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INTRODUCTION
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The main principle of Matt 24:45-51 is the need to be ready because no one knows when Christ will be returning. In Matt 24:44 (NASB95) Jesus said, “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” This blog article is similar to blog article 10. The only difference is that in Matt 24:51, Jesus spoke about conscious suffering in hell. Whereas in Luke 12:46, Jesus only said that the evil slave will be assigned a place with the unbelievers. Generally, every person should be ready for Christ’s return because it is a significant event with eternal consequences. Those caught unprepared will be very sorry for themselves. And it is important to note that once the punishment is meted out, there is no recourse because no one can deliver out of His hands. Only He alone can reverse His own actions.
In Luke 12:41-48, Jesus spoke about three types of slaves, (1) the faithful and sensible slave, (2) the evil slave who knew his master’s will and (3) the evil slave who did not know his master’s will. But whether the evil slave knew or did not know his master’s will, he was still considered an evil slave, whose place is with the unbelievers. Therefore, essentially there are only two main types of slaves, (1) the faithful and sensible slave, and (2) the evil slave. In this parable, the Lord mentioned these two types of slaves that He will be dealing with when He comes back. This commentary will analyze the verses in the parable as well as discuss the possible identities of these slaves.
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ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY ON MATT 24:45-51
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Matt 24:45-47 (NASB95) states:
(45) “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? (46) Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (47) Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
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Matt 24:45-47 Commentary: As readers are aware, parables are simple stories that illustrate spiritual truths, they always have another meaning apart from the story of the parable itself. Sometimes the meaning is plain and simple, sometimes the message is hidden and sometimes it is hidden in plain sight. Looking at verse 45, who could this slave be? We know that he is in charge of giving food at the proper time to everyone within the master’s household. Since it is a parable, it is obvious that Jesus was not actually talking about physical food. In Heb 5:12, we learn that milk and solid food were used as metaphors for the word of God. So anyone teaching the word of God would be providing food, 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. Therefore the slave that is in charge of giving food to God’s household would have to be a shepherd of God’s people. A shepherd can be an elder, deacon, pastor, Bible study facilitator, Christian parent, etc. Blessed is that Christian who faithfully feeds God’s people with His word. For it is written in Matt 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” And His word is found only in the Bible, any other personal word from God cannot be verified. Who then is the faithful and sensible shepherd who teaches His word to God’s household? Truly, the Lord will put these faithful ones in charge of governing His coming kingdom.
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Matt 24:48-51 (NASB95) states: (48) But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ (49) and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; (50) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, (51) and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Matt 24:48-51 Commentary: Verse 51 tells us that the evil slave will be assigned a place with the hypocrites where there is going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Firstly, who are the hypocrites? There are many who can probably be quite a hypocrite at one time or another. But we believe Jesus was referring to no ordinary hypocrites. Looking at Matt 23:13-36, Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees, “hypocrites” many times – a total of 7 times within 23 verses. And in Matt 23:33, Jesus made it clear that they are going to burn in hell. The fact that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth confirms both the place of hell and the identity of the hypocrites. Hence this evil slave cannot possibly be one of those who are saved. This is because the salvation of any Christian was decided by God a long time of ago and has nothing to do with his or her performance as a steward or slave. For salvation is by grace through faith and not as a result of works (Eph 2:8-9). So, it is certain that the slave being assigned a place with the hypocrites, is an unbeliever who appears to be serving God but is not. Moreover, the evil slave beats his fellow slaves and drinks with drunkards. In Eze 34:1-4, the shepherds of Israel instead of caring for the flock, they were dominating them with force and severity (Eze 34:4). And in Isa 56:10-12, the shepherds were drinking heavily. It is clear that the actions of the shepherds in both Eze 34:1-4 and Isa 56:10-12 were being described similarly here in Matt 24:48-51. Therefore, Eze 34:1-4 and Isa 56:10 confirms the identity of the evil slave, that is, that the evil slave is a shepherd in charge of caring, guiding and feeding God’s flock. Hence the evil slave is referring to the religious leaders of Israel, the scribes and the Pharisees. But apart from the scribes and Pharisees, can the evil slave also refer to church leaders as well?
In our view, if strictly interpreting Matt 24:45-51 by itself, the answer is no. But because Luke 12:41-48 and Matt 24:45-51 are almost similar to each other, the evil slave here in these verses can also represent false leaders within the church (please read our blog article 10 for further explanation). From the atrocities committed by the so-called “church leaders” through the ages to money spinning prosperity-gospel “pastors” of recent times, there are more than sufficient examples that fit the description of the evil slave. These days they have gotten more subtle. These “church leaders” teach a gospel that sound right to the ears but in actuality, they do nothing to feed His sheep. Every Sunday they feed the congregation with watery milk that is not even sufficient to feed junior Sunday school, or sometimes they transform themselves into motivational speakers rather than proper Bible teachers who teachers from God’s word, so God’s precious sheep continue to be weakened in their faith. As a result, some wandered off into the hills with no one to look for them. These “church leaders” are more interested in building their own careers, pursuing “church” organizational goals and other key performance indicators (KPIs) than really feeding and tending God’s sheep. These (who are actually unbelievers) 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 work and to look after the spiritual needs of His flock. He is warning all that He, the Master, will return and He will judge what they have done whether good or bad. Accordingly, He will 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 become more holy and Christ-like, be unfaithful and unsensible at the end of time? Not likely. All true followers of Christ will be faithful in the end because Christ is founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2 ESV). What He has started, He will finish. Nothing will 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 whom God has appointed to shepherd, tend and feed His sheep. They may be elders, deacons, pastors, Bible study facilitators, parents, 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 and to unbelieving church leaders who abuse and/or neglect His flock. The evil slave will be assigned a place with the hypocrites. And in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.