19th Sunday, Year C, Gospel Commentary (Luke 12:32-48)

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” ⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

After the moving meditation on faith in the second reading, in this Sunday’s gospel Jesus continues the reflection by giving a warning that his disciples must always remain prepared, for the coming of the kingdom can occur at any time. Significantly, though, he begins with reassurance: we should not be afraid for God wants to welcome us to his kingdom. Jesus follows this with a caution about the dangers of material possessions. Indeed, he tells his followers to sell their goods and give the money to charity, or, in other words, to create a community based on sharing. In verse 34 he hammers home the point by saying that where our treasure is, there also is our heart. Those who value material things have their wealth on earth while those who treasure God, have their hearts, and their reward, in heaven.

In the next verses, Jesus turns more specifically to the end times, insisting that we must all be ready for his return. As Christians, we should see ourselves as God’s servants and do our best to prepare the world for him. We are literally told to “gird our loins” because in ancient times, people would belt their loose robe to push it out of their way when working. Note that in verse 37, Jesus says that the returning master will also fasten his belt (“dress himself to serve” in the NIV translation) and take care of his servants. Traditional roles are reversed for the servants will be guests at the banquet and the master will wait on them himself. But, in a sense, this has already happened for God did come to earth as a servant and gave himself to save us.

In verse 41, Peter wonders whether the parable is for “us” (the disciples around Jesus) or “them” (the crowd). Jesus answers by introducing a new character, the manager or steward who directs the other servants. This figure probably refers to anyone with a leadership role in the Church, and, if the manager does the master’s will, Jesus blesses him (verse 43) and promises greater responsibilities. But, of course, there is another possibility, for in Church history, many of its leaders have not been faithful servants. With the master away, Jesus states that some managers may become self-indulgent, exploiting and abusing others. In this case, when the master returns, these hurtful stewards will suffer. Jesus’ warning is clear to those who use his name for their personal benefit. The passage ends on a more positive note: allowance will be made for those who don’t know what is expected of them. Jesus concludes here by insisting that we are all given gifts from God, and, the greater the gift, the more he expects from us.