Luke 12:38 (DRB)

Passage

And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:36 And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately.

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you that he will gird himself and make them sit down to meat and passing will minister unto them.

Luke 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Luke 12:39 But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

Luke 12:40 Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not the Son of man will come.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "come", "second", "watch", "third", and "find". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord..." into verse 39's "But this know ye that if the...", so "shall" and "come" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.