October 13, the Master Servant, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches

of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 27. To me, the Bible's most

astonishing image of Christ's second coming is Luke 1235 to 37, which pictures the return of a

Master from a marriage feast like this. 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. To be sure, we are called servants and that no

doubt means we are to do exactly as we are told, but the wonder of this picture is that the Master

insists on serving. We may have expected this during Jesus' ministry on earth since he said the

Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, Mark 1045,

but Luke 1235 to 37 is a picture of the second coming. When the Son of Man comes in the blinding

glory of his father with his mighty angels in flaming fire as 2 Thessalonians 1, 7 and 8 says,

why would Jesus be portrayed as a table waiter at the second coming? Because the very heart of

his glory is the fullness of grace that overflows in kindness to needy people.

This is why Ephesians 2 7 says he aims in the coming ages to show the immeasurable riches of his

grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. What is the greatness of our God? What is his uniqueness

in the world? Isaiah answers, from a bold no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen

a God besides thee who works for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64 4, there is no other God like

this. He never relinquishes the role of an inexhaustible benefactor of his ever-dependent,

happy people.