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INTRODUCTION
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The main principle of Luke 12:41-48 is the need to be ready for no one knows when the Lord will be returning. In Luke 12:40 (NASB95) Jesus said, “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Every person should be ready for the Lord’s return because it is a significant event of eternal consequence and being caught unprepared is going to be very unpleasant. Those caught unprepared will be very sorry for themselves. In this passage, the Lord mentioned a few types of slaves or servants that He will be dealing with when He comes back. This commentary will analyze the verses and discuss the possible identities of these servants.
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ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY ON LUKE 12:41-48
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Luke 12:41 (NASB95) states:
(41) Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”
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Luke 12:41 Commentary: It appears to us that Jesus was addressing the parable in verses 35-40 not to ordinary spectators standing around Him at that time, but to His disciples in general which include the 12 disciples. As for verses 41-48, Jesus was addressing the parable to any person who is given the responsibility of caring for His flock.
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Luke 12:42-44 (NASB95) states:
(42) And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? (43) Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (44) Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
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Luke 12:42-44 Commentary: Rations are food allowances. But it is not likely that Jesus meant physical food allowances given to His people. In the Bible, providing food and the act of feeding the flock also mean teaching the word of God. Heb 5:12 (NASB95) states, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Heb 5:12 tells us that milk and solid food represents the word of God. So, teaching the word of God to His servants is providing rations, where milk would be considered elementary principles, and solid food, which is harder to swallow and digest, would be the more advanced principles of God’s word. Who then is the faithful and sensible steward? Who then is the faithful servant of God who teachers God’s word to His people? Who then is the faithful Bible study leader, the faithful cell group leader, the faithful parent, the faithful brother or sister in Christ, the faithful Sunday school teacher, the faithful pastor, the faithful Bible college lecturer, the faithful elder or deacon? Blessed are they, when the Lord returns and finds them faithfully feeding and tending to His flock. Truly the Lord will put these faithful ones in charge of governing His coming kingdom.
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Luke 12:45-46 (NASB95) states:
(45) But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; (46) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
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Luke 12:45-46 Commentary: Although verse 45 seems like a conditional statement, there is evidence that such slaves exists. In fact, this parable is a warning to servant leaders about the dangers of ill-treating other servants of God. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the evil slave is not one of those who are truly saved. Verse 46 tells us that the evil slave will be assigned a place with the unbelievers. The salvation of any Christian is decided by God a long time ago, it has nothing to do with his or her performance as a steward or a slave. For salvation is by grace through faith and not as a result of works (Eph 2:8-9). The slave described by Jesus in verse 45 is an unbeliever who appears to be serving God but is not. Who could Jesus be referring to in this case? Who would beat up other servants under his care? Who would eat and drink and get drunk? Please read Eze 34:1-4 and Isa 56:10-12. As seen from the said verses, Jesus was referring to the shepherds of Israel. It is written in Eze 34:1-4 that not only were the shepherds of Israel not guiding and not caring for the people of Israel, they were also dominating them with force and severity (Eze 34:4). And in Isa 56:10-12, they were drinking heavily. Who then are the shepherds of Israel? They are the leaders and rulers of Israel, which includes kings, priests and especially the religious leaders. As for the religious leaders of Israel, please also see Matt 23:29-36. From the tone of Jesus in Matt 23:29-36, it can be seen that He was very unhappy with them. It is very dangerous to get the Son of God so worked up against themselves. For who can deliver out of His hand? We would beg for mercy if we were them. But apart from the shepherds of Israel, can this evil slave also refer to church leaders as well? Let us see verses 47-48.
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Luke 12:47-48 (NASB95) states:
(47) And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, (48) but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but a few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
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Luke 12:47-48 Commentary: As verse 47 is a continuation of verse 46, not only will that evil slave be cut into pieces and assigned a place with the unbelievers, but he will also receive many lashes because he knew what his master wanted but yet he did not do according to his will. In verse 48, Jesus also talked about a slave that did not know his master’s will. This slave will receive fewer lashes because even though he had no knowledge of what his master wanted, he still committed acts worthy of flogging. Thus, both slaves are evil regardless of whether they knew or did not know their master’s will. Both will be cut to pieces, and both will be assigned a place with the unbelievers. The only difference is the amount of lashes each will receive. Some say that the evil slave can only to Israel’s religious leaders. We disagree. In the second half of verse 48, Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. Who is everyone, who does it include? Rightfully, it would have to be anyone within the context of this parable, that is any person who has the responsibility of caring for the spiritual needs of God’s people. Therefore if the evil slave symbolizes the religious leaders of Israel, then it should also symbolize the false religious leaders of the church. From the atrocities committed by the so-called “church leaders” through the ages to money spinning prosperity-gospel “pastors” more recently, there are more than sufficient examples that fit the description of the evil slave. These days if people are unfortunate enough to find themselves in one of those churches that has such “leaders,’ they will notice that they are much more subtle than before. But the true slave of Christ (those who are truly saved) who is alert and observant will see through their sophisticated subtleties. These “church leaders” teach a gospel that sound right to the ears but in actuality, they do nothing to feed the sheep. Church service after service, they repeatedly feed the congregation with watery milk that is not even sufficient for junior Sunday school, so that God’s precious sheep remain weak in their faith. As a result, some even wandered off into the hills with no one to look for them. These leaders are more interested in enhancing their own careers, looking for monetary profits and higher status than taking care of His sheep. They are those who know the Master’s will yet fail to act according to His will. They carried out their own will, pursued their own purpose, rather than the will and purpose of the One who put them in charge of His own servants. These will receive what is due to them when the time comes.
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CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY
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This parable is referring to anyone who has been given the responsibility by God to teach God’s word and to look after the spiritual needs of His flock. The Lord Himself is warning all that He, the Master, will return just as He said He would and He will judge what they have done whether good or bad. Accordingly, He will either reward them or He will mete out the punishment that will match the offense.
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Jesus asked at the beginning of the parable, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?” Who indeed is faithful and sensible? Can a true born-again Christian who is progressively undergoing sanctification to be holy and more Christ-like, be unfaithful and unsensible at the end of time? Very unlikely. All true followers of Christ will be faithful in the end because Christ is the founder and perfecter of their faith (Heb 12:2 ESV). The development of the Christian’s faith is brought about by Him alone and He will bring it to completion. Nothing can separate the Christian from the love of God (Rom 8:39). Thus, the faithful and sensible steward is referring to the true born-again Christian leader whom God has appointed to be His mini-shepherd to feed and tend to His sheep. They can be apostles, prophets, elders, deacons, pastors, small group leaders, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, parents, guardians, and the like. Essentially, the one who feeds and tends, or assists to feed and tend to His flock. Whereas the evil slave is referring to the religious leaders of Israel as well as to church leaders (who may look and sound like Christians) who abuse and/or neglect His flock.