Conduct at His Return

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Scripture gives us two actions to be doing in regards to the return of Christ. One is to be watching and the other is to be working.

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

As Christ said, “Occupy [do business, keep busy] till I come” (). Waiting for Christ to return is no excuse to sit down and stop working. Rather it is an inspiration to get busy in doing your duty!

As Christ said, “Occupy [do business, keep busy] till I come” (). Waiting for Christ to return is no excuse to sit down and stop working. Rather it is an inspiration to get busy in doing your duty.

Those people who get strange ideas in their head about quitting their jobs and gathering together at some hill or other location to wait the return of Jesus Christ have not one single Scripture for their actions, rather there is much Scripture to condemn their actions.

As we think about the proper Conduct at His Return, we note the position in the conduct (), the promotion for good conduct (, ), and the punishment for bad conduct ().

Once again we consider a text which dwells on what our conduct should be in regards to the return of the Lord. The reference in our text to the return of the Master can speak in figure of either the Rapture or the Revelation. “There are two aspects of Christ’s second advent, though it was no part of our Lord’s purpose in this particular discourse to distinguish between the Rapture and the appearing [Revelation]” (Ironside). The idea is that mankind should be acting properly whenever He returns.

Scripture gives us two actions to be doing in regards to the return of Christ. One is to be watching and the other is to be working.

The posture of the believer in anticipation of the return of Christ is not one of sitting down and waiting, but one of working while he is waiting for the return.

As Christ said, “Occupy [do business, keep busy] till I come” (). Waiting for Christ to return is no excuse to sit down and stop working. Rather it is an inspiration to get busy in doing your duty.

Those people who get strange ideas in their head about quitting their jobs and gathering together at some hill or other location to wait the return of Jesus Christ have not one single Scripture for their actions, rather there is much Scripture to condemn their actions.

To examine our text and parable regarding proper conduct for His return, we note the position in the conduct (), the promotion for good conduct (, ), and the punishment for bad conduct ().

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

While all people regardless of their particular position in life are to act properly in view of the return of Christ, our text focuses especially upon the position of a slave who supervises other slaves—a position common at the time of Christ’s first advent.

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

To examine this position which Christ focuses on in this parable regarding conduct for His return, we note the specifics of the position and the selecting for the position.

“The Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?” (). While all people regardless of their particular position in life are to act properly in view of the return of Christ, our text focuses especially upon the position of a slave who supervises other slaves—a position common at the time of Christ’s first advent.

To examine this position which Christ focuses on in this parable regarding conduct for His return, we note the specifics of the position and the selecting for the position.

“Steward.” The word means one who rules over a household. It is “a person who manages the domestic affairs of a family, business, or minor … a house manager, overseer, steward” (Zodhiates). Here, as we noted in the introduction of this section, it is “one who has authority over the servants or slaves of a family to assign their tasks and portions … Such persons were themselves usually slaves” (Ibid.). In fact, in the parallel account in , the person is called a slave (“servant” Greek doulos which means slave).

A specific duty is given in our text, namely, “give them their portion of meat [food] in due season.” So this slave who was in the position of a steward over other slaves, had the responsibility of seeing that the other slaves were fed at their proper times. Other duties doubtless were involved, but this feeding duty is especially emphasized in our text. This task (feeding) was a lowly task. It was not some great and mighty task which will gain the headlines of the news media. It was a task which takes care of day-to-day needs of lowly slaves. Thus Christ informs us that the conduct He is speaking about in regards to His return is the conduct most of us are involved in every day—common tasks which are not going to be in the spotlight of fame. The conduct God is looking at in regards to Christ’s return is our ordinary duties. Do not despise your daily tasks. They may not be impressive and spectacular, but they are important to God. Thus you should do them faithfully until Jesus comes.

Are you sweeping floors, keeping books, teaching school, feeding cattle, changing diapers, washing clothes, preparing a meal for your family, or some other common task? Do not despise your task but do the task well in view of the coming of Christ, for it matters to Him how well you are doing your task when He returns.

“Steward.” The word means one who rules over a household. It is “a person who manages the domestic affairs of a family, business, or minor … a house manager, overseer, steward” (Zodhiates). Here, as we noted in the introduction of this section, it is “one who has authority over the servants or slaves of a family to assign their tasks and portions … Such persons were themselves usually slaves” (Ibid.). In fact, in the parallel account in , the person is called a slave (“servant” Greek doulos which means slave).

A specific duty is given in our text, namely, “give them their portion of meat [food] in due season.” So this slave who was in the position of a steward over other slaves, had the responsibility of seeing that the other slaves were fed at their proper times. Other duties doubtless were involved, but this feeding duty is especially emphasized in our text. This task (feeding) was a lowly task. It was not some great and mighty task which will gain the headlines of the news media. It was a task which takes care of day-to-day needs of lowly slaves. Thus Christ informs us that the conduct He is speaking about in regards to His return is the conduct most of us are involved in every day—common tasks which are not going to be in the spotlight of fame. The conduct God is looking at in regards to Christ’s return is our ordinary duties. Do not despise your daily tasks. They may not be impressive and spectacular, but they are important to God. Thus you should do them faithfully until Jesus comes.

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Are you sweeping floors, keeping books, teaching school, feeding cattle, changing diapers, washing clothes, preparing a meal for your family, or some other common task? Do not despise your task but do the task well in view of the coming of Christ, for it matters to Him how well you are doing your task when He returns.

“Faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household” (). We have a parenthetical lesson here in the selecting of the slave to oversee the other slaves. We use the Matthew text of the parable here because it tells us what the person was who was made a ruler over the Master’s household (particularly the slaves). The Luke text tells us the title (steward) given him when he was made a ruler over the household. Matthew tells us what the person’s position was when he was made a ruler over the household.

The lesson here on the selecting of the slave for a higher task is a good one which all of us need. There is a twofold qualification for the selection of the slave to be the steward and rule over the other slaves. The two qualifications are faithfulness and wisdom. They speak of the character (“faithful”) of the person and the capabilities (“wise”) of the person. Both are essential. We should not promote or select or elect someone who lacks in the area of character. But neither should we promote or select or elect someone who lacks capabilities. Churches have trouble in this area. At election time, people who are deficient in one or the other category are often elected. While character is the first and foremost qualification, we must not overlook capabilities either or it will result in great troubles. Character without capability will not do a good job and capability without character will not do a good job either. We need both “faithful and wise.”

“Faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household” (). We have a parenthetical lesson here in the selecting of the slave to oversee the other slaves. We use the Matthew text of the parable here because it tells us what the person was who was made a ruler over the Master’s household (particularly the slaves). The Luke text tells us the title (steward) given him when he was made a ruler over the household. Matthew tells us what the person’s position was when he was made a ruler over the household.

The lesson here on the selecting of the slave for a higher task is a good one which all of us need. There is a twofold qualification for the selection of the slave to be the steward and rule over the other slaves. The two qualifications are faithfulness and wisdom. They speak of the character (“faithful”) of the person and the capabilities (“wise”) of the person. Both are essential. We should not promote or select or elect someone who lacks in the area of character. But neither should we promote or select or elect someone who lacks capabilities. Churches have trouble in this area. At election time, people who are deficient in one or the other category are often elected. While character is the first and foremost qualification, we must not overlook capabilities either or it will result in great troubles. Character without capability will not do a good job and capability without character will not do a good job either. We need both “faithful and wise.”

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath” (, ). In the parable Christ is giving to exhort mankind to be working while waiting for the return of Christ, we are told that when Christ returns there will be a reckoning with folk as to how they conducted themselves in His absence while they awaited His return. Christ first speaks of those who performed well while waiting His return. Because of their performance, they would be promoted.

Thus our conduct must be done in view of the future. “To live for the future is, in one aspect, the very definition of a Christian” (Maclaren).

To examine this promotion at the return of Christ, we note the cause, the character, the certainty, and the chore in the promotion.

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath” (, ). In the parable Christ is giving to exhort mankind to be working while waiting for the return of Christ, we are told that when Christ returns there will be a reckoning with folk as to how they conducted themselves in His absence while they awaited His return. Christ first speaks of those who performed well while waiting His return. Because of their performance, they would be promoted.

Thus our conduct must be done in view of the future. “To live for the future is, in one aspect, the very definition of a Christian” (Maclaren).

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (). There are two reasons or causes for this promotion. They involve doing and duration.

To examine this promotion at the return of Christ, we note the cause, the character, the certainty, and the chore in the promotion.

The doing in the cause. “So doing.” What the “so doing” referred to was the duty that the servant was assigned in caring for the other servants. Because this duty was performed as prescribed, it results in a reward when the Master returns which return is a figure of Christ’s returning. The duty here, as we noted earlier, was not a high status task but a rather lowly one—it consisted simply of taking care of the other slaves and seeing that they had their meals at the proper times. God is interested in how we perform even the simplest and lowliest of our tasks. Do them well and you will be blessed when Jesus returns.

“The best way for a steward to be ready for the Master, and to show that he is watching, is that he should be ‘found so doing’ the humble task of his stewardship … The watchful servant should be a working servant” (Maclaren). “There is always the temptation to slothfulness and carelessness when the master is not present, but every employer values that type of service which is as conscientiously performed in his absence as when he is personally supervising it. Such a servant will be promoted to a greater stewardship because of his integrity in a lesser position” (Ironside).

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (). There are two reasons or causes for this promotion. They involve doing and duration.

The duration in the cause. “When he cometh shall find so doing.” The duration of the performance was the time in which “his lord” was gone. The servant continued doing his task until the lord returned. Thus faithfulness is involved here.

The doing in the cause. “So doing.” What the “so doing” referred to was the duty that the servant was assigned in caring for the other servants. Because this duty was performed as prescribed, it results in a reward when the Master returns which return is a figure of Christ’s returning. The duty here, as we noted earlier, was not a high status task but a rather lowly one—it consisted simply of taking care of the other slaves and seeing that they had their meals at the proper times. God is interested in how we perform even the simplest and lowliest of our tasks. Do them well and you will be blessed when Jesus returns.

Faithfulness is so important. We may do our tasks spasmodically and spectacularly, but what counts with God is duration—which speaks of faithfulness.

“The best way for a steward to be ready for the Master, and to show that he is watching, is that he should be ‘found so doing’ the humble task of his stewardship … The watchful servant should be a working servant” (Maclaren). “There is always the temptation to slothfulness and carelessness when the master is not present, but every employer values that type of service which is as conscientiously performed in his absence as when he is personally supervising it. Such a servant will be promoted to a greater stewardship because of his integrity in a lesser position” (Ironside).

Today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get church people to do a task indefinitely. They will do a task for a few weeks, but do not ask them to serve indefinitely. They have no interest in such a commitment. Yet, that is the commitment God wants. Some church members do not even want to make much of a commitment to marriage. But faithfulness in marriage as well as in other tasks is what God commends. You do not have to be flashy and famous to please God, but you do have to be faithful. And faithfulness will involve having some lengthy duration to your performance.

The duration in the cause. “When he cometh shall find so doing.” The duration of the performance was the time in which “his lord” was gone. The servant continued doing his task until the lord returned. Thus faithfulness is involved here.

Faithfulness is so important. We may do our tasks spasmodically and spectacularly, but what counts with God is duration—which speaks of faithfulness.

Today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get church people to do a task indefinitely. They will do a task for a few weeks, but do not ask them to serve indefinitely. They have no interest in such a commitment. Yet, that is the commitment God wants. Some church members do not even want to make much of a commitment to marriage. But faithfulness in marriage as well as in other tasks is what God commends. You do not have to be flashy and famous to please God, but you do have to be faithful. And faithfulness will involve having some lengthy duration to your performance.

“Blessed is that servant.” (). Jesus said the promotion for faithful performance would be “blessed.” Many promotions are not “blessed” in God’s sight. They are a curse more than anything else. Many folk have been ruined by promotion. They have had their character destroyed by earthly promotion. But the promotions that God gives do not destroy character. His rewards are not ruinous and defiling but “blessed.

“Of a truth I say unto you” (). The Greek word translated “Of a truth” means “I speak with certainty” (Zodhiates). This promise of promotion, of reward, for faithful working while waiting His return is not a mirage or a false promise. It is as certain as God can make it. You will not be disappointed or mislead by God’s promises about promotion for faithful conduct in regards to His return. All of God’s promises are certain to be fulfilled, but our text emphasizes this certainty by the use of the word translated “Of a truth.”

“He will make him ruler over all that he hath” (). There are two thoughts here in the chore involved in the promotion given here in this parable. They are the way to the promotion and the work in the promotion.

The way to the promotion. “Ruler over all that he hath.” There is a very practical lesson here. The lesson is be faithful in the lowly task and you will be given a higher task. The servant had been ruler over part of the household, namely, the lowly slaves. Now he will be ruler over all the household. Some want to start by ruling all the household. But until you prove you can do the small task of ruling over the lowly slaves, you will not be given the big task of ruling over the entire household. The exhortation is, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” ().

The work in the promotion. “Ruler over all that he hath” (“all his goods” ). From ruler over part of what the Master owned the servant is now given the task of ruling over all that the Master owned. This promotion was not a promotion to idleness. Increase in position and status does not lesson the work required. God does not smile on idleness. We will not be sitting around in heaven doing nothing. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were given tasks to do before they had ever sinned. So work is not a result of sin. What is sin is the failure to work.

“He will make him ruler over all that he hath” (). There are two thoughts here in the chore involved in the promotion given here in this parable. They are the way to the promotion and the work in the promotion.

The way to the promotion. “Ruler over all that he hath.” There is a very practical lesson here. The lesson is be faithful in the lowly task and you will be given a higher task. The servant had been ruler over part of the household, namely, the lowly slaves. Now he will be ruler over all the household. Some want to start by ruling all the household. But until you prove you can do the small task of ruling over the lowly slaves, you will not be given the big task of ruling over the entire household. The exhortation is, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” ().

Work is therapeutic. If we were more concerned about our children working than about providing for their play time with parks and other forms of recreation, we would be helping our children much more in the matter of character. This does not, of course, encourage or justify the child labor abuse that has occurred in every age and is even perpetrated in some countries today. What it attacks is the unhealthy emphasis we have today in our society upon providing play things for the children rather than providing some tasks for them to do. Work will do more for character than play has ever done.

The work in the promotion. “Ruler over all that he hath” (“all his goods” ). From ruler over part of what the Master owned the servant is now given the task of ruling over all that the Master owned. This promotion was not a promotion to idleness. Increase in position and status does not lesson the work required. God does not smile on idleness. We will not be sitting around in heaven doing nothing. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were given tasks to do before they had ever sinned. So work is not a result of sin. What is sin is the failure to work.

“The servant who forgets that his master may return most unexpectedly and who behaves tyrannically and unfaithfully because he imagines his faults will never be discovered, is due for a rude awakening” (Ironside).

Work is therapeutic. If we were more concerned about our children working than about providing for their play time with parks and other forms of recreation, we would be helping our children much more in the matter of character. This does not, of course, encourage or justify the child labor abuse that has occurred in every age and is even perpetrated in some countries today. What it attacks is the unhealthy emphasis we have today in our society upon providing play things for the children rather than providing some tasks for them to do. Work will do more for character than play has ever done.

Half of the verses in our Luke text (likewise in the Matthew text) are about the punishment for bad conduct. This certainly gives us a sober warning of the peril of bad conduct in view of the return of Christ. This emphasis on punishment will not go over well with the carnal members in our churches, however. They complain if just one sermon out of many is about judgment and condemnation. Here in this parable Christ spends more time on judgment upon evil than upon anything else.

To examine our text in this parable about the punishment for bad conduct that will be given out when Christ returns, we note the performance for the punishment, the painfulness of the punishment, and the principles in the punishment.

“The servant who forgets that his master may return most unexpectedly and who behaves tyrannically and unfaithfully because he imagines his faults will never be discovered, is due for a rude awakening” (Ironside).

Half of the verses in our Luke text (likewise in the Matthew text) are about the punishment for bad conduct. This certainly gives us a sober warning of the peril of bad conduct in view of the return of Christ. This emphasis on punishment will not go over well with the carnal members in our churches, however. They complain if just one sermon out of many is about judgment and condemnation. Here in this parable Christ spends more time on judgment upon evil than upon anything else.

To examine our text in this parable about the punishment for bad conduct that will be given out when Christ returns, we note the performance for the punishment, the painfulness of the punishment, and the principles in the punishment.

“But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken” (). The performance that is punished here is threefold. There was the conclusion of the servant, the cruelty of the servant, and the carnality of the servant that are all condemned. His attitude (conclusion) about the return, his abuse (cruelty) of the fellow servants, and the appetite (carnality) of the flesh all led to the ruin this servant.

The conclusion of the servant. “That servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming” (). We note the cause of the conclusion and the criticism in the conclusion.

First, the cause of the conclusion. “Say in his heart.” The cause of the conclusion is unbelief. It is the heart that does the believing or in this case the unbelieving—“For with the heart man believeth” (). But when unbelief gets into our hearts, bad things will follow. To counter this problem, we must continually stay in the Word of God. It is the Word of God that promotes faith/believing (). People spend so much time reading everything but the Word of God and then wonder why their faith is weak. The daily newspaper and TV and news periodicals and other literature do not strengthen one in the faith—only the Word of God does that.

“But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken” (). The performance that is punished here is threefold. There was the conclusion of the servant, the cruelty of the servant, and the carnality of the servant that are all condemned. His attitude (conclusion) about the return, his abuse (cruelty) of the fellow servants, and the appetite (carnality) of the flesh all led to the ruin this servant.

The conclusion of the servant. “That servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming” (). We note the cause of the conclusion and the criticism in the conclusion.

Second, the criticism in the conclusion. “My lord delayeth his coming.” That statement is the snarling criticism of unbelief. It has lost patience in God’s Word and so makes the charge that the “lord” has not kept His word about His return. It is the same criticism as recorded in Peter about the mockers who say, “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (, ). The scoffers claim the promise of Christ about His return is not fulfilled so they mock it. Because Christ does not fit their schedule, they conclude Christ has not kept His Word. And notice Peter said the scoffers are walking after their own lusts—that is what this bad servant of our Luke text is doing, too, as we will see more about shortly. You will generally find that scoffers of the Word are people who have a problem with the appetites of the flesh.

The cruelty of the servant. “Shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens.” The word beat means to “strike, smite with the hand, stick or other instrument repeatedly” (Zodhiates). It is not nice conduct at all. Cruelty comes from unbelief. When you see cruelty in society increase, put it down that unbelief is on the increase. It is faith that produces kindness to others. Unbelief does not. This servant’s unbelief resulted in his treating those other slaves in his charge with great unkindness. He was beating them and hitting them repeatedly, making life miserable for them.

First, the cause of the conclusion. “Say in his heart.” The cause of the conclusion is unbelief. It is the heart that does the believing or in this case the unbelieving—“For with the heart man believeth” (). But when unbelief gets into our hearts, bad things will follow. To counter this problem, we must continually stay in the Word of God. It is the Word of God that promotes faith/believing (). People spend so much time reading everything but the Word of God and then wonder why their faith is weak. The daily newspaper and TV and news periodicals and other literature do not strengthen one in the faith—only the Word of God does that.

Our society is a cruel society. Like that of the day of Noah in which “the earth was filled with violence” (), so is our day. And it all exposes the great lack of unbelief that prevails in our society.

Second, the criticism in the conclusion. “My lord delayeth his coming.” That statement is the snarling criticism of unbelief. It has lost patience in God’s Word and so makes the charge that the “lord” has not kept His word about His return. It is the same criticism as recorded in Peter about the mockers who say, “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (, ). The scoffers claim the promise of Christ about His return is not fulfilled so they mock it. Because Christ does not fit their schedule, they conclude Christ has not kept His Word. And notice Peter said the scoffers are walking after their own lusts—that is what this bad servant of our Luke text is doing, too, as we will see more about shortly. You will generally find that scoffers of the Word are people who have a problem with the appetites of the flesh.

The carnality of the servant. “Eat and drink, and to be drunken.” The unbelieving steward gave himself up to his fleshly appetites. We noted in a previous paragraph that the giving of oneself to carnal appetites was typical of those who mock the return of Christ (). The scorners and scoffers are sensual, given to satisfying their lusts in any way possible.

The cruelty of the servant. “Shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens.” The word beat means to “strike, smite with the hand, stick or other instrument repeatedly” (Zodhiates). It is not nice conduct at all. Cruelty comes from unbelief. When you see cruelty in society increase, put it down that unbelief is on the increase. It is faith that produces kindness to others. Unbelief does not. This servant’s unbelief resulted in his treating those other slaves in his charge with great unkindness. He was beating them and hitting them repeatedly, making life miserable for them.

Our society is a cruel society. Like that of the day of Noah in which “the earth was filled with violence” (), so is our day. And it all exposes the great lack of unbelief that prevails in our society.

This characterizes the day in which we live, for today the appetites (especially the base appetites) of the flesh are exalted and given honor. So it is not surprising that at the same time there is much unbelief and mocking about the return of Christ.

The carnality of the servant. “Eat and drink, and to be drunken.” The unbelieving steward gave himself up to his fleshly appetites. We noted in a previous paragraph that the giving of oneself to carnal appetites was typical of those who mock the return of Christ (). The scorners and scoffers are sensual, given to satisfying their lusts in any way possible.

This characterizes the day in which we live, for today the appetites (especially the base appetites) of the flesh are exalted and given honor. So it is not surprising that at the same time there is much unbelief and mocking about the return of Christ.

“The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (). There are at least three ways in which this painfulness of the punishment is evidenced. There is the pain in the coming, the pain in the cutting, and the pain in the consigning.

The pain in the coming. “The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware.” The surprise of the coming of the lord of this servant will be a very painful experience for the servant. Anytime the boss or a teacher or a parent shows up unexpectedly when you are not doing what you ought to be doing, that time is a very painful time indeed. Disobedience when Christ returns will not make the return of Christ a delightful experience.

The pain in the cutting. “Will cut him in sunder.” That is pretty rough language, rougher than the carnal church member can handle. But these words came from the lips of our Savior. “The language which our Lord Jesus uses about slothful and unfaithful servants, is peculiarly severe. Few places in the gospels contain such strong expressions as this. It is a vain delusion to suppose that the Gospel speaks nothing but ‘smooth things.’ The same loving Savior who holds out mercy to the uttermost to the penitent and believing, never shrinks from holding up the judgments of God against those who despise His counsel” (Ryle).

“The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (). There are at least three ways in which this painfulness of the punishment is evidenced. There is the pain in the coming, the pain in the cutting, and the pain in the consigning.

The cutting asunder action here “was a manner of execution of criminals practiced at that time. There is the tradition that the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two, and that the Hebrews’ text which refers to some who were “sawn asunder” () refers to Isaiah. In the NT [‘cutting asunder’ is often] used figuratively meaning to scourge with the utmost severity, to cut asunder as it were by scourging … Scourging was usually inflicted upon idle and negligent servants among the Jews … The Lord’s words should induce us to awesome thoughtfulness as to what we do with our lives on earth” (Zodhiates). Judgment upon unbelief will be severe.

The pain in the coming. “The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware.” The surprise of the coming of the lord of this servant will be a very painful experience for the servant. Anytime the boss or a teacher or a parent shows up unexpectedly when you are not doing what you ought to be doing, that time is a very painful time indeed. Disobedience when Christ returns will not make the return of Christ a delightful experience.

The pain in the consigning. “Will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Some may think here that this parable suggests a believer can lose his salvation. But Scripture will not support that thought. Furthermore, in the parallel passage in , this servant who is cut asunder is appointed “his portion with the hypocrites” which suggests that the servant is a hypocrite. Thus we learn that the servant pictures not a believer losing his salvation but a hypocritical believer, one who professes outwardly to be a believer but inwardly is not. We saw something of this fact in his saying “in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming” (). Outwardly, he would try to pass as a believer, but inwardly he certainly was not. His heart gave him away. And outwardly, his deeds gave him away also as he abused the servants under him. This is the way hypocrites behave. They may talk a good profession. But in their heart they are unbelievers, and you will see that in their deeds (as in our text), for their deeds will betray their hypocrisy.

The pain in the cutting. “Will cut him in sunder.” That is pretty rough language, rougher than the carnal church member can handle. But these words came from the lips of our Savior. “The language which our Lord Jesus uses about slothful and unfaithful servants, is peculiarly severe. Few places in the gospels contain such strong expressions as this. It is a vain delusion to suppose that the Gospel speaks nothing but ‘smooth things.’ The same loving Savior who holds out mercy to the uttermost to the penitent and believing, never shrinks from holding up the judgments of God against those who despise His counsel” (Ryle).

The cutting asunder action here “was a manner of execution of criminals practiced at that time. There is the tradition that the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two, and that the Hebrews’ text which refers to some who were “sawn asunder” () refers to Isaiah. In the NT [‘cutting asunder’ is often] used figuratively meaning to scourge with the utmost severity, to cut asunder as it were by scourging … Scourging was usually inflicted upon idle and negligent servants among the Jews … The Lord’s words should induce us to awesome thoughtfulness as to what we do with our lives on earth” (Zodhiates). Judgment upon unbelief will be severe.

The parallel text in Matthew indicates that some of that “portion” assigned the hypocrites includes “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (). That is the language reserved for those in hellfire (, ). It will be a horribly painful experience for every person who goes to hell. But the hypocrite will especially suffer in hell.

The pain in the consigning. “Will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Some may think here that this parable suggests a believer can lose his salvation. But Scripture will not support that thought. Furthermore, in the parallel passage in , this servant who is cut asunder is appointed “his portion with the hypocrites” which suggests that the servant is a hypocrite. Thus we learn that the servant pictures not a believer losing his salvation but a hypocritical believer, one who professes outwardly to be a believer but inwardly is not. We saw something of this fact in his saying “in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming” (). Outwardly, he would try to pass as a believer, but inwardly he certainly was not. His heart gave him away. And outwardly, his deeds gave him away also as he abused the servants under him. This is the way hypocrites behave. They may talk a good profession. But in their heart they are unbelievers, and you will see that in their deeds (as in our text), for their deeds will betray their hypocrisy.

The parallel text in Matthew indicates that some of that “portion” assigned the hypocrites includes “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (). That is the language reserved for those in hellfire (, ). It will be a horribly painful experience for every person who goes to hell. But the hypocrite will especially suffer in hell.

“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (, ). Luke records a valuable addition to this parable of our Lord which Matthew does not record. This addition gives us two important principles involved in the punishment given by God to the disobedient. They are punishment according to enablement, and punishment is according to equity.

Punishment according to enablement. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (). When judgment time comes, the Judge will take a good look at our privileges, gifts, talents, opportunities, and advantages which have been given us. The greater the enablement, the greater the expectation in performance. And the greater the enablement, the greater the punishment for failure in performance.

“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (, ). Luke records a valuable addition to this parable of our Lord which Matthew does not record. This addition gives us two important principles involved in the punishment given by God to the disobedient. They are punishment according to enablement, and punishment is according to equity.

One of the enablements which the Luke text specifically mentions is the enablement of knowledge. “That servant, which knew his lord’s will” () is expected to act accordingly and better than the one who did not know the Lord’s will. “They who are early taught in Sunday schools, or by pious parents, or in other ways, and who grow up in sin and impenitence, will have much more to answer for than those who have no such privileges” (Barnes). This enablement of knowledge really hangs an ominous cloud over our country and churches in our land. We walk in greater light of spiritual learning than most people before us, yet we do not act as well as many who walk in lesser light.

We have had many spiritual advantages in our land which demand we live better lives than what we are living. This problem was spoken about by our Savior in regards to some cities in Galilee in His day. He said, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee” ().

Punishment according to enablement. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (). When judgment time comes, the Judge will take a good look at our privileges, gifts, talents, opportunities, and advantages which have been given us. The greater the enablement, the greater the expectation in performance. And the greater the enablement, the greater the punishment for failure in performance.

We need to examine our own lives and note the advantages and privileges and gifts and talents which we have and how we have used them. We will have to answer for our enablements. Most of us have more enablement than we realize and all our excuses will not justify our poor performance.

One of the enablements which the Luke text specifically mentions is the enablement of knowledge. “That servant, which knew his lord’s will” () is expected to act accordingly and better than the one who did not know the Lord’s will. “They who are early taught in Sunday schools, or by pious parents, or in other ways, and who grow up in sin and impenitence, will have much more to answer for than those who have no such privileges” (Barnes). This enablement of knowledge really hangs an ominous cloud over our country and churches in our land. We walk in greater light of spiritual learning than most people before us, yet we do not act as well as many who walk in lesser light.

We have had many spiritual advantages in our land which demand we live better lives than what we are living. This problem was spoken about by our Savior in regards to some cities in Galilee in His day. He said, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee” ().

Punishment according to equity. What Christ is saying here about the principles of punishment is that Divine punishment is equitable. “We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth” (). God is a God of justice. He is fair. His judgments will be according to the crime.

We need to examine our own lives and note the advantages and privileges and gifts and talents which we have and how we have used them. We will have to answer for our enablements. Most of us have more enablement than we realize and all our excuses will not justify our poor performance.

“The indignant master will mete out the punishment to suit the offense” (Ironside). He will “render to every man according to his deeds” (). His court will not reflect the gross injustice that many of our courts reflect. No one will be able to complain about His judgments. They will be neither too harsh or too lenient. They will be according to facts, according to truth. Equity will reign supreme in God’s court. No bias or political pressure will decide any case in God’s court. Everything will be decided by the same rules and laws. God’s holiness will guide every decision. “God will not be unrighteous in dealing with anyone” (Ironside).[1]

Punishment according to equity. What Christ is saying here about the principles of punishment is that Divine punishment is equitable. “We are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth” (). God is a God of justice. He is fair. His judgments will be according to the crime.

[1] John G. Butler, Jesus Christ: His Return, vol. 10, Studies of the Savior (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2006), 253–265.

“The indignant master will mete out the punishment to suit the offense” (Ironside). He will “render to every man according to his deeds” (). His court will not reflect the gross injustice that many of our courts reflect. No one will be able to complain about His judgments. They will be neither too harsh or too lenient. They will be according to facts, according to truth. Equity will reign supreme in God’s court. No bias or political pressure will decide any case in God’s court. Everything will be decided by the same rules and laws. God’s holiness will guide every decision. “God will not be unrighteous in dealing with anyone” (Ironside).[1]

[1] John G. Butler, Jesus Christ: His Return, vol. 10, Studies of the Savior (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2006), 253–265.

Conduct at His Return

I. THE POSITION IN THE CONDUCT

I. THE POSITION IN THE CONDUCT

1. The Servant

1. The Specifics of the Position

2. The Steward

2. The Selecting for the Position

II. The Pr

II. THE PROMOTION FOR GOOD CONDUCT

1. The Cause of the Promotion

1. The Cause of the Promotion

2. The Character of the Promotion

3. The Certainty of the Promotion

2. The Character of the Promotion

3. The Certainty of the Promotion

4. The Chore in the Promotion

4. The Chore in the Promotion

c. the punishment for bad conduct

III. THE PUNISHMENT FOR BAD CONDUCT

1. The Performance for the Punishment

1. The Performance for the Punishment

2. The Painfulness of the Punishment

2. The Painfulness of the Punishment

3. The Principles in the Punishment

3. The Principles in the Punishment