Contents
Introductory Words
After presenting his convincing and theologically founded argument in defence of his stand that life’s worth does not consist in the abundance of a person’s material possession, Jesus invites his disciples not to preoccupy themselves with the things of the world. They should neither worry for life, for what to eat, for what to drink, what to wear nor for life itself because God, the absolute proprietor of life knows how to provide these things and how to take proper care of life too. Attention! This is not a call to laziness. It is disheartening how some people especially in Nigeria lock their shops, teachers who abandon their pupil in the classrooms and workers who absent from their duties all in the name of prayer. More worrisome is the fact that these things happen on normal workdays. When Jesus in Matthew 6:34 says we should not think or worry about tomorrow since tomorrow will take care of itself, it does not mean we should not have plans for tomorrow. Jesus made such statement due to the last phrase of that same verse. Jesus advises people not to begin today to worry about tomorrow because today’s troubles are enough for today. This is a serious psychological advice. People should learn to limit their worries to each day.
Watchfulness
“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Luke 12:35–40). Unless the disciples fulfil the terms and conditions listed above, they can never be watchful. And by not being watchful, they risk remaining outside the kingdom. In Luke 12:35–40, Jesus distinguishes between the watchful and the unwatchful servant. Naturally, he expects disciples and Christians to be among the watchful servants. The anecdote employed by Jesus is for the disciples to avoid oculos servientes (eye service, hypocrisy). In his advice to slaves, Paul implored them to avoid eye service with the following words “non ad oculum servientes quasi hominibus placentes sed ut servi Christi facientes voluntatem Dei ex animo, cum bona voluntate servientes sicut Domino et non hominibus – not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to people” (Eph 6:6–7). In like manner, disciples should live their religious life objectively instead of seeking to please someone for some favour, an attitude that breeds corruption, hypocrisy, superficiality, and spiritual misbehaviour.
Concluding Words
“Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33). As stated above, Jesus expects us to cultivate the culture of thinking and caring about others, especially, the needy. This is the meaning of “selling your possessions.” Let us remember that each of us can be in need of something at any time. By assisting others, we are being watchful. There are so many ways of being watchful. Sharing our material possession is one of them. Other ways include, speaking and standing by the truth, honesty, practising justice, not taking part in evil, being impartial in treating people, and defending the oppressed.
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE:
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I‑II-III)!! The reflection for the 19th Sunday is found in The Word of Life, vol. III, pages 436–447. Happy reading!
For details on how to get it, contact the author on this link: https://m.me/uchennabiblia?fbclid=IwAR2yeg4a6sDGBp9QGkIvKj6FSADumMokN6lshdE0zuo-JHs6qOmlhA7jyHo
or email me at: postmaster@uchennabiblia.com
or simply send an SMS on 08116100926, and I will get back to you.