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Gospel: Luke 12: 29-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why does Jesus refer to himself as a “thief” in today’s Gospel?
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“If the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming,” he says, “he would not have let his house be broken into. You must also be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Thieves are threatening figures. They steal; take; pilfer what isn’t theirs. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life. He doesn’t steal.
So, why would he refer to himself as a “thief?”
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It depends upon who you ask.
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Remember the story of the rich young man.
One day he approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus, “looking at him, loved him, and said, ‘You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, then and come follow me.’”
But the man walked away sad, “for he had many possessions.”
To him, Jesus felt like a thief, because he was laying claim to the man’s riches; his freedom; even his future. He was teaching the rich young man that everything – even his life – belongs to God.
A similar lesson is being shared with the crowds in today’s Gospel. They are nearly trampling one another underfoot, eager to listen to Jesus.
Weeding out those who are serious about following him from those who are not, Jesus makes the standard of discipleship clear: he wants us to place everything we have and are into in his hands.
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How does such a demand make me feel? Is Jesus a thief or a friend?
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I suppose it depends upon who you ask.
What do you say?
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Image credits: (1) Scripture Way (2) The Glory of His Grace, WordPress (3) Wyoming Department of Health