Readiness for God’s kingdom

Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48

Luke 12:32-48 of today’s gospel presents us with the parable of the faithful servant; a call to be ready for God’s kingdom. The whole of Luke Chapter 12 deals with Christ’s open and fearless speech. Through various parables and examples, Christ prepared his disciples for the world so that they might stand ready for salvation regardless of the hostilities and persecutions. Let us look at the various examples in today’s gospel for us to understand how we can be part of God’s kingdom.  

 Do not be afraid: Jesus said to his disciples “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your father to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Having espoused fearlessly the demands and radical nature of his mission to his disciples, it was almost natural for them to be afraid and so Jesus said to them; “Do not be afraid”. Severally, the Bible exhorts us against fear. Christians who live in fear of persecution and hostilities are babies in the faith. They will never come to their true manifestation in God. A true Christian is not afraid of persecution and suffering. Paul calls it momentary affliction that produces eternal reward (2Cor.4:17); even when he was told not to go to Jerusalem that he will be killed; he resisted that fear and insisted on his journey to fulfill his mandate, yet he was not killed in Jerusalem (Acts 21). Beloved, fear is the greatest attack against faith. If we don’t break away from our fears, we cannot come to the fuller manifestation of our gifts for the realization of God’s Kingdom. Those who live in fear are usually defeated before battles. And so Heb10:35 says; “cast not away your confidence for there shall be a recompense of reward.” There is an eternal reward for bravery.  

 Be Alert: To be part of God’s kingdom we need to be alert. Jesus said to his disciples “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds wide wake when he comes” (Luke 12:37). In this verse, the call to readiness is presented in a parabolic language. To be wide awake is to be alert to God’s gift and demands of his kingdom. Many Christians do not know the demands of God’s kingdom. For them, miracles and solutions are essences of faith. Such Christians are fast asleep; sleeping recklessly like the prostitutes in 1Kings 3:16-27 who slept and misplaced their destinies. Beloved, be wide awake, endeavor to always be in the state of grace; to sleep recklessly is to be in sin and remain obstinate. Let us rise, the day is at hand. Paul says in Rom. 13:12 “the night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Be alert and journey with caution. Many of us have slept recklessly and our homes and hearts have been broken into. Some others like the unfaithful steward have gone their own ways; eating, fighting, drinking, and getting drunk. We need to come back to our senses and say like the Prodigal son “I will arise and go back to my Father”.

 Be faithful: To be part of God’s kingdom we need to be faithful. Jesus tells us that “Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.” For a faithful servant, the arrival of the master is not a burden nor is it a calamity. For this reason, when we say “Our Father” during the Eucharistic prayers the priest adds “As we await in joyful expectation, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So, for a faithful servant Christ’s coming is a joyful expectation or a blessed hope, and anytime is the best time. But for an unfaithful servant; Christ coming breeds anxieties and anytime is a bad time. The first reading exhorts us to be faithful; the people of Israel looked at their history and realized that God has always been faithful. Beloved, the Lord is faithful and the time for his coming is unknown; therefore, we should learn to be faithful, watchful, and not fakeful. Again, we equally have the example of Abraham and Sarah in the second reading. They believed in God’s promise for their lives and took the part of obedience. Despite the contrary suggestions of their appearances, they were alert and so in the time of their vitiation they were not caught unawares -Abraham hosted the Angels.

 We shall give account for our souls: To be part of God’s kingdom, we must realize that we shall give account for our souls. To whom much is given, much more will be required (Luke 12:48). We are held responsible for what we have. If we have been blessed with wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that we benefit others. When God blesses you; you don’t need to hoard, or build bigger barns, what you need is a generous heart. There is a difference between responsible saving and hoarding. Saving involves faith, but hoarding eliminates faith. Most hoarders who have stockpiled for generations to come have almost rendered their children irresponsible. Jesus added; “to whom a great deal has been entrusted; much more will be demanded from him”. Let us always remember that our souls will be required of us. Are you ready? Any Christian who accumulates wealth without amassing grace may die foolishly.