Matthew 24:45-51
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.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 24:45-51
24:45-50 Here Jesus begins to contrast the outcome of believers who serve Him (24:45-25:30). Some will joyfully expect Jesus' soon return, whereas others will lose sight of His return and will cease serving Him faithfully. In this parable the stress is on failure to focus on the Lord's soon return and it represents a warning. Therefore a more pressing question is, "What effect will being unfaithful have when Christ returns?"
Jesus told about one of His servants who did well for some time. Then the Lord envisioned two possible conclusions to his life: endurance in faithfulness or failure to endure. When one is expectantly anticipating his master's soon return, he will be ready by faithfully doing the master's will. But when one is not watching, he will tend to be negligent and irresponsible. Early on a man was "a faithful and wise servant." If he continues until his Master returns, his Master "will make him ruler over all his goods" in the coming kingdom (vv 45-47; cf. Matt 25:21, 23).
Matt 24:48 does not introduce a different servant. Instead it introduces a possible change in perspective by the one who had been doing well; he thought his master had delayed "his coming." The measure of one's service depends on how one is doing at the end of his life, not the beginning. Failure to endure in faithful service will result in rebuke at the Judgment Seat of Christ (vv 48-51; cf. Matt 25:28-30). The difference is that in one scenario the wise servant watches for the return of his Master and continues to serve faithfully (Matt 24:46-47) whereas in the other scenario he thinks his Master will not return for a long time, so he stops serving his Master well (vv 48-51).
The fact that the "evil servant was not looking for" his master is key. Even though it is twenty centuries later, no believer dare think Jesus "is delaying His coming." Watchfulness concerning the imminent Rapture is a key to Christian motivation and perseverance (cf. 1 Thess 5:4-10). The lesson is clear. While Jesus is away, He expects His servants (believers) to be "faithful and wise" until He returns. Such deportment will result in rulership in the kingdom (cf. 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26). If, however, His servants are unwise and unfaithful, they will be rebuked (cf. 1 John 2:28).
24:51 Many understand that the punishment referred to here is hell, whether for a believer who lost eternal life or a professing believer who never actually believed. The language of this verse is severe. The Greek word translated "cut in two" literally means "to slice into" as with a saw (cf. Heb 11:37). In the Septuagint it is used of cutting sacrificial animals in half (Exod 29:17). Here it is clearly figurative. No one believes that anyone in hell or in the kingdom will be in two pieces! This dramatic use of hyperbole is applied to unfaithful believers. It most naturally refers to verbal rebuke. The Word of God is like a two-edged sword that can cut deeply (cf. Heb 4:12-13; see also Luke 19:20-26).
To "appoint him his portion with the hypocrites" refers to dismissal, ostracism, and stigmatization. The exploitative "evil servant" is assigned a place "with the hypocrites" because he abused the spiritual authority God gave him. Though Jesus denounced unsaved leaders in Israel in Matthew 23 as hypocrites, believers can also be guilty of hypocrisy (Matt 7:5; Gal 2:13; 1 Pet 2:1-2). In Luke 12:46 the hypocrites are referred to as "the unbelievers" in the NKJV, giving the impression that they are lost. But in that context the words tōn apistōn simply mean "the unfaithful."
The phrase "weeping and gnashing of teeth," an Oriental expression, conveys intense emotion and signifies profound regret. Great sorrow is expressed over a wasted opportunity to have acquired something of great value. The phrase may be used of the grief expressed by believers at the loss of rewards (e.g., Matt 25:30) or unbelievers in hell (e.g., Matt 13:42, 50). Context determines who is experiencing the grief.
The nature of the punishment is not spelled out in the parable. Certainly loss of reward will be experienced by unfaithful believers (1 Cor 3:15), but the words carry a strong warning regarding some form of hurtful painful experience that includes exclusion (cf. Matt 25:10, 30: 2 Cor 5:10: 1 John 2:28). At the least, it would involve loss of certain privileges and joys associated with ruling in the kingdom (2 Tim 2:12; 4:6-8; Rev 2:26; 3:21).
The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants contrasts a faithful and wise servant with one who is unwise and unfaithful. The following two parables, the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matt 25:1-13) and the Parable of the Talents (vv 14-30), are designed to illustrate the importance of wisdom and faithfulness respectively in preparing for the coming reign of the King.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Parable of the Evil Servant, Matthew 24:45-51 (cf. Luke 12:42-48)
(Salvation) Interpretation: Those people who are not prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: Those believers who are not prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ will be judged severely at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The background of this parable is the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has just told His disciples that no one knows the time of His coming, so they must always be ready and prepared for that event (Matt. 24:42-44). This event could only speak of the Rapture of the church immediately preceding the seven-year Tribulation, because the time of the Second Coming can be calculated from the beginning of the Tribulation and the mid-point abomination of desolation, and therefore is known (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; Rev. 12:4-6). Jesus predicted a coming era for His church, but the end of the era and the time of its Rapture is unknown (Matt. 16:18: 1 Thess. 4:13-5:6).
The issue in the parable is "Who then is faithful and wise?" Both these virtues, as well as the designation of "servant," apply most naturally to believers in Christ making this parable (Discipleship oriented). The servant does, after all, believe in the return of his master, who in the story represents Christ. He is also given responsibility in the master's house. There is only one servant in view with two hypothetical choices ("that servant" in vv. 46 and 48 signifies the same servant as v. 45). If the servant does good in anticipation of his master's arrival, he is blessed with more responsibility, but if he does evil because he thinks his master is delaying, he is punished. Describing the servant as "evil" seems an unbecoming description for a Christian, but the Bible and life experience is full of believers who choose to do evil.
Another difficulty in seeing this evil servant as a believer in Christ is his fate. He is cut in two and assigned a portion with hypocrites where he weeps and gnashes his teeth (Matt. 24:51). Again, we encounter symbolic language, because not even unbelievers are literally cut in two. The metaphor speaks of a severe and intense judgment. The basis of this servant's hypocrisy is not that he claims to be a believer when he is not, rather, he claims to be a servant of the Master when in reality he is not - he is serving his own purposes and desires. Instead of "hypocrites," Luke's version uses the word "unbelievers" (apistos), but that word can also be translated "unfaithful," which better fits the context raised by the Lord's opening question (Matt. 24:45; Luke 12:42). We have already seen in our discussion of Matthew 22:1-14 that "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is a metaphorical expression for intense regret, which could be short-lived. Luke adds the interesting information that the evil servant is "beaten with many stripes" while the servant who does not completely understand the master's will is "beaten with a few" (Luke 12:47-48). This would be an odd way to describe the punishment of unbelievers in hell, but fits comfortably with the relative experiences of the Judgment Seat of Christ.
An important application from this (Discipleship) parable is that we cannot discount the negative consequences for unfaithful and unprepared believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ. There, the Word of God will be like a sword that cuts painfully into their deepest thoughts and motivations (Heb. 4:12: 1 Cor. 4:5). There also, they will experience shame (1 John 2:28) and have a fiery experience as their unworthy works are burned (1 Cor. 3:11-15). There is a definite loss to the unfaithful servant's future experience in the kingdom as he shares the fate of other hypocrites who were not prepared for the Lord's return.
The Lord may return at any time. We must be ready, prepared for His coming by continuing in good works. We cannot grow lax as He delays His return lest we encounter a severe judgment at the Judgment Seat of Christ.