Vigilance and Stewardship

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Today’s Gospel has two parts - the first is a set of prescriptions concerning material wealth and the second, is a set of short parables about vigilance and stewardship. The first part makes a good transition from last week’s reading where our Lord told the parable of the Rich Fool, emphasising the futility of hoarding earthly treasures. In contrast to the Rich Fool who hoarded his wealth and refused to share it with others, we are told in today’s passage to share it with others through almsgiving. Instead of accumulating earthly wealth, almsgiving is storing up “treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it.” Here’s the irony of true worth, the more we give away, the more enriched we become. The Lord then sums up His teaching on trusting God’s providence rather than earthly wealth with this saying: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The topic abruptly changes as the Lord now instructs His disciples with parables based on eschatological themes concerning the master’s coming: the vigilance required of servants awaiting their master; a household owner not knowing what time the thief comes and finally a steward’s duties during his master’s absence. Is our Lord referring to His passion, death and resurrection or is He referring to His second coming at the end of this age? The text is deliberately ambivalent and could very well be taken to refer to both events.

The first parable has our Lord telling His disciples to be “dressed for action and have your lamps lit.” The phrase can be literally translated as “gird your loins,” which means to gather up one’s ankle length robe (need to remember that they did not wear trousers) and tuck it at the waist with a belt so that one can be ready for hard menial work. It is not only a practical set of instructions but also alludes to the command given to Israel regarding the Passover meal before the Exodus: “this is how you are to eat it: with your loins girded” (Exod 12:11). Our Lord’s accompanying instruction to have their “lamps lit” also fits this connexion, since the Passover meal and flight took place at night. The Passover imagery used serves two purposes - first, the Master’s return would not be a frightening event, unless you are unprepared, but one in which He will bring liberation to His people. Second, this is consistent with Jewish expectation that the Messiah would come during the meal on Passover night. This would be fulfilled by the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection which will take place over the Jewish Passover.

This subtle allusion to the Paschal Triduum appears again in the next line when the context of the Master’s return is at a wedding feast. At one level, this could refer to the messianic banquet (Isa 25:6-8; 55:1-3). At another level it could be pointing to the scene of the Last Supper where the Lord after having instituted the Eucharist, does what He has predicted in this passage, that “he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.” The Eucharist becomes the foretaste and anticipation of the messianic banquet of the Kingdom at our Lord’s second coming. The end times theme effortlessly slips back into the flow of this story when our Lord tells them that the coming of the Son of Man will be at an unknown hour - it could even be at the second or third watch, which means the hours when people are usually asleep. So, the disciples must always be prepared. As they were called to remain awake during the Lord’s agony in the garden, so must they remain vigilant while awaiting the Lord’s return.

This constant vigilance required is illustrated by another parable. The strange metaphor used is that of a burglar who comes at an unexpected hour. Although it may seem strange to equate the messianic figure of the Son of Man with a burglar, the point is clear. Just as a burglar, if he wishes to be successful in his mission, would not announce the hour of his coming to the houseowner, the Lord’s coming too will be sudden, in order to achieve His mission. He will break into history not when it seems to be finished, nor indeed when all seems hopeless, but at a time that makes sense to Him. And when He does come, He expects to find us working for that Kingdom which He alone can bring to completion.

Until this stage of our passage, our Lord’s teachings were meant for everyone, but the last segment seems to be specifically targeted at the apostles or Christian leaders in general, the stewards of God’s graces. The transition into this last part is occasioned by St Peter’s question: “Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?” To Peter’s credit, he addresses Jesus as “Lord” (Kyrios), which is the title used by Jews to address God and can also be translated as “master,” perhaps showing that Peter understood that the “master” in the Lord’s parables, is referencing Jesus. It would have taken some time for Peter to understand the full extent of what he had asked, but by the time he wrote his first epistle, he seemed to have grasp it: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Our Lord’s answer seems to be especially addressed to Peter and the Twelve, which He had chosen to be His leaders or stewards: “What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?” The distribution of food, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was part of the job description of the Apostles until the task was delegated to the deacons. But this could also mean that their duty was to feed the faithful with both the Word and the Sacrament.

Our Lord answers His own rhetorical question by providing us with two examples - one of the faithful and wise servant who is rewarded with a blessing because he is found to be at his job upon his master’s arrival, and another, of the presumptuous servant who abuses his underlings and indulges himself in self-pleasure. The latter will be duly punished for his failings.

Our Lord then sets out a rule, that the punishment meted out would be proportionate to the amount of knowledge or level of authority the person possessed. Hence, more is entrusted, more is demanded. In a corrupt world, where the weak are often scapegoated and punished with the harshest of penalties, and the powerful are let off with a minor drubbing or escape accountability altogether, we know that no one can escape the justice of God that awaits us at the end. There will be an accounting and our actions have consequences which we must bear.

Thus, our Lord sets before us some practical guidance for this present life in which we live and also how we should live in anticipation of the future. We should not be so blind and myopic as to be so utterly focused with the present, without realising that our actions have consequences, eternal consequences for our souls. We never know what each day will bring, just as no one knows when the Son of Man will return. That is why we are to be faithful at whatever duty that has been entrusted to us, and preparation to meet the Lord must be a lifelong commitment. Whether in our business, personal or spiritual life, this should be how we think, live, and pray. We never know when an important event will occur. Each day is a day of possibility. Each day, a sharp turn can occur. The only thing we need to know is that our Lord has asked us to be prepared. So, with our lamps lit, let’s get working, let’s be dressed for action, so that we can indeed face the future, and the present, with courage and joy.