Luke 12:46
The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
The lord comes on a day not expected and at an hour not known, so his arrival is sudden and overtakes those who are unaware and unready. He cuts the unfaithful servant apart and assigns him his place with the unbelievers and hypocrites, which is severe judgment and the fate of the lost. That unfaithfulness is shown by saying in heart and life that the lord delays his coming, by mistreating fellow servants and joining in eating and drinking and drunkenness, and by a selfish worldly life that prefers earthly gain and pleasure to eternal treasure and neglects entrusted duty to God and others. Mere profession of faith gives no protection, and those who knew God's will but did not do it face greater punishment and final exclusion from Christ's kingdom. Therefore the verse calls for constant readiness through vigilant work, daily prayer and watchfulness, and faithful stewardship of grace and truth to carry life and relief to perishing people before opportunity ends unexpectedly.
Sudden Coming and Judgment
The lord arrives on a day the servant does not expect and at an hour he does not know, so his coming is sudden and overtakes those who are unaware and unready. It is the unexpected return of the master to judge the unfaithful servant who assumes his lord delays his coming and neglects his duty. That claim of delay is shown by disbelief in the warning, by mistreating fellow servants, and by joining in self-indulgence in beating the menservants and maidens and in eating and drinking and drunkenness, and by a selfish, worldly life. The warning is directed against ridiculing the nearness of the coming of the Son of man, and a long wait does not mean the promise is mistaken, for God's patience with the wicked serves His merciful purpose of saving souls. Watchfulness and faithful service are therefore urgent because the day of the Lord is near, so waiting must be joined with vigilant work and care for spiritual life rather than careless idleness, and those given greater light and responsibility are accountable for acting on what they know.
He will cut the unfaithful servant asunder and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers, which is punishment and the fate assigned to unbelievers. That portion is also described as with the hypocrites, a severe judgment falling at Christ's coming in glory on those who oppose Him and scorn those who receive Him and who persist in hypocrisy. It is exemplified by the fasting Pharisees who charged Him with immorality for His holy eating with sinners and tried to prejudice His disciples against Him. While they are appointed with hypocrites and unbelievers, the despised sinners who heard His words of life and accepted Him as Redeemer are gathered into His kingdom.
The verse belongs to the lesson of Luke 12, which gives teaching of great importance for all the sons and daughters of God. It forms part of Christ's description of the earth's last events and calls for constant readiness expressed through faithful work. It is urged for study in connection with faithful use of the Lord's resources, with keeping watch and being ready for the lord's return, living as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above. That readiness means guarding the heart with perpetual vigilance against estrangement from God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, making sacrifices without ostentation, hiding self in Jesus, and walking in self-abasement and lowliness through sanctification of the Spirit.
The owner's return brings a reckoning for how entrusted goods were used, and unfaithful stewards who disregard warnings and light will be called to account. Every person is a steward who must live for God every day because no one knows when life closes and the Lord comes saying, Give an account of thy stewardship. God has made His people stewards of His grace and truth to carry life and relief to perishing men, and neglect to impart these blessings is unfaithfulness and robbery. Servants entrusted with relief who lose the purpose of mercy, divert what was entrusted into selfish channels for benefit and gain and needless luxury while others need help, and leave those sent to to die are guilty of terrible sin, their robbery is written in the Lord's record, and the cries of the perishing ascend to heaven against them. Faithfulness requires the God-given work of bringing the gospel of the kingdom to all parts of the earth and to all peoples, tongues, and nations with hurry before Christ comes, putting away selfishness and wasteful spending on adornment, using time to open the Bible and awaken souls, and being cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit with the eye fixed on Christ, while faithful stewards who stand the test receive God's reward.
Marks of Unfaithful Servants
The unfaithful servant says in his heart that his lord delays his coming, and that inward saying is also expressed in words and actions as disbelief in the warning and waning faith in the soon return. It is spiritual carelessness during the very time of watching, a neglect of duty on the assumption that Christ will not come as foretold. A long wait does not prove the promise mistaken, for the delay serves mercy in saving souls, yet the servant treats it as excuse for unfaithfulness. The claim of delay is therefore the mark by which the servant who ridicules the nearness of the Son of man is known.
That supposed delay is shown by mistreating fellow servants, beginning to beat the menservants and maidens. It is shown at the same time by joining in self-indulgence in eating and drinking and drunkenness.
It is also shown by a selfish, worldly life in loving the world and remaining conformed to its spirit and fashions. The servant prefers earthly interests, benefits, and pleasures to eternal treasure and God's work, living absorbed in self-interest and pleasing self. He becomes spiritually asleep and slothful, neglecting God's work and failing to act for the good of others. If continued in, that course makes the portion with unbelievers certain.
It is shown further by unfaithful stewardship in neglecting assigned duty, including duty to family and the good of others. Entrusted means are diverted to needless luxury, adornment, selfish gain, and wasteful spending and use of time, while the purpose of mercy is lost. Those entrusted with life, relief, light, and truth fail to impart them, leaving those to whom they were sent to die, withholding compassion from the needy and destitute. Their robbery is written in the record and the cries of the perishing ascend against them, for neglect to diffuse what Heaven gave is unfaithfulness and robbery repeated daily. Influence is used against instruction to lead others to do what God warned against, and those in responsible positions misuse trust to obstruct others from receiving truth and knowledge. Ungodliness may hide under Christian appearance, but at last those who serve God and those who do not will be distinguished.
The same judgment falls on those who oppose Christ and scorn those who receive Him. It is exemplified by the fasting Pharisees who charged Him with immorality for His holy eating with sinners and tried to prejudice His disciples against Him, persisting in hypocrisy. When Christ comes in glory they are appointed their portion with the hypocrites and unbelievers. At that same coming the despised sinners who heard His words of life and accepted Him as Redeemer are gathered into His kingdom.
Mere profession of faith gives no protection and brings no reward. Profession does not make one Christ's people, and professed followers who remain conformed to the world are counted among hypocrites and unbelievers outside the city. Those who knew God's will but did not do it face greater punishment and greater anguish.
Having the portion with unbelievers means not hearing the faithful-servant welcome but final exclusion from Christ's kingdom. It comes for disobedience to His commandments, failure to deny self for His sake, and failure to form a character after Christ's pattern for eternal life. It fixes eternal destiny by the servant's own unchanged choice to be like unbelievers in words and actions, to refuse to come out and be separate and touch not the unclean, to refuse sonship in the royal family as children of the heavenly King, to not love Christ, to despise His entreaties, and to choose other associates and society. This is so though as Redeemer He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him, for the disposition unchanged determines the end.
Call to Watchful Stewardship
The verse calls for constant readiness expressed through faithful work rather than careless idleness, for the servant who assumes delay and neglects duty is overtaken by unexpected judgment and assigned a share with unbelievers. Waiting must therefore be joined with vigilant work and care for the spiritual life, because the day of the Lord is near. Those given greater light and responsibility are accountable for acting on what they know.
Readiness requires earnest religious interest and whole-hearted service instead of tame, listless striving, through daily prayer and watchfulness. It requires living as pilgrims and strangers whose citizenship is above, guarding the heart with perpetual vigilance against estrangement from God. It requires hungering and thirsting after righteousness, making sacrifices without ostentation, hiding self in Jesus, and walking in self-abasement and lowliness through sanctification of the Spirit.
Readiness requires faithful use of the Lord's resources, for servants are made stewards of grace and truth to carry life and relief to perishing people, and neglect to impart these blessings is unfaithfulness and robbery. That robbery is written in the record and the cries of the perishing ascend to heaven against those who divert what was entrusted into channels of selfishness for benefit and gain and leave those sent to to die. Each one has a God-given work to be faithful in bringing the gospel of the kingdom to all parts of the earth and to all peoples, tongues, and nations, and since Christ comes after that gospel has been carried everywhere there must be hurry. Faithfulness requires putting away selfishness and waste, wasteful spending on adornment and needless luxury while others need help, and self-serving use of time, and using time to open the Bible and awaken souls, with cleansing from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and the eye fixed on Christ; those who divert God's means in this way are unfaithful stewards held responsible, while faithful stewards who stand the test receive reward.
A long wait does not mean the promise is mistaken, for God's patience with the wicked serves His merciful purpose of saving souls, so His people must continue to wait and cooperate in that work. Ungodliness may hide under Christian appearance, especially through misuse of trust and obstructing others from receiving truth by those in responsible positions, but those who serve God and those who do not will at last be distinguished. The warning therefore urges immediate repentance, because opportunity can end unexpectedly through the close of probation or death before one is ready. Those who condemn others while neglecting their own sins and resisting the Spirit can become self-deceived and hardened, so they must humble themselves and seek God wholeheartedly before it is too late, and the unfaithful steward answerable for using influence against instruction and leading others to do what God warned against faces judgment unless he repents.