Luke 12:37

(ubi sup.) For He comes when He hastens to judgment, but He knocks, when already by the pain of sickness He denotes that death is at hand; to whom we immediately open if we receive Him with love. For he who trembles to depart from the body, has no wish to open to the Judge knocking, and dreads to see that Judge whom he remembers to have despised. But he who rests secure concerning his hope and works, immediately opens to Him that knocks; for when he is aware of the time of death drawing near, he grows joyful, because of the glory of his reward; and hence it is added, Blessed are the servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. He watches who keeps the eyes of his mind open to behold the true light; who by his works maintains that which he beholds, who drives from himself the darkness of sloth and carelessness.

(Hom. 13. in Ev.) By which He girds Himself, that is, prepares for judgment. (Hom. 13. in Ev.) But He is said to be passing over, when He returns from the judgment to His kingdom. Or the Lord passes to us after the judgment, and raises us from the form of His humanity to a contemplation of His divinity.

Blessed are those servants whom the Lord will find watching when He comes. One watches who keeps the eyes of the mind open to the sight of the true light. One watches who fulfills by action what he has believed. One watches who drives the …

Amen, I say to you that He will gird Himself and have them sit at table, and He will come and serve them. He girds Himself, which means He prepares their reward; He has them sit at table, which means they are refreshed in eternal …

For such a servant, the Lord Himself becomes a servant. For it is said: "and will seat them, and coming near, will serve them." God girds Himself because He does not pour out upon us the full abundance of His blessings, but restrains it. For …

Or, He will gird Himself, in that He imparts not the whole fulness of blessings, but confines it within a certain measure. For who can comprehend God how great He is? Therefore are the Seraphims said to veil their countenance, because of the excellence of the Divine brightness. It follows, and will make them to sit down; for as a man sitting down causes his whole body to rest, so in the future coming the Saints will have complete rest; for here they have not rest for the body, but there together with their souls their spiritual bodies partaking of immortality will rejoice in perfect rest. That is, Give back to them, as it were, an equal return, that as they served Him, so also He will serve them.

Blessed are those servants, etc. Here secondly he introduces the motive for vigilant watching, and this is twofold, namely the beatification of the watchful without failing and without any exception. First, therefore, as regards the beatification of the watchful without failing, he says: Blessed are …

Blessed are those servants whom the Lord,....

Shall gird himself - Shall take the place of the servant himself. Servants who waited on the table were girded in the manner described above. Shall make them sit ... - Shall place them at his table and feast them. This evidently means that if we are faithful to Christ, and are ready to meet him when he returns, he will receive us into heaven - will admit us to all its blessings, and make us happy there - as if “he” should serve us and minister to our wants.

loins . . . girded--to fasten up the long outer garment, always done before travel and work (2Ki 4:29; The meaning is, Be in readiness. lights, &c.--(See on Mt 25:1).

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gird himself, &c.--"a promise the most august of all: Thus will the Bridegroom entertain his friends (nay, servants) on the solemn Nuptial Day" [BENGEL].

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Let us mark, firstly—what a gracious word of consolation this passage contains for all true believers. The Lord Jesus well knew the hearts of His disciples. He knew how ready they were to be filled with fears of every description: fears because of the fewness of their number, fears because of the multitude of their enemies , fears because of the many difficulties in their way, fears because of their sense of weakness and unworthiness . He answers these many fears with a single golden sentence—"Fear not, little flock—it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom!"

Let us mark, firstly—what a gracious word of consolation this passage contains for all true believers. The Lord Jesus well knew the hearts of His disciples. He knew how ready they were to be filled with fears of every description: fears because of the fewness of their number, fears because of the multitude of their enemies , fears because of the many difficulties in their way, fears because of their sense of weakness and unworthiness . He answers these many fears with a single golden sentence—"Fear not, little flock—it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom!" Luke 12:32 Believers are a "little flock." They always have been, ever since the world began. Professing Christians have sometimes been very many. Baptized people at the present day are a great company. But true Christians are very few. It is foolish to be surprised at this. It is vain to expect it will be otherwise until the Lord comes again. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads unto life—and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:14.) All true believers have a glorious "kingdom" awaiting them! Here upon earth—they are often mocked and ridiculed, and persecuted—and, like their Master, despised and rejected by men. But "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us!" "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear—then shall you also appear with Him in glory." (Romans 8:18, Colossians 3:4.) Believers are tenderly loved by God the Father. It is "the Father's good pleasure" to give them the kingdom. He does not receive them grudgingly, unwillingly and coldly. He rejoices over them as members of His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. He regards them as His dear children in Christ. He sees no spot in them.

I AM about to speak of the Second Coming of Christ and I felt thankful that my dear Brother's prayer, although we had not been in consultation with one another upon the matter, was in every way so suitable to the subject upon which I am to speak. He led us in prayer to think of our coming Lord, so that I trust you are on the margin of the subject, now, and that you will not have to make any very great exertion of mind to plunge into mid-stream and be carried away with the full current of thought concerning the Second Advent of the Savior. It is a very appropriate topic when we come to the Lord's Table, for, as that prayer reminded us, the Lord's Supper looks backward, and is a memorial of His agony. But it also looks forward and is an anticipation of His Glory. Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, "For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you show the Lord's death till He comes." By looking forward, in a right state of heart, to that Second Coming of Christ which is the joy of His Church, you will also be in a right state of heart for coming to the Communion Table. May the Holy Spirit make it to be so! The posture at the Communion Table, as you know, according to our Lord's example, was not that of kneeling, but that of reclining. The easiest position which you can assume is the most fitting for the Lord's Supper, but remember that the supper was no sooner finished, than, "they sang a hymn," and when that hymn was concluded, they went out into the Mount of Olives to the agonies of Gethsemane.

I AM about to speak of the Second Coming of Christ and I felt thankful that my dear Brother's prayer, although we had not been in consultation with one another upon the matter, was in every way so suitable to the subject upon which I am to speak.

He shall gird himself - Alluding to the long garments which were worn in the eastern countries; and which, in travelling and serving, were tucked up in their belts. That those among the Romans who waited on the company at table were girded, and had their clothes tucked up, appears from what Horace says, Sat. b. vi. l. 107: Veluti Succinctus cursitat Hospes, He runs about like a girded waiter. The host himself often performed this office. And ibid. viii. 10: Puer alle cinctus: and that the same custom prevailed among the Jews appears from Joh 13:4, Joh 13:5, and Luk 17:8. From this verse we may gather likewise, that it was the custom of those days, as it was, not long since, among us, for the bridegroom, at the wedding supper, to wait as a servant upon the company. See Bishop Pearce.