Unexpected Hour

Jesus said to his disciples: "Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Luke 12:39-48)

There are many thieves in this world.  They steal our money and often our time.  They take advantage of those looking for sound, responsible leadership and good guidance.  Thieves can disguise themselves as good servants, but those disguises hide corruption and evil intent.  

We are the masters of our lives.  We are free to choose and make our own decisions, although rules and regulations can limit those choices.  Nevertheless, we can either decide to ignore what we know is sensible, right, and just, or suffer the consequences of inattention and ignorance of the truth. For example, we can pretend obvious threats to our safety and well-being are not threats at all, or instead, knowing the hour when the thief is coming, we do not let our houses be broken into.  We prepare rather than “eating, drinking and getting drunk,” as Jesus warns in his parable about those deserving a severe beating.

War in Israel is causing staggering losses of Jewish and Palestinian men, women, and children. The tally is startling and bound to rise especially for those who want peace and fear the chaos created by terrorists and those seeking revenge.  

Jesus, the master of our houses, wonders if we are letting our houses be broken into meaning are we supporting the hate-induced madness that corrupts our minds and souls – our “houses?”  He wonders why so many of us refuse to prepare and act according to his will, such as to love and protect our neighbors from violence.  

Jesus is our real leader and healer.  He would urge us not to be assigned to a place with warmongers, the fearful, those drunk-on power, and those easily led onto paths of mutual destruction. That place is a realm of sick-thinking and even death.   We must be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, war and terrorism might come to our shores - again.

Deacon David Pierce