Faithful And Wise Servant; Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-48

Church History: 45"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? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This passage is in fact a parable, though it is not expressly so called. The design is to show that his disciples should act as if they were each moment expecting his return. This he illustrates by the conduct of a servant who did not expect his master soon to return, who acted with great impropriety, and who was accordingly punished. By the conduct of a faithful and wise servant he intends to denote a faithful Christian, a servant of God, or a teacher of religion.
His master. It has no reference to God. It means the lord or master of the servant. Applied to Christian teachers, in the spiritual meaning of the parable, it refers to Christ, who has appointed them as teachers, and who is their Lord and Master.
Over his household. His family. Christian ministers are the servants of God appointed over the church, the family of Christ, 1Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1Corinthians 3:5; 4:1; 12:28.
Meat in due season. The word meat here means food of all kinds. When the Bible was translated into English, it included, as the original does, all kinds of provisions requisite to support and nourish life. In due season. At the proper time. As they need it, or in the accustomed times. This was the office of a steward. Among the ancients this office was often filled by a slave--one who had shown himself trusty and faithful. The duty was to have a general superintendence over the affairs of the family. Applied to Christian ministers, it means that they are to feed the flock of God, to minister to their wants, and to do it as they need it, John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; 1Corinthians 4:1-2.