Matthew 24:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,

NIV: and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

NASB: and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk;

CSB: and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

NLT: and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?

KJV: And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

NKJV: and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

In a parable, Jesus compares two servants left in positions of responsibility over their masters' households. One servant has been loyal and responsible in fulfilling the work left for him to do, including seeing that other servants under his care are fed and taken care of. That servant is blessed by his master (Matthew 24:45–47).

The other servant in this parable is wicked. He has assumed that if his master has not returned by now, he will not be coming back any time soon (2 Peter 3:3–7). Believing this, the wicked servant abandons the job he was given to do. Instead of caring for the other servants, he uses his position of authority to beat and abuse them. Instead of exercising self-control so that he can wisely carry out his duties, he starts partying with the town drunkards. His leadership over the household is characterized by the pursuit of his own pleasure and arrogant cruelty towards others.

When the master returns, this servant will face harsh consequences (Matthew 24:50–51).

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 11/21/2024 9:53:08 AM