My morning Bible reading included these words of Jesus from Matthew 24: “So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

Even those of us who really do believe His promise to return, seldom live in expectancy of that momentous event. He anticipated that response in those who reason, “My master is staying away a LONG TIME” (24:48). Perhaps this was a tip off that His return would not be as soon as His first-century followers expected.

Jesus’ description of those who are “ready” for His return is instructive: “Who then is that faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

The Master does not expect His servants to be standing at the door awaiting His return, but rather to be busy doing the job entrusted to them.

What was that assignment in Jesus’ illustration? It was to regularly feed those who lacked resources–the other servants in the house — the low-income, low-wage, live-from-day-to-day workers. This has implications for all those Jesus has blessed with resources as well as Christian business owners.

Jesus often expressed concern for the poor and characterized His true servants as those who fed, clothed, and housed the poor and the immigrants, as well as those who cared for the sick and visited those in prison (Matthew 25:31-46). In His most famous sermon (the “sermon on the mount”) Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Luke 12:33). Churches don’t hear a lot of sermons on those words of Jesus! If the topic were announced in advance, I wonder how many people would choose that Sunday to visit Gramma?

Here’s how to be ready for Jesus’ return: be busy doing the work He assigned. Let’s keep our eyes open today for someone in need who needs our generous and sacrificial assistance.