Jesus started his ministry as a teacher and miracle-worker surrounded by disciples who learned from him. When the disciples understood Jesus’ message and had the faith to do miracles, Jesus sent them out to minister on their own with the help of the Holy Spirit. They were successful and came back to him excited to learn more.

Next, Jesus talked with his followers about the cost of discipleship. When he made it clear that he was going to die and they must prepare to die for the sake of the Gospel, too, some of them turned back from following Jesus.

In today’s reading Jesus prepared his disciples for the time when he would leave them. Would they stay faithful when they could no longer see him? What would he find his disciples doing when he returned someday?

Be Ready

The disciples had been Jesus’ friends, now he explained that he was also their Master and they were his servants. He expected them to do a good job with the work he gave them, and they should be ready for him to inspect their work at any time. If he were pleased with them, he would reward them.

““Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.” Luke 12:35-38

What kind of work did Jesus give his followers?

They were going to fish for people by doing what they saw Jesus doing: Loving people,  praying, counseling, feeding, and healing. Like Jesus, his disciples were going to battle the devil himself and get people free from their sins.

“It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” Luke 12:43-44

The Lord had no more precious possessions than the souls of people. His disciples needed to stay ready and work hard to care for souls.

Serious Discipleship

Jesus told his disciples that their work in the kingdom was going to be judged and rewarded according to its quality when he came back. They had been given the best possible training and they were expected to produce great results.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who had been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

Living according to the Gospel was like going through a refining fire. It revealed hidden sin and wrong motives, and called for repentance. Above all the work of the Gospel called for unflinching obedience to the will of God.

Jesus walked ahead of his disciples in all of these things. His obedience to his Father was absolute even when he knew God was going to lead him through the fires of death and destruction.

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!” Luke 12:49-50

Jesus was fully aware of what it cost him to obey his Father. He dreaded the baptism of fire that lay ahead for him – he wished it were already behind him – but he did not turn back from it. He didn’t give in to the temptation to quit in the face of hardship.

Division and Separation

Following Jesus caused division among people. Those who chose him as their Savior were zealous for him because he was the only way of salvation. But discipleship was costly and dangerous and many people chose against the Lord. When they chose against him they also chose against his disciples and relationships broke down.

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:51

People liked to compare themselves to others and see if they are better than them. When disaster struck they combed through the details to see if the people who suffered deserved what happened to them – in the hope that they could avoid a similar disaster.

So when people came to Jesus with details of some gruesome deaths – multiple deaths at the hands of Pilate, the governor of Galilee, and others at the collapse of a tower in Jerusalem – they must have wondered why these terrible things had happened. Were the people who died especially wicked?

“Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:2-3

Everyone talking to Jesus was going to die someday, and the manner of their death wouldn’t signify the condition of their souls. Jesus encouraged his hearers to repent now so their souls would be ready for death whenever it came.

Jesus Calls Out Hypocrisy

The Pharisees who constantly compared themselves to others believed they were superior. They projected an air of authority to hide their weaknesses, and Jesus seemed to go out of his way to expose their hypocrisy.

One day a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years came into the synagogue where Jesus was teaching. It was the Sabbath, and pharisaical law forbade any kind of work on that day, but Jesus healed the woman anyway.

“When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Luke 13:12-13

The synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus performed this act of mercy on the Sabbath. He issued an edict on the spot.

“There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not the Sabbath.” Luke 13:14

Jesus was indignant, too, and pointed out that the synagogue leaders treated their animals better than they treated their people on the Sabbath. Leaders had power, but they didn’t always use it the right way, and people needed to recognize when they were poorly led.

“When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” Luke 13:17

Natural and Spiritual Blindness

Jesus and his disciples met a man who had been born blind and the disciples assumed someone had sinned and caused this affliction. But Jesus didn’t see condemnation in the man’s blindness; he saw the glory of God. He was the light of the world and here was real darkness that he could drive out.

“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’” John 9:3-4

Jesus healed this man in a more elaborate way than usual. The man had to complete the healing by finding his way to wash in the Pool of Siloam. There must have been a bit of a parade through Jerusalem as people went with the blind man to see what would happen.

The man came back seeing and Jesus was in trouble for healing on the Sabbath again.  But the man who was healed also got into trouble with the Pharisees. They wanted to use the man to bring evidence against Jesus, but he could say nothing against him, despite their insults and threats.

“The man answered, ‘Now this is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’” John 9:30-33

The Pharisees threw the man out of the synagogue for aligning himself with Jesus, but he left seeing, and with the new life Jesus had given him.

The Light of the World

When Jesus heard the man had been thrown out he went to him.

“When he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?

‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’

Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’

Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” John 9:35-38

The man who was blind saw Jesus and received physical and spiritual sight from the Light of the World. Meanwhile, the Pharisees plunged deeper into their darkness.