12:35–37 Preparation for the return of the master is now enjoined. Disciples are to be like Israel when they were freed from Egypt: they used a sash to tie their long-flowing garments so that they could be prepared to exit quickly (Ex. 12:11; cf. 1 Kings 8:46; Eph. 6:14; 1 Pet. 1:13). Another image refers to burning lamps that must be kept lit since the master might return at any time (Matt. 25:1–13). Or they are like those waiting for the master to return from a wedding feast. When he returns, the servants must be ready to hear his knock at the door and open the door for him (cf. Luke 13:25; Rev. 3:20). If the servants are awake when the master returns, they will be blessed indeed. In fact, the blessing is almost unbelievably wonderful, for it will be as if the roles of master and servant were reversed. The master will serve the servants, which points to the ministry of Jesus himself (Luke 22:27), who came to serve his own (cf. John 13:4–5). The servants will, so to speak, enjoy a sumptuous feast prepared by the master (but cf. Luke 17:8).

12:38–40 The master may return at an unexpected time. Jesus refers to the second and third watches, drawing on the Roman convention of splitting nighttime into four watches. The second watch would be the three hours immediately prior to midnight, with the third watch being the subsequent three hours. Servants would be drowsy and tempted to fall asleep during these hours. Those who remain awake will be especially blessed. The Son of Man might delay in returning. The Gospel of Luke includes both statements of imminence and also indications of a significant interval before Jesus’ return. His return cannot be calculated or deciphered in advance. If the owner of a house knew, Jesus remarked, that a thief was coming, he would stay awake so that the thief could not gain entry (cf. 1 Thess. 5:2). Jesus’ coming as the glorious Son of Man (cf. Dan. 7:13–14) cannot be plotted on a definite timeline (cf. Luke 9:26; Mark 13:33, 35), and thus disciples must be ready and prepared by doing the will of God.

12:41–44 Peter responds with a question, asking if this parable is for all or for only the disciples. He might assume the latter, since Jesus speaks of the disciples’ being served in a special way by the Master (Luke 12:37). It would not be surprising for Peter to envision a special reward for him and the other disciples who serve with him. Jesus does not answer Peter’s question specifically, but he implicitly teaches that the parable applies to all. In other words, those who receive the blessing of verse 37 are like “faithful and wise” managers (1 Cor. 4:1–2). They will be assigned duties to provide the proper nourishment for the household. Blessing belongs to the servant faithfully doing what the Master enjoins until the Master comes. In other words, they do not grow tired in doing good (cf. 2 Cor. 4:1, 16; Gal. 6:9). Such a servant will administer all of the Master’s possessions in the future, exercising significant authority as a faithful worker (cf. Luke 19:17, 19).

12:45–46 This is another indication that the Lord’s coming might be delayed, at least in the eyes of those serving under him; this possible delay is reflected elsewhere in the NT as well (Heb. 10:37; 2 Pet. 3:5). Jesus’ teaching on his coming is designed to prevent any attempt at setting a date or calculating when he would return. But in the perception of the servants, it is possible that it will seem as if he will never return. As a consequence, a servant may begin to abuse the male and female servants under him and to live for his own pleasures only: eating, drinking, and even getting drunk. Jesus describes here a servant who plunges into evil, one who gives no thought to his master or those who serve under him. In other words, he fails to love God with his whole heart or his neighbor as himself (see Luke 10:27). The servant is in for a startling reversal, because the master will come when he least expects it. This servant does not simply lose his reward; his lack of faithfulness demonstrates that he does not belong to the master’s people at all. The master will cut him to pieces, and his fate will be as other unbelievers’.

12:47–48 There is no sentimentality here. The servant who knows what the master requires but fails to do what the master enjoins (cf. James 4:17) and who does not prepare and get ready “will receive a severe beating.” In light of Luke 12:47, this severe beating refers to the final judgment, not to punishment administered in this life. The justice of the final judgment is explained further in verse 48. The judgment will be proportionate. The person who does not know as fully what is required and who practices evil will receive a lighter beating. We can correlate this with Paul’s teaching. Those who do not know God’s will via the law are still responsible for the evil they do (Rom. 1:32; 2:12). They are still aware of God’s requirements, but since what is enjoined is not as clearly revealed, they will not be punished as severely as those who have received specific commands (Rom. 5:13–14). As Jesus says, if more is given to some, they bear a heavier responsibility. The more one is entrusted with, the higher the expectations. It seems clear, then, that there will be levels of punishment in hell. Those who have greater revelation and have rejected the truth will suffer more severely; those who have had less revelation will still be punished (they still know what is right), but the punishment will not be as weighty.