And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season?
Peter asks who the parable is for. The Lord answers with a question about a manager set over a household — older translations call him a "steward." Everything turns on two words, "faithful and wise," and on one task: giving people their food at the right time.
Peter wanted to know whether the warning applied to the small circle around Jesus or to the wider crowd. The reply narrows nothing and excuses no one.
To Peter's question (verse 41) the Lord did not give a direct answer. He did not limit His words to the small circle of His disciples. Nor did He widen the circle to take in the thousands of Israel standing round. Instead He laid the whole weight of His words on the responsibility of His hearers. If men were in the place of His servants — however they got there — He would repay them according to their works, whether they turned out to be faithful or evil.
The Lord names no one. Anyone can step into the description, and one writer says that is the point.
We sometimes refer to such passages as abstract. The value of these abstract statements is that we can all put ourselves into them, and no doubt this is what our Lord intended. The word "steward" here means a household servant, in contrast to a worker in the vineyard, and it may point to our service to God's people in the church. Where does such service show itself? In the local gathering we belong to.
Two things stand in the verse: who put the steward there, and what he is there for.
Here, then, we have at once the source and object of all ministry in the house of God. "Whom his master will set over his household." This is the source. "To give them their portion of food at the proper time." This is the object.
Two words describe the servant the Lord looks for. Each one means something different.
The servant who is "faithful" to his lord's interests is reliable and worthy of trust. The servant who is "wise" is obedient and intelligent. These are surely the two qualities most looked for in a servant.
The same writer shows what those two qualities secure for the Master.
Where there are faithfulness and wisdom, the Master can count on His will being carried out exactly. He can count on the household getting its portion of food, and getting it at the proper time. When faithfulness and wisdom are properly blended together, the work is not only done, but done well.
The Master supplies the food. The steward only hands it out, and keeping it back is a serious matter.
He cares for His household. He has provided plenty of food for their spiritual health and strength, and He has entrusted that food to His stewards. No servant of His could commit a greater sin than keeping this food back from those who need it. And no servant could give the Lord greater service than handing it out diligently.
Only two things make a servant like this, and both are matters of the heart.
Faith and love alone make anyone faithful and wise. They tie the heart to the household through devotion to the Lord. Loving Him leads out to feeding His sheep and His lambs. That is how the Lord put it to Peter, whom He had restored after his fall — a fall which, by grace, would only make him more gentle and thoughtful towards others.
This is honourable work, and it carries its own reward. But that reward differs from the one promised to servants who watch for their Lord.
It is the position of one called to be faithful and wise as a steward. His duty is to rule over the master's household and give them their portion of food at the proper time. It is serious and honourable work. Still, it does not necessarily carry the close personal affection that constant watching for Him implies… It is not the return of His love so much as the post of honour in His kingdom. "Blessed" indeed are both.
Another writer says which of the two the Lord values more.
So we have two things: "watching" and "doing." Which does Christ value most? Watching, without question — the higher reward attached to it proves that. To have Christ serving us in the glory is far beyond any position He may in His goodness give us.
- Trust — his lord puts the steward in place. He never seizes the post, and the food he hands out belongs to his Master.
- Faithful — reliable and worthy of trust with his master's interests; this is what the Lord looks for.
- Wise — obedient and understanding, so the food reaches the household at the right time, not just at some time.
- Household — the steward measures the portion out to real people; love for the Master carries him out to feed His sheep.
- Reward — the faithful steward gains a post of honour in the kingdom; the watching heart gains more still, for Christ Himself will serve His own in glory.
Blessed is that bondman whom his lord [on] coming shall find doing thus;
The verse does not describe a servant doing something impressive. It describes one still doing the ordinary thing he was given to do — handing out food to the household at the right time — when the master walks in.
The Lord looks for faithful and wise stewardship from the one He has put in charge of His household while He is away. When He comes, He will deal with this responsibility. Did the servant hand out food at the right time? "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." ... He had already assured His own sheep that if they enter by Him they will be saved, enjoy freedom, and find pasture. That last point is where this servant's responsibility lies, and it would test him. ... Only faith and love make anyone faithful and wise. They attach the heart to the household through devotedness to the Lord. Loving Him leads out to feeding His sheep and His lambs.
The verse just before this one names two marks of the steward. They are not the same quality.
Two things mark such a servant — "faithful and wise." "Faithful" shows a sense of responsibility to the Lord. "Wise" suggests the ability to know what to minister, and when. This concerns all of us, because we all have some measure of ability. How good it is when we use the ability the Lord has given us to further His interests among His people.
Earlier in the chapter the Lord blesses servants found watching; here He blesses one found doing. Commentators read these as two different pictures with two different rewards.
Here it is working, as distinct from waiting or watching. It is doing Him service, not the eyes of the heart fixed on His coming. A servant may care for His interests with zeal, and do His work faithfully and with understanding. He may seek sinners earnestly so that they may be saved, and love and tend the saints because they are precious to Him. The Lord does not forget such service, and God is not unrighteous to forget the work. That servant will share in the display of his Lord's glory, if he serves faithfully now, in the day when men slight Him.
Commentators weigh the two by the reward attached to each.
So we have two things: "watching" and "doing." Which does Christ value most? The first, without question — the higher reward attached to it proves this. To have Christ serving us in the glory is far beyond any position He may in His goodness give us.
The blessedness announced in this verse is spelled out in the next one, and it is a share in the Master's authority.
The Lord will reward faithful service today when He administers the world to come. We see this in the parable of the pounds, "Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities," Luke 19:17. As in that parable, so here, the Lord offers rule in the world to come as the reward.
The rewards in these parables fit the service they answer.
Where the heart watches for the Lord's return, the reward is the joy of His communion, the blessed society of the Father's house. ... Where servants watch carefully over the Lord's interests, the fitting response is to make them rulers in the kingdom.
Some read this verse and conclude they have nothing worth being found at.
In Luke 12 the Lord Himself makes a difference between a "waiting" servant (Luke 12:37) and a "working" servant (Luke 12:43). He serves the first and rewards the second, but both alike are servants. ... A heart set free from itself can "weep with those who weep." Done in fellowship with the Master's mind, that is a service very welcome and acceptable to His heart.
The blessing rests on what He finds us doing. His arrival, not our own planning, ends the work.
This service is to go on until the coming of the Lord. ... it seems that some servants will still be serving when the Lord comes. It may be our privilege to be here when that moment arrives. If so, how happy to be found "so doing" at the very moment when He comes to take us to be with Himself! When He comes for us, all opportunities for service here will cease.
- Doing — he is blessed for still handing out the household's food at the right time. The work is ordinary care of the Lord's people, not display.
- Faithful and wise — faithfulness is a sense of responsibility to the Lord. Wisdom is knowing what to give, and when.
- Watching first — working is blessed. But Christ values most the heart fixed on His return, and the higher reward proves it.
- Any measure — the waiting servant and the working servant are both servants. Even weeping with those who weep, in fellowship with His mind, is welcome service.
- Found — the blessing hangs on the moment He arrives. Serve on until then. When He comes, the chance to serve closes and rule with Him begins.
verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he has.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.