Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 12:41-48 "LORD, DO YOU SPEAK THIS PARABLE ONLY TO US, OR TO ALL PEOPLE?" Luke 12:41"
Day 166 – Luke 12
Text: Luke 12:41-48
“LORD, DO YOU SPEAK THIS PARABLE ONLY TO US, OR TO ALL PEOPLE?” Luke 12:41
As the Disciples of the Lord Jesus heard this parable, Peter felt prompted to raise a question. His question was most intriguing.
“Lord, do you speak this parable only to us,
or to all people?”
Luke 12:41
It is interesting to note the following:
1. Peter was obviously aware of the fact that Jesus distinguished His disciples from the multitudes (“all people”).
2. He appeared to be ” painfully sensitive” to the implications behind the parable that Jesus had just uttered.
3. Jesus had challenged and instructed His hearers to “…be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40). Peter appeared to be a little miffed, for he reasoned out that while the multitudes would not “be ready”, surely The Twelve, and perhaps The Seventy, could be depended upon to be ready at all times.
4. Peter obviously sets himself apart from the multitudes when he phrased his question thus. He could not imagine how the parable could be told to both sets of people! Surely, Jesus must have recognized the worth of His Disciples already, for hadn’t He chosen them Himself personally?
THE USE OF PARABLES
Instead of debating Peter on his understanding, Jesus gave another parable. This time it was directed to His Disciples. That’s interesting, because Jesus once said that He would speak in parables only to the multitudes (Luke 8:10), and here He was speaking to His Disciples using a parable!
Let’s take a bit of time to review our understanding of why and how Jesus employed the use of parables to teach.
1. It might be said that generally, that Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables (Luke 8:10).
2. However, the fact was that His Disciples were also to be instructed through His teaching via parables!
3. Thus it would be wrong to say that Jesus spoke to the multitudes exclusively in parables.
4. He reserved the right to teach using any and every method He chose. He could choose to teach plainly. He could also choose to teach using parables.
5. Though Jesus generally distinguished between the Disciples and the Multitude, it cannot be argued that both were mutually exclusive.
6. There were times when the Disciples were not as insightful as they should be. This was one example. For Peter to distinguish the Disciples from the multitudes so exclusively was to commit a grave error and sin of spiritual pride.
7. Yes, the Disciples were specially privileged, because they had the ear of Jesus. However to think that just because one is a disciple therefore one is above the vagaries of life is unwarranted pride.
ANOTHER PARABLE, BUT THIS TIME DIRECTED TO THE DISCIPLES
Did Jesus speak to His Disciples in parables? This is one occasion when He taught them using a parable.
1. It was meant to humble the Disciples.
2. Spiritual pride has no place in the heart of the believer-disciple. It will make him become spiritually insensitive to the Lord’s Word before too long.
3. Jesus used a parable to teach His Disciples so that they would not think that they were that superior to the multitudes!
THE PARABLE OF TWO SETS OF SERVANTS
The parable that Jesus told His Disciples could be seen as an extension of the earlier one He uttered. There was a Master of a house, and he had servants. This time round, Jesus described two sets of servants. There was a group of faithful servants. There was another group of servants who turned out to be bad and unfaithful.
Once again, the good servants are depicted as people who are watchful and are called, “faithful and wise stewards” (Luke 12:42). The Master is so pleased with their faithful service that he promotes them, and sees that they are appropriately rewarded (Luke 12:42-44).
In this new parable, Jesus spoke about the servant who says in his heart,
“My master is delaying his coming,
and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants,
and to eat and drink and be drunk”
Luke 12:45
Obviously, this steward had become wicked. He had forgotten his place. He began to abuse his authority as the manager of his master’s household. He thinks that since his master has been long delayed, he might not even come back. He might as well make full use of his position and authority, and in his mind that meant that he could ill-treat his subordinates with impunity!
THE POSSIBILITY OF ENDING UP AS A WICKED SERVANT
Did Peter and his fellow-disciples think that they were all immune to the danger of backsliding? They were not! Nobody is free from the danger of spiritual backsliding. A person can begin as a good servant. If he does not exercise great carefulness, he will end up like the wicked steward in the parable. That steward would be disciplined and punished as he deserved! He had proven himself inept, and worse, unfaithful.
There were two “types” of wicked servants. Firstly there was the “deliberately wicked” steward who knew the Master’s will, but rejected it entirely. Secondly, there was “he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes” (Luke 12:48). Both would be punished, although the latter would receive a lesser punishment.