Matthew 24:51 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

NIV: He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

NASB: and he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

CSB: He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

NLT: and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

KJV: And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

NKJV: and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus concludes this parable by describing what the abruptly returning master will do to the wicked servant who betrayed his trust and abused his household. Having been away some time, the master will return and find that the servant has been beating the other servants instead of caring for them and has been carousing with local troublemakers (Matthew 24:48–50).

The consequences for that servant will be severe: the master will cut him to pieces. This seems like a graphic choice, which is very much the point of Jesus' parable. This is possibly the harshest punishment any master could execute on a slave under his control. Jesus describes no second chances or demotions at this point, only painful retribution and horror (Mark 9:47–48).

The parable ends with Jesus blending the story with the reality it is meant to represent. The Master—God—will both cut the abusive servant into pieces and put him with the hypocrites in a place of misery and suffering. This uses the common description for the place of eternal torment, also referred to as hell.

The disciples would have clearly understood who Jesus meant when He mentioned hypocrites. This English term comes from the Greek word hypocrites, literally referring to "an actor." On stage, these are people who pretend to be what they are not. In life, they are those whose words and public actions cover their inner, private spiritual bankruptcy. In blistering terms, Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites repeatedly and directly (Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29).

The servant of this parable has revealed that his faith was not in that master, at all. His actions prove as much (John 14:15). He represents all those who claim to belong to Jesus but in truth serve themselves (Matthew 7:21–23). Their faith in Christ is play-acting "hypocrisy" at best, and they will be sent away from Christ into torment at the time of judgment.

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.