V 32.

'Have no fear, little flock; for your Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom.
NIV. ....your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
NLT: ....it gives your Father great happiness to give you the kingdom.

Jesus wants us to know that we should not get into a frazzled state about the provision of our day to day needs.  He is not saying that we just have to sit around doing nothing and God will wave some kind of magic wand to feed and clothe us.  He expects us to use the skills and talents he has given us to earn our keep in the best way we can.  But we should not be anxious about it. Providing we are doing our best, we can relax and trust God to make sure our needs are met.

Jesus tells us that it is God's pleasure to give us the kingdom - to allow us to share everything he owns.

V 33, 34

Sell your posessions and give in charity.  Provide for yourselves purses that do not wear out, and never failing treasure in heaven, where no thief can get near it, no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
NIV: Sell your posessions and give to the poor.
NLT: Sell what you have and give to those in need.

Here is a clear directive for us to share our material wealth with those less fortunate than ourselves, even if it means selling some valued possessions to do so.  We are to give generously, not clasping our belongings tightly to ourselves.

' "(Therefore) sell your possessions, and give alms." In other words, simplify your life; lighten your burden of material assets so that your spiritual journey will no longer be impaired by their weight.' Rev. John Shearman (UCCan. ret.) Oakville, ON  Canada. Midrash online discussion list. (midrash@joinhands.com)

NLT: This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them.  Your treasure will be safe - no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

Jesus points out to us the foolishness of relying for our security on things that can be taken away from us or which can perish or be destroyed.  It is much more sensible to place our reliance on things of eternity - that can never be destroyed or stolen from us - spiritual things - our relationship with God.

The Message: It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

The things that are most important to us with be those things we spend most of our time and energy on. And surely, we will be best served in using our time and energy on things that will last longest.  Spiritual things will last long after our physical bodies and our material possessions are gone.

Quest Study Bible note, p 1441.   Jesus' concern is that our possessions do not possess us.  Some have felt that god wanted them to take a vow of poverty, learning to trust him by giving away everything they owned to help the poor.  Others look to other verses in the Bible to help interpret this one.  They believe the point here is that all we have belongs to God.  But he gives us the responsibility to manage those possessions in ways that will honour him and accomplish his will.

New Bible Commentary, p 1001.  In a world in which people are set on a rat-race for better living conditions, let the disciples first seek out God's will and his salvation; then they will find that their bodily needs are taken care of.  Let them sell their possessions and give to the needy, and set their desire on a heavenly treasure that will not pass away.

V 35, 36

'Be ready for action, with belts fastened and lamps alight. Be like men who wait for their master's return from a wedding-party, ready to let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.
NIV: Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

We need to be ready for action in God's service.  This means making sure we keep our relationship with him strong, keep our knowledge of his will for us clear through prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians and regular worship.  He has provided all these way sof keeping in touch, so we must use them.  We need to be ready for the times when Jesus asks us to serve him and ready for his coming again to this earth.  We don't know when he will come or when he will ask us to do his work - or exactly what he will ask of us.

V 37.
Happy are those servants whom the master finds on the alert when he comes.  I tell you this: he will fasten his belt, seat them at table, and come and wait on them.
NIV.  It will be good for those servants whom the master finds them ready,  even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.  I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
NLT. There will be special favour for those who are ready and waiting for his return.  I tell you, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat.
Nathan Nettleton paraphrase: They will be glad they didn’t slack off but kept themselves industrious, because you can bet that when he comes he will throw a party for them — all on the house — and give them a generous end-of-year bonus.

Here is a promise of special rewards for those who are faithful to God - but not necessarily in this life.  We should not expect the rewards God promises to those who are faithful to him will be material things in this life - as some people seem to think they will be.  Few of us would be really able to cope with the responsibility of large material rewards, would we?  The rewards of service to God are simply that we have the satisfaction of knowing that we further his kingdom and that we please him with our obedience and our worship.

This verse reminds me of Jesus' actions at the Passover Feast when he washed the feet of his disciples (John 13: 3 - 7).  The Messiah is a 'servant king', not one who comes to 'lord-it' over his people,but one who cares for us lovingly and gives us an example of service to follow.

V 38.
Even if it is the middle of the night or before dawn when he comes, happy they if he finds them alert.

We don't know when Jesus will return in Glory. We don't know when we will be asked to serve him.  We will please him if we are alert, prepared and ready to run in his service, no matter when he calls us.

V 39.
And remember, if the householder had known what time the burglar was coming he would not have let his house be broken into.

Jesus used the idea of a burglar coming unannounced to warn of the importance of keeping ourselves ready at all times.

V 40
Hold yourselves ready, then, because the Son of Man will come at the time when you least expect him.'

Like the burglar, Jesus will come unexpectedly.  We need to be ready, willing and able!