Much will be required of the person entrusted with much. Today’s Gospel passage is among a series of teachings of Jesus that occurred following his denunciation of the Pharisees and scholars of the law (cf. Luke 11:37-54). At the beginning of the series of teachings (12:1), and perhaps as their introduction, Jesus tells his disciples to be on their guard and watch out for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Although today’s Gospel passage comes more than thirty-five verses later, it affords us some insight into the hypocrisy about which Jesus was warning his disciples. Just like the Pharisees, Jesus’ disciples had taken upon themselves a responsibility that was going to put them in some kind of leadership roles. But unlike the Pharisees, the disciples were to understand that their leadership roles were to turn them into servants, not masters or lords. In the passage we have read, Jesus reminds his disciples on what their identity and what is expected of them.
In the parable that Jesus gives, the servant was found unprepared for his master’s return because of his infidelity. The servant had been entrusted as a steward in his master’s household. He was in charge of both his master’s property as well as the other servants who worked in his master’s estate. As a steward, his responsibility was that of ensuring that everything ran smoothly and that his master’s estate produced handsome returns. His responsibility became even greater and his loyalty needed the most when his master was away on a trip. But it was at this moment that he was found wanting because he failed the loyalty test. He became not only an irresponsible servant but also an unfaithful one.
Discipleship is all about fidelity. The fidelity required of a disciple is not one of doing but rather of being. A disciple must be aware of his/her identity at all times, for it is in this that lies the preparedness that Jesus is talking about. Once the being of a disciple is up-to-date, the doing of a disciple becomes easy since it flows form his/her “being.” Had the servant kept in mind his identity as the steward of his master’s household, he would not have been caught unawares by the return of the master since the household would have been found running smoothly. As a matter of fact, the return of the master would have become a joyous occasion for him, a time to show the master the good things that happened in his absence. As disciples, we become ready for the second coming of Jesus when we understand the call that we have received from Jesus and as we endeavor to live perfectly that call.