What does Luke 12:43 mean?

In the preceding parable Jesus demonstrated that His followers should act as servants who faithfully stay up so they can serve their master when he returns. In that story, the master is away at a wedding; Jewish weddings could last as long as a week. The servants do not know when the master will return, but they leave the lamps burning and dress themselves to serve so they will be ready. In the same way, Jesus' followers need to continue fulfilling their duties so they will be ready for His return (Luke 12:35–40).

Peter seems to chafe against the idea of being lumped into the same "servant" group as the crowd of thousands that surround them. Jesus explains that there are levels of servanthood and those placed over the house will be responsible for feeding the others (Luke 12:1, 41–42). These faithful servant-leaders will be blessed if they fulfill their duties well.

The blessings will come at the judgment seat of Christ, also called the "bema seat." After the rapture of the church, every God-follower will stand before Jesus where He will judge the good works accomplished on earth (2 Corinthians 5:10). Here, Jesus describes certain good works as feeding the servants and elsewhere as feeding the sheep (John 6:35; 21:15–19). Later, Paul describes them as building on the foundation that is Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:10–15). We don't know what those rewards will be, but Jesus promises they are the "treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).