Luke 12:35-13:9 - Are You Ready?

Imagine it is the night of the Passover in Egypt. After more than 100 years of harsh slavery, your people have been told freedom is coming, though you don’t know what it will look like. Death is coming upon the land, and the only shelter is the blood of a spotless lamb. You are told to keep your belt fastened, sandals on, and staff in hand. You do this and are ready to go.

Today’s passage centers around readiness. Jesus has just taught about storing treasure in heaven rather than on earth. And now He tells a series of parables showing what it looks like to live with Him as our treasure and what readiness looks like for them now, in the time between His resurrection and His return, and at His return itself.

The original recipients needed this text because they, like us, were tempted to drift…toward comfort, distraction, and living as though Jesus were not returning. This problem wasn’t just a problem for them, it is a problem in our day too. Many people live self-confidently, thinking they are good enough to withstand the judgment or live self-seeking lives, ignoring Jesus’ imminent return and his call for us.

This passage gives us an opportunity today…rather than living self-confident, self-seeking, and self-justifying lives, what if we could live in faithfulness, repentance, and fruitful readiness? What if we could know for certain that we are ready for death or Jesus’ return?

With this opportunity before us, let's read God's word with expectation from Luke 12:35-13:9.

Luke 12:35–13:9 ESV

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, 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 does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, 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 her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

This text teaches us that…

Christ Calls All People to Be Ready for His Coming

Just as the Lord called the Israelites to be ready to leave the land of Egypt—the house of slavery—so the Lord Jesus in this passage calls all people to be ready for His work of redemption now, and for His final return.

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In verses 35–40, He tells His disciples to be dressed for action like the Israelites in Egypt and to keep their lamps burning—echoing the perpetual lamps of the tabernacle (Exod. 27; Lev. 24), which symbolized covenant faithfulness and the prayers of God’s people continually rising before Him. And the reward for such readiness? He—the Great Servant—will serve the faithful.

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In verses 41–48, Peter asks if this teaching is only for the disciples or for everyone. The disciples expected Jesus’ kingdom to come now — to throw down the Romans and restore Israel. They assumed they were already ready simply because they were with the King—and so this must be for others. Yet Jesus answers by showing that greater responsibility brings greater accountability. Those who know His will and live unprepared for His coming will face a more severe judgment. He is drawing them to think about the kingdom of God in a very different way — not as a physical revolt, but as spiritual readiness for His reign—ushered in through His death and resurrection.

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In verses 49–53, Jesus explains that the conflict He brings must not come from His disciples themselves. Those who live ready for His return will face division—not by the sword, but even within their own homes. Why? Because others do not have Jesus as their treasure, while His disciples do, and those united to Him will experience persecution as He did.

In verses 54–56, He turns to the crowd and rebukes them for failing to interpret the present time — for missing that God’s kingdom has already come near in His life, His teaching, and His miracles, not in some earthly, sword-drawn, enemy-crushing way.

Then, in verses 57–59, He warns them to settle their debt before they stand before the Judge and find themselves in servitude. Jesus is pressing them to consider the reality of how they are living — and whether they are truly ready to face Him.

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Next, in chapter 13:1–5, when people tell Him about the Galileans Pilate slaughtered as they offered their sacrifices—a report likely charged with political expectation—Jesus responds with a completely different example: the eighteen killed when the tower of Siloam fell, likely a natural disaster. Both tragedies serve as warnings of a greater judgment: ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’ He calls them into His kingdom, not the political one they imagined.

Finally, in 13:6–9, He tells the parable of a barren fig tree. God has been patient with Israel, but His patience is reaching its end. They have rejected the King and His kingdom, refusing to bear His fruit. There is limited time.

Repentance and fruitfulness are the true marks of readiness.

When we look at this the whole passage we can see clearly that Christ calls all people to be ready for His coming.

But readiness isn’t passivity. It’s not just waiting for Jesus to show up someday. Readiness is living now with your treasure in Christ—faithful, repentant, and fruitful—because His coming is certain and His judgment is just.

But instead of living in readiness, like the Egyptians when the destroyer came…

People Live in Readiness for Pleasure, Not Christ’s Coming

It’s easy to be ready when you know what’s coming. In sports, if you already knew the other team’s play, you’d have no trouble defending it. The problem Jesus exposes isn’t just that people are unprepared—it’s that they’re prepared for the wrong thing. They’re studying last week’s play, not the next one.

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Many don’t study at all, saying, “I’ve got time. I’ll straighten up later. I’ll choose Him later.” But Jesus says the Son of Man will come like a thief in the night—just as suddenly as the destroyer came upon Egypt at Passover, and Egypt wasn’t ready.

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The world lives as though He will never return: “You only live once—so live for comfort and pleasure.” But some live as though they will be ready when He returns, trusting in their own goodness: “I’m a decent person. I go to church. God will accept me.” Both are forms of un-readiness—one ignores judgment, the other assumes it will pass judgment without repentance.

The flesh wants peace and ease, not the conflict or suffering that comes with following Jesus. But He warns that living ready for Him will even divide families. Those without Christ say, “That’s not worth it.”

Rebellion says, “Christ won’t really judge. I don’t need to repent.” But Jesus won’t allow that. When people pointed to the Galileans Pilate killed—assuming that Rome deserved judgment, and also that those Galileans must have been worse sinners to suffer such a fate—Jesus challenges their thinking. He asks whether they really believe those Galileans were worse than others, and then warns them that unless they repent, they will all likewise perish.

More broadly, the unready life manifests itself outwardly as laziness instead of watchfulness, drunkenness instead of self-control, abusing others instead of loving others, spiritual blindness instead of discernment, and fruitlessness instead of faithfulness. Inwardly, it is self-confident, self-seeking, and self-justifying—living as though nothing awaits after death.

Here’s the world’s thinking in a sentence: “I don’t need to be ready because either Jesus isn’t coming back, or if He is, I can handle it.” But Jesus says the unready servant will be cut off and cast out.

And if that were the end of the story, it would be one we couldn’t bear to hear. But there is good news…

Jesus Perished for Our Judgment to Ready Us for Glory

Now Jesus gives hope—not by minimizing judgment but by taking it on Himself. The Passover lamb was never a random ritual; it pointed to the true spotless (sinless) Lamb of God whose blood covers sinners from destruction…Jesus.

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Jesus, the Faithful Servant, was always ready and obedient to His Father’s will (v. 37). Where we are lazy, He was vigilant. Where we are self-indulgent, He was self-giving. Though He is the Master, He girded Himself to serve, and did so without sin—spotlessly.

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And even though He is the eternal Son, He willingly became the Rejected Son, opposed even within His own family and nation (vv. 52–53). He entered that division so that we might enter His peace.

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He is the True Sacrifice whose blood alone secures forgiveness (13:1). The people knew what it meant for blood and sacrifice to mingle, but Jesus offered His own blood in atonement—the one sacrifice that truly cleanses guilt.

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On the cross, He endured the baptism of judgment He spoke of in verse 50. In Gethsemane He felt the floodwaters of wrath rising, yet He readied Himself to drink from that cup of wrath. Rejecting self-seeking pleasure, He bore the fire of judgment for us. Because the fire of God’s wrath fell on Him at the cross, the fire He now casts on His people (v. 49) is purifying grace, not destruction.

He is our Strong Tower (13:4)—the One struck down so we might find refuge. When the tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen, it was a picture of sudden judgment. Jesus became the One who fell under that judgment so we might be lifted up in grace.

And He is the Faithful Fig Tree (13:6–9), full of the fruit Israel lacked. In Him is our true repentance and fruitfulness. Raised by the Spirit, He pours out that same Spirit so we might abide in the True Vine and bear His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

At the cross, Jesus bore the punishment of the unfaithful servant (vv. 45–46), the judgment of the unrepentant sinner (13:3, 5), and the barrenness of the fruitless tree (13:7). He perished for our judgment to ready us for glory.

And because He rose again, He pours out His Spirit of adoption so that we no longer serve as slaves in fear, but as sons and daughters in love. The cross is not only pardon—it is transformation. His baptism of judgment becomes our baptism into new life. His Spirit now works in us to produce the very readiness, repentance, faithfulness, and fruitfulness He commands.

He does this by uniting us to Himself by the Spirit so that…

Empowered by Christ Himself, We Live in Faithful, Repentant, Fruitful Readiness

Because we are united to Christ, we are empowered by His Spirit to live ready for His coming. Like the Israelites dressed for their exodus, we live clothed for Christ’s return—not by our own strength, but by the Spirit of Christ who dwells in us. Through the Spirit of adoption, we live as sons and daughters “in the Son,” delighting to serve our Father. And so…

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• We live in faithfulness because we are united to the Faithful One (v. 37).
• We live for God’s will because we are sons in the Son, united to Jesus who fulfilled the Father’s will for our salvation (v. 47).
• We live in repentance because Jesus has provided the ground of forgiveness without fear of reprisal (13:5).
• We live in fruitful readiness because the Spirit of Christ now works His fruit of holiness in us (13:8–9).

Therefore, by this same Spirit of adoption:

• Instead of being lazy and asleep as if dead, we live in the life of His resurrection power.
• Instead of living in drunkenness or abusing others, we live in faithfulness—leading others into the life of Christ and abiding in the Vine.
• Instead of living for ourselves without repentance, we daily turn toward Christ, asking Him to enable our obedience and to bear His fruit through us.
• And instead of looking only to earthly signs, we fix our eyes on Christ and His Word, discerning the times by the Spirit and walking in holiness.

What I want you to see is: the cross completed our redemption, the resurrection applied it, and now the Spirit makes us new. Pardoned from laziness, unfaithfulness, and blindness, we are grafted into Christ—the sap of His Spirit produces His fruit in us.

So when you drift into coldness toward Scripture or prayer, remember the Faithful Servant. Ask brothers, sisters, or your elders to pray that the Spirit would reconnect you to the Vine. When you fall into self-seeking, remember you have been given Christ Himself—His life, His righteousness, His Spirit. When you judge others, remember you stand only by grace; let compassion replace pride and pray for those who wander.

The Spirit of adoption turns lazy servants into faithful sons, self-seeking hearts into serving hands, and barren trees into fruitful branches.

So if you are in Christ, the call of this passage is not fear but readiness. Jesus perished for your judgment to ready you for glory. And if you are not in Christ, He offers Himself to you now—so that by trusting in Him, confessing Him as Lord, believing He was raised from the dead, and repenting, you may be prepared for His coming.

Jesus’ call today is: Live awake. Live faithful. Live repentant. Live fruitful. Not in your own strength but by the Spirit of the Son who lives in you.

When He comes, may He find us watching—joyfully—for the Master who returns is the One who once girded Himself to serve you, the One baptized in judgment for you, the Son who bore your shame and judgment to make you His child.

Live ready, brothers and sisters—for your King is coming.