12:36 In the parable the master returns from a wedding feast. Perhaps Jesus had the heavenly marriage supper of Jesus with His bride the church in view (cf. Rev. 4-5). This event will precede His second coming to the earth (Rev. 19). Jesus was not referring to the messianic banquet since that will follow the Second Coming. The disciples in view are on earth, and Jesus is returning from heaven. Thus this parable is most directly applicable to disciples living on the earth during the Great Tribulation. It also teaches Christian disciples to be ready for the Lord's coming at the Rapture. Jesus could have returned as soon as seven years after His ascension, so the disciples who first heard Him speak these words also needed to be ready.
12:37-38 The blessing that Jesus promised was that the Master would serve His servants. This was unthinkable in Jesus' world (cf. John 13:3-8). However, Jesus enforced its certainty with a strong affirmation that Luke did not record Him using since 4:24. The messianic banquet on earth at the beginning of the millennium is evidently in view here.
"Eschatological fulfillment, and specifically sharing in God's reign, is repeatedly pictured in terms of a festive meal in Luke. This association must be considered when interpreting the meal scenes and references to a future meal in the gospel, which have an unusually prominent place in Luke's account of the ministry of Jesus."311
Messiah will continue to serve His people during the messianic kingdom, but He will honor the faithful especially. The second watch was from 9:00 p.m. to midnight, and the third watch was from midnight to 3:00 a.m. by Jewish reckoning. These periods present the present world as a place of darkness in which a disciple can sleep rather than bear witness.312
