Jesus’ parable reminds us that we’re accountable for what we know, and that “to whom much has been given, much will be required.” We don’t have to figure out every mystery of God, but we are called to live out the simple, clear commands: love God, love neighbor, forgive, and care for those in need. Leadership adds even more responsibility, which is why the local church matters—it keeps us grounded, accountable, and faithful. At the end of the day, faith isn’t about overcomplicating things; it’s about being faithful to what we already know and living it out with love.

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Well, good morning. Happy Friday! It’s good to be with you on this wonderful day as we continue studying God’s Word together. Hope you’ve got a great weekend planned. It’s October, so that means wedding season—I’ve got one tomorrow and another next weekend. Beautiful season for weddings.

And I’m looking forward to Sunday, too. After church we’re heading up to Memphis because I finally get to see Tyler Childers in concert. I’ve always wanted to see him, so I’m pretty excited about that. I’ve been joking I’ll just do the benediction in the car on the way there. But before that, Sunday is World Communion Sunday—a beautiful day to worship together. We’d love to have you join us at St. Matthew’s.

Today we’re in Luke 12:41–48 (NRSV):

“Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?’ And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.

But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming,” and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

That slave who knew what his master wanted but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.’”

That’s a tough-sounding parable, isn’t it? It really echoes what we talked about yesterday—this call to always be alert. The servant who knows what’s expected but ignores it? There are consequences.

Peter asks, “Lord, are you talking to us or to everyone?” And Jesus basically says, “I’m talking to everybody.” But then he adds, “To whom much has been given, much will be required. To whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

That line hits me. I think Jesus is saying we’ll all be held accountable for what we know. God doesn’t hold us responsible for the mysteries we don’t understand—but he does hold us responsible for what we do know, and what we do about it.

Now, there’s a lot of theology I can’t explain. I don’t understand all the mysteries of God’s sovereignty or the timing of Christ’s return. I can tell you what I believe, and what my church believes, but there are plenty of things I just take on faith.

But then there are things that are simple, clear, and not complicated: forgive your enemies, help the poor, care for the least of these. As one of my mentors used to say: Jesus isn’t hard to understand—he’s just hard to follow.

“To whom much has been given, much will be required.” We’ve been given knowledge of what Jesus calls us to do—so the question is, will we live it out? It’s easy to spend all our energy pondering mysteries instead of just being faithful to what we already know: love God, love neighbor.

And for those of us in leadership, there’s even more responsibility. If you’ve been entrusted with spiritual oversight, more is expected of you. That’s one reason I think the local church matters so much. Christian leadership without accountability is dangerous. In a local church, people know you. They pray for you. They call you out when you say something off. That’s good—that’s healthy. It keeps us humble.

So friends, don’t get so lost in the mysteries that you miss the call to simply be faithful. Love God. Love neighbor. Stay grounded in your church, because that’s the soil where faith grows.

So let’s love well and be faithful, no matter where this weekend takes us. Thanks for being with me today, and we’ll pick back up Monday with verse 49.