Beyond the Weekend: Parables
The stories Jesus told and what they mean for your life today.
Why did Jesus teach in stories? Because the deepest truths about God are often found in the ordinary moments of life.
In the parables, Jesus takes everyday things, a lost sheep, a dinner party, a farmer planting seeds and uses them to show us what God is really like and what it means to follow him.
This summer, we’re spending seven weeks in the parables from Luke’s gospel. Whether you’ve heard these stories a hundred times or this is your first time, you’re invited to come and hear them fresh.
June 27/28–August 8/9
The Wedding and the Thief
Read: Luke 12:35-40 | Listen: Luke 12
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 12:38
Jesus tells this parable to teach his disciples who he is, his way, and his realm. They don't yet know that Jesus is headed to the cross to die a painful death or that he’ll be resurrected three days later. They don’t understand that he'll leave them for a time before returning. So, Jesus uses the familiar story of a wedding celebration to help explain. First-century wedding celebrations lasted for days, and the servants back home never knew when their master would return home from one. As a result, they need to stay ready by being awake and dressed, with lamps lit, to welcome him home. One thing is clear: Jesus promises it will be good for the servants if their master finds them watching and ready.
We are the servants. We're still living in this stage of waiting for Jesus to return, and we don't know how long it will be. That uncertainty can tempt us toward fear and make it hard to hope. But Jesus doesn't tell this story to make us anxious; he tells it so we'll know how to live in the meantime. He promises good things for those who remain watchful and ready (Luke 12:37–38). We don't have to live in fear. We can live in faith, confident that what's ahead is worth the wait.
TODAY: Express gratitude to God for the gospel and his saving work as you wait for his return. Write down three things you can be grateful for as you wait. Join Ada Bible Worship as they sing “What a Miracle.”
