The Wise and Faithful Servant
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?" (Matthew 24:45)
It was a rhetorical question, posed by Christ sometime between AD 27 and 30. For those who have accepted the call to serve God in His Kingdom, though, it is a question that demands our attention even today. How can we be the kind of servant God would have us to be? Who indeed, is the faithful and wise servant?
Jesus spoke to His disciples:
"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. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. 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. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Luke 12:35-40)
Jesus' point is unmistakable: "You also must be ready" (v. 40a). These words tend to conjure up negative images of being caught "off guard," given an unexpected appearance of the master or the thief. But there is a subtle point here, not to be missed. Jesus says twice that it will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready. This implies more than the mere absence of punishment for having failed to be ready. In the verses that follow, we see clearly that the master will reward the faithful servant.
At this point, Peter interjects:
Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" (v. 41)
Jesus doesn't respond directly to Peter's question--instead, He returns to the parable:
The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions." (vv. 42-44)
Here again, we see Jesus emphasizing that it will be good (literally "blessed") for the servant who is found to be serving faithfully when the master returns. Jesus indicates that the faithful servant will be promoted to a position of higher responsibility and honor.
"But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." (vv. 45-46)
In striking contrast, the evil servant is severely punished by the master. Jesus concludes:
"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (vv. 47-48)
Jesus responds to Peter's question by describing a continuum of faithfulness, indicating that there will be some who fall on either end, or somewhere in between. Those who fail to do the will of God face a certain judgement--but it seems clear that the punishment will be in direct proportion to an individual's knowledge of what was required of them.
One of the common responses to God's free offer of eternal life (John 3:16-18) for all who will receive it is: "What about those who have never heard of Jesus Christ?" How can God judge those who have never heard the good news of the gospel? Here we see the answer: They will be judged according to the knowledge that they did possess. In explaining this to unbelievers, it is important to point out that God's leniency toward those who are genuinely ignorant can in no way be expected to apply to us. Today, we exist in a world of unprecedented knowledge and education. We have no excuse for failing to understand the will of God, namely, that we should receive His gift of eternal life (John 6:37-40, cf. John 1:12-13). Indeed, to us, much has been given!
For those who have believed in Christ, we see a greater application of this parable. God has given us much in this world. While we may not feel as though we are rich, our standard of living is higher than at any other point in history and far exceeds that of the vast majority of people living today. It is impossible to deny that we have been given much. What then should we do with all that we have been given? We will examine this question next week. For now, we return to the question that we began our study with:
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?"
Who is the faithful and wise servant? The one who is ready. The one who is found doing the will of the Master when He returns. Are you?
For Further Study: (choose one or more)
Copyright © 1998-2000 Tim A. Krell. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.