45 Who then is a faithful and
wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season? 46 Blessed
is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over
all his goods. 48 But and if
that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat
and drink with the drunken; 50 The
lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an
hour that he is not aware of, 51 And
shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt
24:45-51)
The
Collect
Second
Sunday after Trinity
|
O
|
LORD, who never failest to help and
govern those whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love; Keep us, we
beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have
a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
How would each of us answer the question the Lord so clearly poses? Have we
widely exercised the faith that we profess through a fervent living and
testimony? Each of us has been called by the Lord for a purpose and a cause. He
brooks no malingerers in His Kingdom. Each of us at some point exercises some
form of convincing influence over other human hearts – our children, our
brothers and sisters, our parents, our friends, our neighbors, our classmates
or our associates at work. How have we performed in the role of a witness for
the hope that is in us through Jesus Christ? There is food for the body, and
that is vitally important for without food we perish. But there is also a food
for the Spirit without which we perish. Have we shared that abundance of
Heavenly Bread we have received through the knowledge we bear of Christ? What
stewards have we been in the kitchen of the Kingdom of Heaven, or on the
straight and narrow way? The pronoun `THAT' which Christ uses here is without
limitation to those who were immediately gathered about Him. His voice,
through this Word we read today, pierces the centuries and the continents of
the world and arrives unchanged to our ears and eyes. Have we listened more
carefully than the Pharisees and Chief Priests?
45 Who then is a faithful
and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give
them meat in due season? Meat in due season? When we were babies in our
mother's arms, we were fed with milk. As we grew, our food changed to that
which was more substantial – fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc. Even as
adults, we eat more of those foods that are in season than others. God gave
seasons for our good and to prevent the same old foods from becoming too plain
and common. There are times when we need more fruits and fewer meats. As
children, our spiritual foods were simple and direct. We sang simple little
songs like "This Little Light of Mine," or "If you're Happy and
You Know it!" As we grew, even our spiritual songs advanced in meaning and
complexity until we feed upon the deeper wells of hymns such as "O Worship
the King." From the Bible, we also learned early that Jesus Loves us. But
as we grew older, we learned how He expressed that love in dying for our sins
and why His death was essential to our salvation. This is the spiritual meant
in due season.
46 Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Are you one of those servants who
procrastinates from day to day in your commitment and service to God. The
dishes remain dirty in the kitchen sink, the floors unswept, the bed unmade,
until, finally, we are surprised that our special guest has arrived and we are
not ready. We KNEW he was coming, but we had thought he would come sometime
later, didn't we? We KNOW that Christ is coming, so why not be prepared for His
coming today? If He delays His Coming, then we are still ready without worry or
stress. We have no regrets if we are working according to our duties and not
slacking as a poorly paid servant – we are Well-Paid!
What reward awaits those dedicated and industrious servants of the Lord at His
coming? 47 Verily I say
unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. An
householder does not place one over his house unless that one has proven
himself worthy of all that he oversees in others. Christ came to Judaea and
found those of His people not engaged in feeding His house the meats that were
convenient. They were not faithful and wise servants. In fact, they rejected
the Son of the Householder and killed Him. We share, in Christ, in the
administration of the goods of God. If Christ is in our hearts, our works are
evidence of His purpose and plan. It will be altogether consistent with the
will of God.
48 But and if that evil
servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And
shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
The true and faithful servant does not need a schedule of His Master's return
to keep Him laboring and administering the things that belong to His Master. If
the Master returns today, tomorrow, or five years later, it matters not to the
dedicated servant. The work will be done as if the Master stood before him. But
the lazy and wicked servant will not so labor. He will harshly treat the other
servants in trying to force his will over them. He will involve his time
in things not profitable, and even detrimental to the interests of his Master.
The Jews, too, rejected Christ believing that their long sought for Messiah was
yet to come. They sought material and political benefits rather than the
abundant blessings of Heaven. The Jewish rulers treated the common people as
dogs and unfaithful. Many modern ministers consider themselves to be `better'
and `chosen' above their fellow believers who are, after all, peers in Christ.
How shall God view such servants?
50 The lord of that
servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he
is not aware of, Why are the
wicked always taken unawares? Because they focus the lens of their hearts on
things that are not healthful. Their greed distracts them from considering
anything but their ill-gotten wealth. It is like the dead bird I found on my
lawn whose body covered a gem-studded lapel pin my wife dropped on the lawn. The
pendant could not benefit the bird, yet the bird became engrossed with the
shiny glitter of the pendant, oblivious to the lurking cat that pounced upon it
(as a roaring lion) to take away its life-blood. So shall the day of doom
overtake those who delay their labors or service to God.
51 And shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. This
should drive a gleaming spear into the heart of the limp-wristed Christians who
believe that God could never be so unkind as to judge and condemn unbelievers.
We shrink before the possibility of judging character in others by the measure
of God's Word! What a disservice to the unbeliever for us to forego making them
aware of the sin that afflicts them. It is similar to a patient with deadly
cancer whose physician fails to warn him because he does not wish to `worry'
him. Sin is a killer, and the patient will die of the disease if he does not
know that he is afflicted with it. If we judge a homosexual as a reprobate,
that is not OUR judgment, but simply applying what God has called that filthy
sin. It continues to amaze me that seemingly dedicated Christians can so easily
brush aside the word of God in claiming that they cannot condemn a practicing
homosexual or an abortionist since they are not able to judge another. Do they
not read their Bibles? Do they not know what God has said in condemning these
sins? If so, they are without excuse, for they hold God's Word in their hands
in ignorance – not willing to expend the effort of learning how God views
deadly and contemptible sin. If we are not faithful to God's Word, God simply
appoints us to the group we deserve to be – the hypocrites. How do you view
sin? How do you regard the Coming of Christ? Does it matter in your lifestyle
if He comes today or tomorrow?
