What the Bible says about Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The prophet pronounces God's judgment. Notice the many parallels to Babylon and Laodicea. Also notice what Jesus says in a parable concerning the time just before His return: "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards . . ." (Matthew 24:48-49). Amos and Christ speak about the same sequence of events. The attitude of putting off the day of Christ's return promotes violence and injustice toward one's fellow man. Appeasement, a "strength" of the Laodicean, virtually guarantees violence and war, as happened in the years leading to World War II.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and LaodiceanismRelated Topics: Babylon | End Times | Evil Servants | God's Judgment | Jesus Christ's Return | Laodicea | Laodiceanism | Master Delays Coming | National Collapse | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants
The parable of the faithful and evil servants admonishes us to be faithful and wise in carrying out responsibilities and relationships with our fellow servants, our brothers in the body of Christ.
A faithful person is trustworthy, scrupulous, honest, upright, and truthful. Without specifically stating it, Christ is saying that we have to be keeping the first of the two great commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).
In this context "wise" means judicious, prudent, sensible, showing sound judgment. It suggests an understanding of people and situations, showing unusual discernment and judgment in dealing with them. Just as Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:6 about being self-controlled, Christ's use of "wise" indicates an exercising of restraint, using sound, practical wisdom and discretion, and acting in good sense and godly rationality. In short, Christ means exercising love. He tells us that we should be faithful in keeping the second of the two great commandments: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).
Since this parable applies to everyone, Christ admonishes us to lead in a way that unites and inspires others to be faithful. We do this by giving them the truth, a good example, and encouragement. In this way, we become wise and faithful stewards of the trust God has given us.
In these verses, Christ strongly links belief with behavior in both examples. If we believe in His return, we will not live as we would like carnally. It is as simple as that. If we really believe He will return soon, this parable shows that our belief will regulate our lives, keeping us from extremes of conduct.
This faithful attitude is opposed to that of the scornful servant, who says his master delays His coming and beats his fellows. His conduct turns for the worse as he eats and drinks with the drunkards. From the description Christ provides, the evil servant's attitude is arrogant, violent, self-indulgent, gluttonous, and hypocritical. Because he believes he has plenty of time to square his relationship with God, his conduct becomes evil.
In summary, whoever is entrusted with duties must perform them faithfully, prepared at all times to account for what he has done. The key words in this parable are faithful, wise, and ready.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and LaodiceanismRelated Topics: Faith | Faithfulness | Jesus Christ's Return | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Preparedness | Readiness | Relationship with God | Relationships | Self Centeredness | Self Control | Time | Time Management
Considering the context, this instruction tells us that it is the faithful Christian who will be ready for Christ's coming. He will be ever alert to the times in which he lives and will pattern his life accordingly, making effort to be found faithful. Verse 47 promises God will reward the faithful for these efforts.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fruit of the Spirit: FaithfulnessRelated Topics: Alertness | Faithfulness | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Responsibility, Sense of | Servant | Stewardship | Vigilance | Watch and Pray Always | Watchfulness | Watching
This is undoubtedly directed primarily at the ministry. In principle, it applies to everyone because everyone has responsibilities, but He's talking here about a faithful and wise steward or servant whose responsibility it is to give the household - church - spiritual food in due season.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Don't Be a Prudent AgnosticRelated Topics: Faithfulness | Minister | Minister, Duty of | Ministry | Ministry, Function of | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Responsibility, Sense of | Servant | Spiritual Food | Stewardship | Watchfulness | Watching
In this instance, Christ speaks of two individuals, both servants of God. God finds one to be wicked, the other wise. Note the fifty-fifty split in the context of judging. Christ judges the two servants, blessing the faithful one by setting him over His possessions, cursing the wicked one by cutting him in twain—the ultimate two-part division!
The wicked servant finds himself “with the hypocrites” because, all the while, he has led a double life, pretending to serve God while actually laboring at cross-purposes to God by abusing God's other servants. Like Satan, he has disguised himself as a minister of God (II Corinthians 11:12-15). As a result, he has scattered God's people rather than gathered them (Luke 11:23). Unlike the wise servant, “who walk[ed] not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4), the wicked servant walked according to his own desires (II Peter 3:3-4; Jude 16-19), all the while feigning faithfulness to God and His work. The wicked servant, like all hypocrites, has led a mock life, one of pretense.
Christ's teachings segue nicely into Matthew 25, where the central theme is the reality of God's judgment and how that reality should affect our thinking—and action. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), the ten virgins represent the entirety of God's people as they go out to meet the bridegroom (verse 1). Their even-split is clear: “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise” (verse 2).
Their destinies were vastly different, though, as the wise were ready for the bridegroom, the foolish were not. Upon the latter “the door was shut” (verse 10). Here, the blessing and the curse is ever so poignantly expressed. We are left with the feeling that the five foolish ones were never true followers of Christ, having failed to renounce all (Luke 14:33). Christ tells them, “I do not know you” (verse 12).
Again, in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Christ mentions two (not three) groups, distinguished by their members' attitudes toward obedience. One group is comprised of those who fulfill their responsibilities by actively growing their talents, no matter how many (or few) God originally gave them. The other group contains those who refuse to grow their talents.
Considering these various examples in overview, we can identify a few commonalities. In them all, we recognize that God is judging, usually in an end-time context. Evaluating a unified group, He detects some type of essential disunion. The unity is superficial, more apparent than real in terms of the level of commitment and obedience He seeks. As a result of this evaluation, God divides the group into two parts—sometimes overtly a fifty-fifty split.
The destinies of individuals in these two new groups differ vastly. One part is blessed, the other cursed. The Scriptures bear no salient indication of a period of church unity at the end. All this is consistent with Paul's comments in I Corinthians 11:19 that “there must in fact be divisions among you, so that those of you who are approved may be evident.”
These examples also illustrate another commonality: More often than not, God's judgment involves an element of surprise, even bewilderment, catching us off-guard—sometimes tragically so. The line of division He creates may be unfamiliar to us, unexpected. His judgment is not what we might expect, or the lines of division are unfamiliar to us. The wicked servant was not looking for the return of the master. The foolish virgins did not expect to run low of oil.
That is all to say that God's judgment is usually athwart ours. His act of division is, in fact, one of reconfiguration along lines that can be quite different to what we are accustomed.
Charles Whitaker
Unity and Division: The Blessing and a Curse (Part Two)Related Topics: Blessing | Blessings and Cursings | Chaff and Wheat imagery | Division | Divisions in the Church | God's Judgment | Hypocrisy | Hypocrite | Hypocrites | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Parable of the Foolish and Wise Virgins | Parable of the Talents | Satan as "an Angel of Light" | Satan Transforms himself as Angel of Light | Spiritual Unity | Tares and Wheat | Unity | Wheat and Tares | Wicked Servant
In this parable, it is even more apparent that the Master intends for the servants to be watchful—diligent, alert, taking heed to themselves—in their work and authority rather than for His return. Twice, He says that no one knows the timing of His return—not even Himself! Here, He tells us that we do not know the "day and hour," but after His resurrection He expands this unknown variable to "times or seasons" (Acts 1:6-7).
So, even though we might be able to have a rough idea when that time draws near (see Matthew 24:32-33; Luke 21:29-31), in general, it is secret and indeterminable. Our time, then, is best spent focusing on our responsibilities before God rather than being caught up in the details of how it might unfold. These things are unknowable, but even if one could correctly anticipate them, it would all be for naught if the individual is not spiritually prepared for Jesus Christ's return (see also Matthew 24:42-44).
David C. Grabbe
'As a Thief in the Night'Related Topics: Diligence | Hour You Think Not | Indicator Markings of Christ's Return | Jesus Christ's Return | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Parable of the Faithful and True Servants | Preparation, Spiritual | Preparedness | Signs of Christ's Return | Sober Watchfulness | Spiritual Preparedness | Thief Imagery | Thief in the Night | Times and Seasons | Timing of Christ's Return | Vigilance | Watchfulness
"Watching" points directly to the necessity of being ready for Jesus Christ, the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). It also includes patiently waiting, as is seen in Matthew 25:1-13, where the virgins must wait for the bridegroom. If the master's return is late at night or very early in the morning, the alertness of the servants is even more commendable. Jesus teaches that His disciples should always be ready because He would come at a time when they would not be expecting Him. The parable pictures several servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet. They must remain constantly vigilant so that the master could enter the house immediately upon arriving at home. If they prove worthy by being watchful and ready, their master will care for them.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Faithful and Evil ServantsRelated Topics: Alertness | Faithfulness | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Parable of the Ten Virgins | Readiness | Responsibility, Sense of | Servant | Stewardship | Vigilance | Watchfulness | Watching
From this, we can see that expectant watchfulness is the normal posture of a Christian. Jesus wants us to be ready for His return at any time, and as servants, we are in no position to determine when to expect Him. He will come when He will come, and we must be prepared to welcome Him whenever that happens to be.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Where Is the Promise of His Coming?Related Topics: Alertness | Faithful Servants | Faithfulness | Jesus Christ's Return | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Parable of the Faithful and True Servants | Parable of the Ten Virgins | Readiness | Responsibility, Sense of | Servant | Stewardship | Vigilance | Watchfulness | Watching
Jesus' comments about the thief point out that His disciples must be ready because the Son of Man will come unexpectedly (Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:33; Revelation 3:3). The story as a whole, not the individual characters in it, provide the comparison. The unwise servant makes two mistakes. First, he says, "I'll do whatever I want while my master is away," forgetting that the day of judgment must come. Human beings have a habit of having two different attitudes toward God. Sometimes, we remember that God is present, and at others, we may not think of Him at all. Second, he says, "I have plenty of time to put things right before the master comes." Nothing may be more harmful than to assume we have more time (I Thessalonians 5:3). Jesus says, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4).
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Faithful and Evil ServantsRelated Topics: Evil Servants | Faithful Servants | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Thief Imagery | Thief in the Night | Unfaithful Servants | Unwise Servants | Vigilance | Watchfulness | Wise Servants
Jesus says that exhortations to "watch" apply to everyone (Mark 13:35-37). In this case, the parable that follows shows that the apostles have a special responsibility. In it, the steward in charge of the servants is a servant himself, teaching the importance of faithfulness in doing the will of the master (I Corinthians 4:2). Not only does Jesus teach the certainty of His return at an unexpected moment, but he also implies that the church - His disciples - would continue serving God for an unspecified time until His return. As He says, "Blessed is the servant whom His Lord will find so doing when He comes."
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Faithful and Evil ServantsRelated Topics: Apostle | Apostle, Function of | Disciple | Disciples, Role of | Faithfulness | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Responsibility, Sense of | Vigilance | Watch and Pray Always | Watchfulness | Watching | Watchman
The attitude of the evil servant is contrary to the command to be ready. His severe treatment of the other servants is similar to the description of false leaders who ravage the congregation (Acts 20:29-30). Similarly, the dramatic portrayal of the servant's punishment, "cut him in two," stresses the seriousness of his evasion of responsibility. The original statement in Aramaic was probably "he was cut off," which has two implications: to be executed or exiled for sin. With respect to the church, it means being disfellowshipped from associating with church members because of flagrant sin. Luke 12:42-46 emphasizes our responsibility for those placed under our care. On the other hand, verses 47-48 focus on our response to our Master's command.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants
The evil servants fail in their responsibility because they are not looking faithfully to Christ and hopefully toward the Kingdom. The penalty tells us that Jesus is speaking about Christians who are not ready either because they ignore their calling or because they neglect to produce fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). Faithless Christians will be judged more strictly than those who, though wicked, do not understand about the coming of the Son of Man. Professing Christians with knowledge of God's revelation will have to answer for their lack of response to God.
Their punishment seems severe until we realize that the servant who knew his master's will represents those who sin arrogantly or presumptuously (Psalm 19:12-13). Even though the servant who was ignorant of his master's will sins unwittingly, it was his business to know his master's will. In either case, each holds personal responsibility for his actions and therefore comes under judgment. All have some knowledge of God (Romans 1:20-23), and He judges according to the individual's level of responsibility.
The parable finishes with the warning that knowledge and privilege always bring responsibility. Sin is doubly sinful to the person who knows better (Numbers 15:27-31). We who know better would like God to find us with our work completed upon His return, just as Jesus was able to say to His Father, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4-5). It would be wonderful for God to find us glorifying Him and at peace with our brethren when Christ comes.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Faithful and Evil ServantsRelated Topics: Bearing Fruit | Bearing Fruits Worthy of Repentance | Faithful and True Witness | Faithfulness | Faithfulness in Little Things | Faithfulness to Christ | Faithlessness | Fruit, Bearing | Fruits of Repentance | Neglect | Negligence | Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants | Responsibility | Responsibility, Sense of | Responsibility, Varying Levels of | Sin, Deliberate | Sin, Presumptuous | Sin, Willful
When God calls us, we may take our newly found power of faith for granted and may be increasingly susceptible to becoming angry at offenses and persecution. Aware of this, Jesus sought to caution His apostles against such pitfalls. In Luke 17:1-6, Jesus sets up the Parable of the Unprofitable Servants with introductory instruction. He warns His disciples of the inevitable attacks on His teaching and on those who proclaim it, pointing out the guilt of those responsible (verses 1-2). Then He admonishes them to value a loving and forgiving attitude and to be ready to pardon when an offender repents. Knowing this is difficult and seeing this weakness in themselves, the apostles feel the need for an increase of faith, an additional amount of spiritual help to aid them in complying with Jesus' requirements.
The lesson in verses 1-6 unites with the parable in verses 7-10, which emphasizes the obligation of each disciple to serve the Master without expectation of release or reward. His followers must give complete obedience to Him no matter what trials come upon them and like Him, they must conquer their own human nature by suffering. Jesus emphasizes the kind of faith His disciples would need to endure coming trials and to obey His commands (I Timothy 1:5). This parable is designed to guard against the subtle danger in the servant who becomes satisfied with his work and expects that the Master will recognize his service with reward. Jesus impresses on His disciples the difficult and continuous service He requires of them and the attitude in which their service should be given.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Unprofitable Servants
The Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants helps us home in on the meaning of Christ's instruction to the church in Laodicea:
Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. (Luke 12:35-38)
In both scenes, Jesus is shown knocking and waiting for His servants to open. Those who are faithful are rewarded with the Master—the very Creator of the universe—coming in and having a meal with them. There are conditions to this taking place, though. In Revelation 3:20, it depends on hearing His voice and opening the door. In Luke 12, it depends not only on the servants opening the door but also on "watching." While these conditions are not exactly the same, they both describe different aspects of the same approach to one's relationship with Christ.
In Luke 12:37-38, Jesus commends those servants whom He finds "watching." The Greek word here has little to do with "observing." In the biblical sense, "watching" is an internal activity involving the will rather than an external activity involving the eyes. To "watch" means to be sleepless, to take heed to oneself, to be vigilant regarding one's spiritual state, and to be in a constant state of readiness (see I Corinthians 16:13; Colossians 4:2; I Peter 5:8).
Watching or being in a state of readiness does not stand on its own; there must be an object or a goal. In this case, the "readiness" is being prepared to spend eternity with the Father and the Son in a truly unified relationship. Being prepared means God is not a stranger. We have taken on enough of His character image that we will not be out of place in eternity—because we live the way He lives. The way we watch and take heed to ourselves demonstrates whether we truly want that relationship for eternity or whether other things are more important to us.
Thus, in verse 37, it is not that the faithful servants are looking down the road to observe when the Master returns. Instead, they are being vigilant and taking heed to their duties so that no matter when He returns, they will be ready. There is no scrambling at the last minute to get the house in order since they have kept it in order all along. While the timing of the Master's return is unknown, it is essentially immaterial because the watchful servants are ready for His return whenever it should occur.
Our success or failure in "watching" depends greatly on our desire—on how important it is to us to please the Master. We can go through the motions of praying, studying, and attending Sabbath services, yet not really have our hearts in pursuing this invaluable opportunity given to us. Especially in these hectic times, so many things compete, not just for our time, but also for our affections. It is our affections—our hearts—that God desires and not just the works that He has ordained. So, if we are truly watchful, it is because our desire to please and be useful to Christ is greater than the other pulls and distractions that inevitably come our way.
In Revelation 3:20, those who hear His voice and open the door will dine with Him, reminiscent of John 10:27: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." When we were called and converted, we were given the ability to hear His voice, but that ability to hear Him is not absolute or permanent. Just as it is possible to become spiritually sleepy and relax our watchfulness, it is also quite possible to become "dull of hearing"—spiritually deaf—so that, when He is at the door, we do not recognize His voice.
This, too, results from neglecting the relationship. It happens when we are not actively listening for Christ's voice or are tuning Him out—perhaps because we do not like what He is saying. It happens through being so accustomed to the world's multitude of voices that His voice seems strange, even foreign, to us. This test of hearing comes at the very end, yet success or failure in passing this test depends on what we do the whole time leading up to it. The person who takes heed to himself all along will be prepared because he will be familiar with and following the Shepherd's voice.
David C. Grabbe
The Relationship Deficit (Part One)
The letter to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-21), the Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants (Luke 12:35-40), and the fifth chapter of the Song of Songs all picture Jesus Christ standing behind a door, waiting for His people to respond. The symbol of a door is used in several ways in Scripture, but the commonality in these passages is that the door represents something that separates people from God. Mankind became separated from Him in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the world, and the way to the Tree of Life (and, by implication, to God) was blocked. As Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your iniquities have separated you from your God."
In God's dealings with ancient Israel, there was a "door of the tabernacle," and inside that, there was a "veil"—another door—both of which granted sequential access into God's dwelling place. God was not walled in; those He designated could go through the doors and approach Him as long as they did so according to His instructions.
Under the New Covenant, the way to the Father has been opened by Christ's sacrifice (Hebrews 10:19-20), yet only those the Father calls have the door to the Son opened to them (John 6:44). Thus, if the Father has called us, we have access to Christ and ultimately to the Father Himself. A door has been made where an impenetrable barrier once stood.
In all three passages above, Jesus is pictured behind a closed door. The separation is not permanent, though—a door, by definition, can open, but the impetus to open it lies with the individual.
This is in contrast with the letter to the church in Philadelphia, where Jesus tells them, "I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it" (Revelation 3:8). This open door—held open by the Creator of the universe—is a reward for the Philadelphians' faithfulness in keeping His Word and not denying His name, despite having only a little strength. They have also kept His command to persevere (verse 10). The picture that emerges is of a people who have little power yet devote all they have to pleasing their Master. He is their highest priority and the object of their attention and affection. Because of their unreserved response to the opportunity to know Him, Jesus guarantees that no one will close that door.
Yet, Christ is still uncertain how much the Laodiceans really desire what He has offered them. Other things are competing for their attention and affection, and the competition is close enough that He asks them to demonstrate where their hearts truly and fully are. Will they open the door?
David C. Grabbe
The Relationship Deficit (Part Two)