THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL SERVANTS, 24.45-51
In this passage we have still another parable—that of the two kinds of servants. The Lord mentions two different kinds of servants: one can either be a faithful and wise steward or be an evil steward.
vv.45-47 The parable of the wise servant or steward is presented in four steps: (1) the household, (2) the charge of the Lord, (3) the Lord’s demands on the servant, and (4) the reward.
(1) The household. This is different from the house in the preceding parable. The former is personal and it speaks of the person himself, while this is corporate and it belongs to the Lord. It agrees with what is given in Hebrews 3.6 and Mark 13.34 where the house in question includes all the believers (cf. 1 Tim. 3.15). Therefore, the household here points to the church.
(2) The charge of the Lord.
(a) “Set over his household”—This represents authority.
(b) “Give them their food in due season”—This represents ministry.
Hence this is a keeping charge before God on the one hand and a serving men on the other. (Let us not misunderstand these words as signifying one servant ruling alone over the whole household. Such a misinterpretation unwarrantedly provides ground for the Pope to hold his position in the Roman Catholic Church. Nor does this verse suggest the idea of a pastor ruling over his pastorate, for note that this one servant has fellow servants being mentioned in verse 49. The Lord merely speaks of this one servant as an illustration.) The work is to govern. Each servant in the household of God has some authority. Every blood-bought bondservant of the Lord possesses a certain degree of authority to govern and to minister.
Some people advocate the concept that the church today should turn her face outward, which means she should preach the gospel with one accord to the near exclusion of any other work. But is not even the preaching of the gospel a gathering of materials for the building of the church (see Eph. 4.11-12)? To get people saved is a means, not an end. Whereas the end is to build up the church, which is distributing both material and spiritual food to the household in due season. Let us all do our best in serving our Lord by helping one another.
Distributing food in due season is our ministry. This is to serve people with the things of God as well as with the word of God. All who serve with the ministry of Christ are ministers. To preach God’s word is distributing food, though it may not always be so. For unless people are really nourished and unless preaching leads to repentance and obedience, it is not a distributing of food. Let us therefore seek out those brethren who require various helps and distribute to them food according to their differing needs and measures. We need to see that we are all servants. We should distribute food in due season, and never assume a superior attitude lest people die of hunger.
(3) The Lord’s demands. There are two conditions mentioned here: being faithful and being wise: being faithful towards the Lord and being wise towards the brethren. We, though, frequently reverse the order. On the one hand we become too faithful towards men by severely scolding them; and thus, although we are faithful, we nevertheless certainly lack wisdom because we do not know how to speak the truth in love. On the other hand, we are too unfaithful towards God by our using too much of our own wisdom in excusing and covering and consoling ourselves. (Let me hasten to say that unquestionably we should also be faithful to men. Only being wise towards men may turn us to clever maneuvering; yet only being faithful to them may likewise turn us to foolish loyalty. The correct solution is that we must be both faithful and wise towards the brethren.)
Being faithful is (a) not discounting anything: as much as the Lord says, precisely that much is accepted; and (b) not considering one’s own welfare: never becoming unfaithful due to any personal reason or consideration. Therefore, he who desires to be faithful must deny himself and take up the cross. He needs to forsake his own cleverness, because cleverness often comes from man whereas wisdom comes from God. Today those who are most faithful are at the same time generally the most foolish, most rude, most inconsiderate, and most independent. Hence, wisdom is greatly required. Many of God’s works are spoiled by the faithful ones who are simultaneously without wisdom. Of course, it is better to be faithful though lacking in wisdom than to be wise though lacking in faithfulness. Nowadays, there are too many wise but unfaithful servants who widen the narrow gate. Such people are unfit to be God’s stewards.
(4) Reward. “He will set him over all that he hath”—Verse 46 tells us blessed is he who faithfully keeps and wisely executes the command of the Lord. This blessing points to the reward in the kingdom. “Set him over”—This means to rule, to manage. To be busily occupied today is quite different from being busily occupied in the kingdom. There are many affairs in the kingdom which will require management. But today’s tasks merely test whether one will be competent to be so occupied in the day to come. If a person is able to serve the brethren now, he will be used to serve then. Today God appoints him to do a little thing; in that day He will set him over all things. He who is selfish and lazy now has no chance to rule then.
vv.48-51 This section may also be divided into four parts: (1) whether the evil servant is a Christian, (2) what his faults are, (3) what the reason is for his faults, and (4) what the consequence is.
(1) Is the evil servant a Christian? He is indeed a Christian, a saved person. The reasons for this conclusion are as follows: (a) The evil servant is none other than the same servant spoken of in verse 45 whom the Lord has set over His household. The Lord’s appointment is not like human ordination, for the latter can be wrong. The Lord cannot appoint a wrong person; nevertheless, whether the servant is faithful or evil depends entirely on how that person performs. (b) The evil servant calls the Lord “my Lord”—thus proving his personal relationship with Him. And such confession is from “his heart” (to confess merely with the mouth may not be dependable). On this point see also Rom. 10.9-10 and 1 Corinthians 12.3 (c) The evil servant not only believes in the Lord but also waits for His return. His fault is in thinking his Lord will tarry. An unsaved person can never think such a thing in his heart.
In spite of the above three decisive reasons, there are still many people who hold the view that on the basis of (a) his conduct, (b) his judgment, and (c) his punishment, this evil servant is unsaved. Those who hold this interpretation argue these three points as follows: (a) If he is saved, how can he ever beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards? In reply, let it be said that actually a saved Christian is still capable of committing all kinds of sins after regeneration. Let us recall that the person who committed the heinous sin of incest in 1 Corinthians 5 was a born-again believer! (b) The Lord appoints this evil servant’s portion with the hypocrites. May we state in reply that this simply indicates that he as a believer is as hypocritical as are the unbelieving hypocrites. It is made even clearer in Luke 12: “Appoint his portion with the unfaithful [original, “unbelievers’]” (v.46). He is therefore a believer who will share his portion with the unbelievers. (c) “Cut him asunder” is not a phrase to be taken literally, for how can the servant subsequently weep and gnash his teeth if he has physically been cut into two? What is probably signified here by such a phrase is most likely an action which will cause him to be separated temporarily from the Lord. Compare Matthew’s account with that found in Luke 12.47-48 where we are told that the evil servant shall be beaten with many stripes. To be beaten is not to perish, for the Lord’s sheep shall never perish (see John 10.27-28).
(2) What are the faults of the evil servant? Verse 49 discloses two sins: (a) he beats his fellow servants—an action taken towards believers, that is to say, towards those within the household, and (b) he eats and drinks with the drunkards—an action taken towards unbelievers, which is to say, towards those without the household. “Fellow-servants” are those who serve together. “Beat” is a word signifying the misuse of the authority which the Lord has given him. To “eat and drink” is to have fellowship with the world.
To “beat” someone is to consider oneself as possessing greater authority—and therefore as being higher—than others: forgetting, however, that the matter of discipline is in God’s hand. The utmost a brother can do to another brother is to reprimand him. To “beat” another is to deprive God of His own authority to discipline. Whenever anyone deems himself to have special authority to rule over his fellow companions, he as it were is beating them. On this point, see Matthew 23: “All ye are brethren” (v.8).
To “beat” someone else is in addition a losing one’s self-control. When one is in control of himself, he will not “beat” people. To “beat” others is not necessarily something that is done with a staff or whip. Spiritually and psychologically speaking, whatever causes people pain or inflicts a wound on them is sufficient to be termed a “beating” of others. One can hurt people with words, causing them untold sufferings by means of a sharp, biting tongue. His aim is to make people miserable for three or five days while he concomitantly is enjoying great pleasure. And such is in actuality a beating. We ought always to be healing wounds—and that with oil and wine—and not constantly to be operating on them by inflicting new cuts. God’s children have enough wounds and pains. How can we ever think of adding more to them? All who are proud, independent, or ill-tempered tend to “beat” people.
The other sin is to be united with the world. A drunkard according to the Scriptures is a man who is ensnared by the world. He who is blurred in vision through drink is undoubtedly intoxicated. Likewise, a person whose heart is overcharged with riches, fame, and so forth is dulled in his spiritual senses and can therefore also be reckoned as being drunk. The servant, being a believer, ought not communicate with the drunkards (this is the teaching of 2 Corinthians 6.14ff.), for eating and drinking, in the Scriptures, denote especially the idea of communication or fellowship. After Lot was separated from Abraham he moved to Sodom, which action signified his being joined to the world. Whenever any believer detests a brother but delights in the worldling, he is fallen.
The above two sins can easily be committed by any believer.
(3) What is the reason for his faults? It is given in verse 48, “My lord tarrieth”—He truly believes in the second coming of the Lord, except that in his estimation the Lord will come tardily. Whoever does not believe in the soon return of the Lord is an evil servant. What does the Lord say is the fault of this evil servant? Just this, that though he confesses with his mouth that the Lord shall indeed come, he nevertheless says in his heart that the Lord will delay. How precarious is such a position! Will a person watch if he has no idea that the Lord is coming soon?
Many people do not want the Lord to return soon lest His coming would destroy or terminate their plans. They are unable to pray with John: “Amen: come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22.20).
We must have both the attitude and the desire for the soon return of the Lord. Familiarity with prophecy alone is not enough, since the evil servant is also well-acquainted with prophecy.
(4) What is the consequence? The Lord returns earlier than the evil servant thinks. If any should speculate that the Lord will tarry, he will find his Lord coming quicker than he thinks. What is the penalty? The Lord will separate him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. To be assigned a place with the hypocrites does not mean to receive precisely the same punishment, just as those who share the same place in jail do not receive the same punishment. “The weeping and the gnashing of teeth” signifies deep regret and true repentance.
