many long watch hours through navy nights. Doing the boring, repetative while ready for thecemergency. Being ready for the ‘right now’ is the true service.
2. What kind of energy and investment does it require of the servants to be ready during the nighttime hours? One must be ready, not already fatigued. You must learn how to be vigilent. Examining the whole scope of what is to be watched over and out for. Not concentrating on onecp boring unchanging feature.
3. The master in Jesus' parable is pretty strange (12:37). When he arrives home and is pleased with his servants, he fixes them dinner! What is the point of this part of the parable? Jesus once again choses demonstation that the have the most should serve those he has trained at times. It speaks to me that we should expect randomly to come upon sudden needs which are opportunities for deliverence, healing, providing food, counsel, salvation good news to the lost, stoled and stray of God’s flock.
4. A second mini-parable involves a thief and a homeowner (12:39-40). What is the point of this parable? Attacks do not come openly at the strong point of our defence. They are quiet, stealthy unless far stronger than the defenses.
5. Let's get personal. What helps you keep your spiritual edge? I see the terrible furure ahead of the lost. I know that Christ paid the price for all. It is a terrible insult to Jesus to consider the lost unimportant  our time and effort. What kinds of things cause you to lose your spiritual alertness? Distractions of worldly things that are technical. Mind pleasing puzzles to me. Don't speak hypothetically, but personally.