Matthew Chapter 24

Dispensing of Food to the Household

VERSE 45-47 ” “Who then is the faithful and prudent servant, whom his Master has placed over his household to give them food in due season? Happy that servant whom his Master, on coming, shall find thus employed! Indeed I say to you that he will appoint him over all his stores of provisions.”

The intimation here seems to be, that at the particular time indicated by the prophecy–namely, during the Lord’s presence, and at the time of the gathering of the elect—our Lord, the great Servant of his people, will make choice of one channel (or particular servant) for dispensing the meat in due season, though other channels or “fellow-servants” will be used in bringing the food to the “household.” But that servant is merely a steward, and liable to be removed at any moment, should he fail to fully and duly acknowledge in every particular, the Master–the great Servant of God and his people–“the Messenger of the Covenant“–Christ.

Faithfulness on the part of said steward (both to the “Master” and to “his fellow-servants” and “the household“) will be rewarded by his continuance as steward; so long as he serves faithfully, he may continue, and may serve the household of faith with things new and old–meat in due season–to the end; bringing forth all the precious things of divine provision. But if unfaithful he will be deposed entirely and put into outer darkness, while presumably another would take the place, subject to the same conditions.

To our understanding this would not imply that “that servant” or steward, used as a channel for the circulation of the “meat in due season,” would be the originator of that meat, nor inspired, nor infallible. Quite to the contrary, we may be sure that whoever the Lord will so use, as a truth-distributing agent, will be very humble and unassuming, as well as very zealous for the Master’s glory; so that he would not think of claiming authorship or ownership of the truth, but would merely dispense it zealously, as his Master’s gift, to his Master’s “servants” and “household.”

Any other spirit and course would surely work a change of steward. This is detailed by our Lord as follows:

VERSE 48-51 “But if that servant shall [become] wicked, and [losing faith] say in his heart, My Master delays his coming; and shall smite his fellow-servants, and eat and drink with the intemperate [of their false doctrines], the Master of that servant will be present in a day that he looks not for, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him off [from being his servant] and will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 Our Lord was the greatest of all Prophets, and his prophecy likewise the most striking. Moses’ and Jeremiah’s and other prophecies deal chiefly with the rejection and regathering of fleshly Israel. Isaiah’s prophecies besides dealing with fleshly Israel show Jesus Christ the sufferer for our sins as also a light to the Gentiles, and ultimately the opening of all the blind eyes of humanity to “that true light.” Daniel foretells the coming and cutting off of Messiah, the Pentecostal anointing of the most holy, the history of Gentile powers to their end, and the establishment of Messiah’s Kingdom under the whole heaven. He also shows the persecuting power of the Papal little horn (the Antichrist); it’s wearing out of the saints during the age, and the days of waiting for the Kingdom, etc. But no other prophet than our Lord has given us the needed details of this “harvest” time, connecting these with the prominent events noted by the other prophets.

Our Lord’s prophecy, like those of the others, is veiled in symbolic and parabolic language, and for the same purpose; that “none of the wicked should understand,” but the meek, honest and faithful of God’s people only–in God’s due time and way.

“Unto you it is given to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God: but to others in parables [“dark sayings“]; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” Luke 8:10 (D613-614)

A few things to consider in regards to Verse 45

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?” (NKJV)

In regards to the highlighted part of our text the original Greek as taken from both Marshall’s Interlinear and the Diaglott reads: “to give to them THE food in season”, thus we believe a distinction is made between the general food (truth), which has been given to the Church throughout the Gospel age and that particular food, “THE food” (or truth) given to the Church here at the end of the age.

It is here at the end of the age that our Lord, the Lord of the Harvest marks his return, his parousia or presence, here that the separation of the Wheat and the Tares begins. The tool with which this work is accomplished is the sickle of truth, more particularly the Harvest Message.

Compare:

2 Pet 1:19: “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed (Divine revelation which reveals the Lord’s presence), which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until THE DAY DAWNS and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Prov. 4:18: “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto THE PERFECT DAY.”

“But the path of the just is like THE shining light (the Word of God, “Thy word is a light unto my path” Psa 119:105), which shines ever brighter (from “the time of the end” beginning in 1799 A.D., when the book [the prophetic word] was first unsealed, and knowledge began to increased, Dan 12:4) unto THE PERFECT DAY (The millennial day, the day of the Lord’s presence, beginning in 1874 A.D.)”

We will take another look at Verse 45 and 46 in our next post.