Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Mt 24:42 and following. Indeed, the believer must therefore wait virtuously for the return of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ , in order to access the kingdom of Heaven. In this parable the thief represents death. It is specified that one must know how to repent so as not to die condemned. The Lord interrupts his prophetic exposition to exhort His people to vigilance and service. For if the glorious return of Christ is a certain fact whose approach several events indicate, the day and time are unknown to all, except God the Father. It is by design that God leaves us in ignorance in this regard, so that those who await this glorious event may remain constantly in vigilance. If we don’t watch, we fall asleep. To fall asleep spiritually is to do as the world that the day will surprise like a thief, and it is to deprive the Lord of the testimony due to him.
In the interval that concerns us, that is, in the present time, men, while having the truth in their hands, do not care that Christ was rejected, when he came into grace, and that he must return to judgment; so, the Lord compares them to the contemporaries of the flood who, through the preaching of Noah during the construction of the ark, had also had knowledge of the judgments that would melt on them. Instead of repenting, they had no other concern than to eat, drink, marry, and give in marriage. Despite Noah’s warnings, they knew “nothing, until the flood came and took them all away.” The only way to know what you don’t see is to believe; it’s to have faith. But it’s only by faith that one is saved. For all those who have waited to see to believe, during the day of grace will be lost. It is fine to explain the word of God clearly; they know nothing, as long as they do not believe. But the day will come when they will see; then they will know. What did the men of Noah’s time know that day? The flood that swept them all away. It will be the same on the day of the Son of Man, for if the Jewish generation has not changed since Jesus was on earth, the heart of man has not changed since the fall.
It should be noted that Jesus speaks only of absolutely natural and legitimate facts: eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, things that can be accomplished without guilt; but who were the sole concern of men, despite Noah’s warnings of God. It was saying to God: “We take no account of what you tell us, we want instead, to continue to live well and perpetuate our race. The world is again on the eve of judgments, judgments announced, not one hundred and twenty years in advance as in the days of Noah, but pronounced for nineteen hundred years. We eat, we drink better than ever; we get lost, we have fun, we organize ourselves as if everything should last; sumptuous buildings are built, of a solidity that allows, one assures, to resist earthquakes, and if one speaks of the coming of the Lord, the voice of the mockers rises from all sides, saying: “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things remain in the same state from the beginning of creation” (2 P 3.4-7).
For if the Lord came today, from two men at the same work, the one who would be taken would go to heaven with the Lord, and the one who would be left would be left to undergo the judgments that the Lord will execute when he returns with all those who have been to meet him in the air, those whom He then resurrected and transmuted (1 Tim 4.15-16). From all these teachings of the Lord results this consequence that one must be ready and watch continuously, since the servant does not know when his Lord is coming. It is the attitude that must characterize the believer, today as then, and which implies the dedication, affection and obedience due to the one expected. This duty must be fulfilled with the interest of a master of the house in ensuring in the night that thieves do not enter his home. One must watch as the servant who awaits his master, and as the master himself, with the firm intention of not being robbed of what one possesses, while ignoring the arrival of a thief, which requires constant vigilance. Under whatever character one considers the one who waits, one must be ready. And to be ready as a servant, one must be ready as a sinner. For this, one must be cleansed of one’s sins, which takes place through faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Everything has been done for this; one only has to accept it, and then we can watch with the ardent desire to see the one who died on the cross arrive, in order to make ourselves clean to enter with him into the house of the Father.
Here the Lord shows a special character of the service to be performed in anticipation of his return: that in the midst of the “servants of his house”, to whom the servant must give food at the right time. It’s the ministry of the Word among Christians, the Word that is the spiritual nourishment of the people of the Master’s house. It is incumbent upon those who have received this service to perform it faithfully, always thinking of when their Lord will come. It is said: “Behold this servant, whom his master, when he comes, will find doing so. In truth I tell you, he will establish it on all his property.” For if one wants to be found faithful when the Lord comes, one must be faithful every day. The consequences of fidelity are endless; he who has acted faithfully in his service to the servants of the house of the Lord, will be established on all his possessions on the day of the glorious reign of the Lord.
For if the servant loses sight of the return of his master and may he say in his heart: “My master is slow to come”, he will act in absolute opposition to the Lord’s thought: Instead of giving food to his fellow servants, he will beat them; he will use his position in their midst to make them suffer, and he himself will ally himself with those who immoderately enjoy this world and with the drunkards. He will find his satisfaction in their society, no longer thinking at all of the return of his Master. “The master of this servant will come the day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know, he will tear him to pieces and give him his share with the hypocrites: it is that there will be tears and d gnashing of teeth’. Solemn warning to all those whom the Lord has gifted to take care of His own during His absence! To be kept in the faithful performance of His service, let us constantly await the Lord’s return, so that He may find us as He desires when He comes. To wait for him, we must love him, be occupied with him, enjoy his grace and all the riches of his person. The servant cut in half and thrown into eternal misfortune, treated as a hypocrite, because he wanted to appear what he was not, represents those who themselves took this place in the house of God, without having the life of God; their hearts are not attached to the one they profess to serve. Although the Lord has not entrusted them with a charge, He will judge them by the position they have taken themselves. Everyone must watch to fight against the principles that can make people act in this way, if the heart is not attracted by the continual thought of the Master’s return.
And it is worth noting here that it is not said that this servant is drunk himself, but that he eats and drinks with drunkards. He allies himself with the world and follows his habits. Besides, no matter what wicked the heart of the evil servant is, this is the general aspect that the kingdom will take on that day. The spouse will indeed delay; and the consequences that can be expected from the heart of man will not fail to be realized. But the effect we find then is to highlight those who really had the grace of Christ and those who did not.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Conditions at Christ’s Return:
· Not being ready for death and judgment
Ec 9:12 Nor does man know his time, like the fish that are caught in the fatal net, and the birds that are trapped; like them, the sons of man are embraced in the time of misfortune, when he suddenly falls upon them. Mt 24:38-39 For in the days before the flood men ate and drank, married and married their children, until the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing, until the flood came and took away them all: the same will be true at the advent of the Son of man. Mt 24:48-51 But, if it is a wicked servant, who says in himself: My master is slow to come, 49 if he begins to beat his companions, if he eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of this servant will come the day he does not expect it and at the hour he does not know, 51 he will tear him to pieces, and will give him his share with the hypocrites: this is where there will be crying and gnashing of teeth. Luke 21:34-35 Beware of yourselves, lest your hearts dwell on the excesses of eating and drinking, and by the worries of life, and that this day will come upon you unexpectedly; 35 for it will come as a net upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
· Knowledge denied to man, reasons for this refusal
-Existence of danger Gen 2:17 but you will not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat it, you will die.
-Inability to understand the truth Jn 13:7 Jesus answered him: What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand it soon.
-Consequence of human weakness Jn 16:12 I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot wear them now. 1 Cor 13:12 Today we see by means of a mirror, in an obscure way, but then we will see face to face; today I know in part, but then I will know as I have been known.
-Progression of the revelation of the divine plan Eph 3:5 It has not been manifested to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets of Christ.
-Necessity of the development of faith 1 Jn 3:2 Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been manifested; but we know that when it is manifested, we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.
· Reasons for Vigilance for the Coming of Christ
-The uncertainty of the hour Mt 25.13 Watch, therefore, since you know neither the day nor the time.
-A reward is promised to those who will watch Lk 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, on his arrival, will find watching! I tell you in truth, he will surround himself, have them put at the table, and approach to serve them.
-The sons of light will not sleep 1 Thess 5:5-6 you are all children of light and children of the day. We are not night or darkness. 6 Let’s not sleep like the others, but let us watch and be sober.
-The imminence of His coming Rev 3:11 I come soon. Remember what you have, so that no one takes your crown.
-His appearance will be unexpectedly Ap 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and who keeps his clothes, so that he does not walk naked and that we do not see his shame! –
· Watches, divisions of time
Ex 14:24 On the eve of the morning, the Lord, from the pillar of fire and cloud, looked at the camp of the Egyptians, and disordered the camp of the Egyptians. Jg 7:19 Gideon and the hundred men who were with him arrived at the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle vigil, as the guards had just been placed. They sounded the trumpet, and broke the jugs they had in their hands. Ps 90:4 For a thousand years are, in your eyes, like the day of yesterday, when it is no more, and like a night watch. Mt 14:25 On the fourth eve of night, Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. Lk 12:38 Let him come to the second or third vigil, blessed are these servants, if he finds them watching!
From all the above, we note that those who in humility have been faithful to his service during his absence will be established on all that has been entrusted to Him, that is, on all things – they are nothing but the “goods” of Jesus. On the other hand, he who has risen as master during the absence of the Lord and has allowed himself to be led by the spirit of the flesh and of the world to which he has united, will not be treated only as the world; his master will come at a completely unexpected time, and he will receive the punishment of the hypocrites. What a lesson for those who claim a place of service in the Assembly! For judgment will suddenly fall on the world: It will strike the unbelievers and mockers. It will also reach the indifferent, the undecided, the children of Christians who are not at the same time children of God. Maybe that is your case? “Therefore, you too are ready,” said the Lord to each other. For a beautiful service is placed before those who have been established by Him: to distribute around them the nourishment of the Word. Two conditions must be fulfilled: Fidelity, in order to know this Word and not to deviate from it, prudence, to adapt it to the needs and circumstances of others. But in the great Christendom there are also wicked servants. They have dominated hard over souls; they got drunk with pleasures with the world. The cause is that deep down they do not believe in the return of the Master. For the servant of Christ can only be faithful and prudent by keeping a happy secret: every day he waits for the Lord. “My soul awaits the Lord, more than the sentinels wait in the morning…” Our prayers accompany you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” the parable of useless servants.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.