Matthew 24:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?

NIV: "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?

NASB: Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time?

CSB: "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?

NLT: A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.

KJV: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

NKJV: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?

What does it mean for a follower of Jesus to live in readiness for His return (Matthew 24:36, 42)? Here, Jesus begins a brief parable to explain the idea. He describes a common scenario in the middle east during this era. The owners of large estates frequently had more than one home, and they would only be at a particular property on occasion. In such cases, a servant or slave would be appointed as manager over the other servants and the household. The manager's job was not only to keep the household functioning well, but to care for the other servants and keep them fed.

Jesus begins by asking what the owner of the estate should expect from this servant. The parallel made here is to the believer's readiness for the return of Christ.

Matthew 24:36–51 contains an explicit warning which has frequently been ignored by false teachers. Nobody will know the precise time of His return to earth. Only God the Father knows when it will happen. Everyone will be caught by surprise at the sudden appearance of those signs, just as the people swept away in Noah's flood. Jesus' followers must live in constant readiness for His return. He uses a parable to illustrate this, describing the choices of two servants while their master was away. One was faithful and wise, the other wicked. When the master returned, the faithful one was rewarded, and the wicked one was cut into pieces.

Jesus makes a dire prediction about the destruction of the temple. Immediately after this, while seated on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responds to a question from the disciples. They ask when judgment will come and what signs will signal His return. Christ describes a season of unimaginable world turmoil and persecution. He points to a specific moment of defilement of the temple, at which point people should run for their lives. Jesus speaks of world-threatening tribulation which will be cut short right before He returns as King and Judge. Since nobody can possibly know when He will return, His followers must live in readiness.

Jesus has just left the temple area, after delivering a blistering criticism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). After predicting that the temple would be destroyed, He answers their questions about the end times. He speaks of a period when He will be gone from earth and they will be persecuted and killed. The world will be in turmoil, but the gospel will be preached everywhere. Nobody knows exactly when Jesus' return will be completed, so his followers should constantly be prepared. Jesus continues to teach on these themes in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 12/4/2024 3:37:48 AM