DRUNKENNESS & DELAY
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, He will set him over all His possessions.[1]
Jesus chose to craft the following parables in context to His second coming. There were no chapter breaks or paragraph headings in Jesus’ discourse. These parables are part of one continual response to the disciple’s original question at the beginning of Matthew 24.
When the Master appoints servants, He expects them to be faithful to the task He’s assigned them.[2] If the servants fail to obey the directives of the Master, there are serious consequences. In this parable, Jesus is making very clear that the disciples have a responsibility to feed His sheep the proper food at the proper time. And He warns them severely of the coming consequences for failing to do so:
But if that wicked servant says to himself, “My master is delayed,” and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[3]
Jesus is warning His followers to prepare others for His appearing. The Lord considers it abusive to not adequately prepare people for His return. And He rewards those who do.
Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when He comes.[4]
Let’s take a look the next parable Jesus spoke to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. It’s a long paragraph that I’m sure many are familiar with, but I encourage you not to just skim it this time.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise answered, saying, “Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.” And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But He answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.[5]
What’s at stake for not having oil or not being prepared for His appearing is that you may find out when you meet Him that you never actually knew Him.[6] Watch, therefore! Know Him. Stay ready.
I believe Jesus is beckoning us closer to Him. He does not delight in the death of the wicked[7]and does not want us to spend any hour—let alone eternity—apart from Him. In these parables, Jesus is inviting us to be the protagonists. He is pastorally keeping us from the proverbial (and literal) pit. He’s kind to warn us. He’s instructing us to build a history of knowing and obeying Him now, when the sea is calm, so we will be able to withstand the storm that’s ahead.
As with the previous parables we’ve covered, the parable of the talents was not an isolated lesson. While there are clear financial takeaway points from this passage, it too was given to bring clarity regarding the end of this age and the return of the Lord. Since many will be familiar with this passage, we’ll focus in on one particular phrase the ‘worthless servant’ says toward the end:
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.”[8]
The servants’ beliefs about the master dictated what each one did with the master’s money. Likewise, our responses are defined by what we believe about God. If we believe Jesus at the end of the age to be primarily a hard master who we’re afraid of, it will be revealed in our actions. Those who know God will respond in one way. Those who don’t will respond in another.
But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? … Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[9]
If we sincerely know Jesus, we won’t bury His money. We will respond rightly in that season and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your Master.”[10]
Be ready. Stay alert. Know when the Master is coming. Know what the Master is like. Get oil before the Bridegroom returns. Over and over again, the Lord urges us to know Him. We should always be aiming to know and be known by the Lord. But there is something significant about Jesus repeating it in so many ways in the context of His second coming. I believe God is giving us the remedy against being led astray and our love growing cold before it gets too late; before we realize that we never knew Him. He’s sparing us from the consequences of those in the parables who were unaware, unprepared, and had wrong ideas about who God is.
As we’ve explored previously, the events surrounding Jesus’ return are inseparable from His nature and character. God is going to do things in the last days that will be devastating to those who hate Him. We need to know this about Jesus before He comes back so we aren’t caught off-guard and offended by Him when He takes responsibility for the largest human death toll the planet has ever known.[11] Especially because our lost friends, neighbors, and family members will be among them.[12]
Blessed are those who are not offended by Me.[13]
The Lord is going to sift the Church. He’s going to chastise wayward Israel. He’s going to judge the nations. It’s not going to be an easy season to endure. This is why we must know our Lord and have a history with Him now (and teach our children to as well) so we can agree with His actions at the end of the age and not kick against them—or kick against Him.
The Day is coming when God will test the faith of His Church. How can we be sure that we will be ones who endure to the end?
The one who endures to the end will be saved.[14]
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
[1] MATTHEW 24:45-47
[2] 1 CORINTHIANS 4:1-2
[3] MATTHEW 24:48-51
[4] MATTHEW 24:46
[5] MATTHEW 25:1-13
[6] SEE ALSO MATTHEW 7:21-23
[7] EZEKIEL 33:11
[8] MATTHEW 25:24-25
[9] MATTHEW 25:26,30
[10] MATTHEW 25:21
[11] REVELATION 9:15,18
[12]JOHN 3:36
[13] MATTHEW 11:6; LUKE 7:23
[14] MATTHEW 24:13
