The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants instructs us to keep watch because you do not know at what hour your Lord comes. Jesus looks at both the faithful and unfaithful servants who the master has made ruler over his household.
Matthew 24:44-51; Luke 12:35-48
Matthew 24 is close to the time when Jesus will be crucified. He is instructing his disciples it is close to the time He will not be with them. Jesus tells His disciples that the heaven and earth shall pass away but His words shall not pass away.
Jesus also tells the disciples that no man knows the hour or the day when He shall return. Not man, the angels of heaven, only the Father knows.
Life will be like it was in the time of Noah. Before the flood there were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriages. Then Noah entered into the ark. That is how it is going to be with the coming of the Lord. There will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriages.
Jesus continues to say there will be two women grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other felt. Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord comes. We are to be ready for Jesus will return when you least expect Him.
This is the parable Jesus told His disciples. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in the fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis? Jesus tells His disciples that; blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Then Jesus talks about the unfaithful or evil servant by saying; if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delays his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke12:41-48 finds Peter asking Jesus who He is speaking to in this parable to them or to everyone. Jesus said, that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But those that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
What Can This Lesson Teach Us?
Matthew 24:34-51 instructs us to keep watch because you do not know at what hour your Lord comes. If the good man of the house had known at which watch the thief would come he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken. Therefore we are to be ready; for no one knows the hour which the Jesus will return.
Jesus looked at who the faithful and wise servant as being those people who gives them self up to the service of Christ. Devoting themselves to the Will of the Father. They are the ones who will be found doing His will when the master returns. This means for us that we should be found doing the Will of the Father not following the will of the world. We should be reading our Bible and keeping ourselves pure and righteous for His return.
We do not want to be among the ones that are being evil to other people, especially those who are in our household. We do not want to be among those who are going after the worldly things such as gluttony, drunkenness, or lustful behavior. These are the ones who will be assigned with the hypocrites. This could be followers of a false religion, crookedness, deception, treachery or the unfaithful. This is where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The gnashing of teeth is used to represents extreme anguish and utter despair of men sent to eternal punishment in hell.
A faithful servant who continues to serve Jesus in His absence will be rewarded with tremendous blessings and responsibility and authority with His return. The unfaithful servant are those who take advantage of the absence of Jesus and avoids doing what they are expected to do and is cruel to his fellow servants and is living in an unrighteous manner.
This parable is talking about the unfaithful believer, not an unbeliever. Luke tells us that the servant who knows the Will of Jesus and does not get ready or does not do what Jesus 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. This is because those that have been given much will be demanded much. To those men who have committed much, of him more will be ask.
Therefore we are to be also ready: for Jesus will come back at an hour no one knows. We want Jesus to see us all clean and pure for Him. We need to make sure our lives free from bitterness, greed, selfishness, and that we are living our lives that are pleasing to Jesus.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2015.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1910,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, January) “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1910,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1910, (accessed).
