2 Corinthians 4:5-12: They Should Get The Credit

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. - 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

 It is very tempting to redirect conversations to reflect what we know and how special we are. I know because I am a master at it. I can find a connection between anything you say to something I've done, someone I know or some dumb joke that I heard. At the center of all of those things is "I" Even self-deprecating jokes still center on me-my failure, my inadequacies, my faux pas. 

But Paul says here that "what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants." The key here is related to the word "servants" and its not even Jesus' servants but "your servants" 

It seems that servants should not upstage the one that they are serving. That is: the butler should not look more important than the head of the household and the waiter at a restaurant should not look more important than the head chef. But in this case we are not supposed to look more important than Jesus--that's pretty easy to track with--but also we are not supposed to look more important than "you"--the people we are serving--"with ourselves as your servants" Now that's a tough one. 

Making God look like the star of the show is one thing, but making you look like the start of the show is a level of humility that I struggle with. God gives me many opportunities to show this level of humility--at home, at work, at the checkout counter, in like at the hotel or on the road in my car--and I fail regularly. So I will pray the dangerous prayer--Lord, give me opportunities to give you and them the most credit without hinting that I deserve some too. 

Luke 12:35-59: The Perpetual Waiting

 “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. But understand 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, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 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. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

“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! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” - Luke 12:35-39

It is interesting in the first of Jesus' stories he adds the phrase, "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." In this setting it can't be referring to Jesus himself, since he would be the 'master of the house' Instead it seems to be referring to the other thief 'Satan' One of the roles, then of those who were waiting for the bridgegroom was prevent the thief from breaking into contents of the house, the feast, maybe the gifts. That is, those waiting were not just 'waiting' but rather making sure that everything remained ready.

Both of the stories at the beginning emphasize being ready. I guess it is easy to put off effort if you think there is still a lot of time left (like the foolish mains). I guess it is easy to develop other priorities if you think there is still a lot of time left. I think Jesus' point is we are always on the cusp of a new age. We are never in a period of complacency. It is a form of spiritual laziness that I am prone to, especially after many years of struggling (and often failing) to change to say "I guess this is good enough/"