Dressed for Action! - A Reflection on Luke 12:35-38


“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves”.

 

Many years ago, I wrote a series of articles on the “Armor of God”, and how important it was for the Christian to wear this armor at all times. It would ensure that we emerged victorious in the battles we keep fighting every day. I was reminded of this when I read about Jesus’ exhortation in today’s reading to be “dressed for action”. He didn’t tell us to be “PROPERLY dressed”, he told us to be “dressed for ACTION”,  which suggests that our attire reflects our readiness to act. Think of firemen on duty. No matter what they might be doing, the instant the alarm sounds they are ready to swing into action because they are dressed for action.  

 

Are we? This is what Paul says (and I paraphrase a little). “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (see Ephesians 6:10-17).

 

Paul was describing the attire of the Roman gladiator. The gladiators were the most formidable warriors of their time. Paul used their armor to illustrate how we should be clad. We need the belt of truth buckled around our waists. In Scriptural usage, truth has three meanings. One is truth in word and deed—the opposite of falsehood. Another is truth in the heart—the opposite of hypocrisy. And the third is truth in God—Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. All three truths are the links in the belt that God asks us to wear. 

 

We need the breastplate of righteousness, which is the righteousness of Jesus, not our own self-righteousness to protect our heart. We need the helmet of salvation, which is the “hope of salvation” to protect the mind from the constant taunts of the devil that God doesn’t love us. We need the gospel shoes on our feet, which serves to illuminate the path, as well as indicate our readiness to take the good news of salvation to all corners of the earth. We need the shield of faith, which serves as additional protection to our heart, mind, and feet, while preventing us going down in flames by the arrows shot by the enemy.

 

Finally, we need to be equipped with the Sword of the Spirit. Of all the items in the armory, there is one weapon that not only lets us defend ourselves, but also enables us to go on the offensive, putting the enemy to flight. It is this Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. For it to be effective, however, we need to know how to wield it. This means we need to read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it until it becomes an integral part of our life.

 

Let us put on the armor of God and be dressed for action!


Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/-zPUN6Vcssg


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