THE WISE AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 24:36-41

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Lord desires that His people have an attitude of servitude. Anyone who reads the scriptures and seeks the will of their Master knows this.

As Christians, we find our main identity in Jesus Christ and therefore we are to be Christ-like in the way that we live. And if we can say one thing about the life of our Savior, it was all about selflessly giving Himself up to make a difference in the life of another. The dictionary defines a “servant” as “a person in the service of another” and Jesus was the perfect example of this as He never ceased to place Himself second as He served His Father God and the people He sent His Son to save.

The life of Jesus showed us what a truly faithful servant looks like and as we turn to our scripture passage, we find our Savior speaking with a special authority on the matter of servitude as He spoke with His followers. Look again at His words here:

“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? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:36-41

Note here that Jesus gives a sharp contrast between a wise and faithful servant who conscientiously carries out his duties as given by His Master and a wicked servant who chooses to follow His own will, particularly when the Master is away and unable to observe what’s going on.

First, Jesus presents the faithful and wise servant. This servant is the go-to person for the master who trusts the servant by placing him in charge of the other servants in the household. The servant is to supervise and care for the master’s servants, making sure they are fed at the proper time and it’s very obvious the master is concerned for his servants and their well being. Yes, they were completely subordinate to him and he expected them to labor hard but he also made sure their most basic, fundamental needs were met.

What if the master had to go away?

Well, it was in those times that the master left matters in the hands of his faithful and wise servant who was expected to carry on with the same level of supervision and care for the other servants. In other words, the wise and faithful servant carried out his duties in the same way, whether the master was present or absent. When he would do this, particularly when the servant had to be away, notice how the master would respond to the wise and faithful servant meeting his expectations of service. The master would reward his head servant by placing him in charge of all his possessions.

Think about what happened after Jesus has done everything God required of Him. He had perfectly served His Father and all His people, willingly bearing the sins of mankind and dying a criminal’s death on Calvary’s cross. But then, God resurrected His Son from the dead before rewarding Him for His wise and faithful servitude. We read a resurrected Christ saying this at the beginning of the Great Commission, a call to servitude from the only perfect Servant ever.

What did Jesus say?

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18

Jesus sacrificed greatly, distanced from His Father as He came down from the heavens to walk the earth and save those within it. He faithfully carried out God’s plan and in return, God placed Him in charge of everything.

Now, compare this to the wicked servant Jesus paints a picture of.

This servant takes advantage of the absence of his master by shirking his duties, beating his fellow servants instead of nurturing them, eating and carousing with drunks vice focusing on doing right even when his master wasn’t there to keep an eye on him.

Note the fate of this wicked servant when the master returns unexpectedly to find him failing to carry out his responsibilities. Instead of praise and reward, the wicked servant receives condemnation and punishment, cast out to fend for himself with others who were two-faced and deceitful. Taking advantage of what was a very good situation, the wicked servant now found himself where there was great “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

The point Jesus is making is clear.

The wise, faithful servant is loyal to his master and selflessly carries out the will of that master, no matter what, even when the master is absent. The master never has to worry about going away because he knows things will be in good hands with his wise and faithful servant.  

Conversely, the wicked servant’s main focus is on their own will. Sure, they know how to put on a good show when the master is near but let the master go away and the wicked servant shifts his focus to the things that satisfy themselves. The dependability they let their master see is just a ruse, a cover up for their desires to do anything but what the master wants them to do. Their hearts are grounded in disguised disobedience.

With this, our scriptures pose several questions today.

First, which kind of servant are you in your life? Would the Lord consider you wise and faithful or counted among the hypocritical, wicked servants?

The answer for each of us can be derived from how well we carry out the will of our Master God each and every day.

If we truly follow the lead of Jesus, we can be assured we’ll always carry out God’s will properly, and live in the light of His favor as a result.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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