35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes […]“
Luke 12:35-37
So what exactly should we be doing?
Stay Dressed for Action
What does it mean to stay dressed for action? Well the Greek translated as stay and ready implies a constant state of being equipped.
1 Peter 1 uses the same language and mindset:
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV
Keep Your Lamps Burning
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:1-13 ESV
Luke 8 and Luke 11 helped set the context for the “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” passage at the beginning of this post. I’ll put it simply; God is light, and He is the light that guides us so that we can make our way through this often dark world. Without light, we can’t see, we’re blind. We would get lost and stumble our way into danger. Light also exposes things, while darkness conceals. As someone who wears eye glasses, I can tell you that sometimes I don’t realize how filthy my glasses are until I hold them up to the light. God guides us through His commandments, and disciplines His children when we stray from His ways because He loves us and desires for us to be in communion with Him. God IS light and life. If you reject Him, your only other options are darkness and death.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5 ESV
Scripture is full of passages telling us the same thing in many different ways. Click the links below to familiarize yourself with the following themes:
Wait for the Master
Here’s the bottom line. Jesus is coming back someday, and take his seat on the throne of David in Jerusalem, Israel. This is a literal, physical event with spiritual repercussions. It means all nations will bow down to the King, who will rule the ENTIRE WORLD. Whatever leaders remain, whatever governments survive, whatever people are still alive, will bow down in worship or submission to Jesus the King of Israel. The Messiah. This is literally going to happen. As a result, we need to wait for the return of our Master. Our King.
As Christians, we believe Jesus is God in the flesh, who will come be with us, ruling from a literal throne and we want to be obedient to the instructions our King left for us. When He returns, His faithful followers will inherit new, immortal bodies, that will get to participate in and enjoy a renewed, restored creation. To do that, we must be like the wise virgins who kept oil in their lamps. Familiarize with the themes I provided above. We must remain awake and sober. We must be in a state of constant readiness. We must endure trials, tribulations, persecution and overall difficulties. We must walk in the light, not like the world that stumbles around in darkness. We must be good representatives of the returning King. Jesus is the presence of God in us, and soon among us.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 ESV
Let’s lead others to know our King. Let’s lead the way for those in our sphere of influence to embrace the returning King– chances are, they will be meeting Him very soon.