Luke 12:45 (GNV)

Passage

But if that seruant say in his heart, My master doeth deferre his comming, and ginne to smite the seruants, and maydens, and to eate, and drinke, and to be drunken,

Nearby Context

Luke 12:43 Blessed is that seruant, whom his master when he commeth, shall finde so doing.

Luke 12:44 Of a trueth I say vnto you, that he wil make him ruler ouer all that he hath.

Luke 12:45 But if that seruant say in his heart, My master doeth deferre his comming, and ginne to smite the seruants, and maydens, and to eate, and drinke, and to be drunken,

Luke 12:46 The master of that seruant will come in a day when he thinketh not, and at an houre when he is not ware of, and will cut him off, and giue him his portion with the vnbeleeuers.

Luke 12:47 And that seruant that knewe his masters will, and prepared not himselfe, neither did according to his will, shalbe beaten with many stripes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seruant", "heart", "master", "doeth", "deferre", "comming", "ginne", and "smite". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seruant" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 44's "Of a trueth I say vnto you..." into verse 46's "The master of that seruant will come...", so "seruant" and "heart" 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 "seruant" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.