Matthew 24:45-51
"Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
I try to keep this scripture in mind as a mother - my primary role of authority. It's important that I remember my place and the responsibility it entails - as well as the consequences for myself and my charges. This scripture also makes me wonder if there is such a thing as an, "evil believer." Notice that the reason the SLAVE to the master would act in this way is because he is an EVIL SLAVE. In context, I am aware that this was in reference to the Pharisees - but in applying the lesson to the religious of today...??
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5 comments:
I think the "evil slave" is simply, selfish, shallow, & superficial ... like many believers, today. Not evil in that there is a focused effort (or belief that it is even possible) to thwart God's will; but evil in that the driving motivation is NOT about advancing God's will.
Missy,
Great thought and great post. We can identify true shepherds from the rest.
Really like your header "It's like Horton Hears a Who" - awesome & true.
Michele
Tim, I am sorry I had not revisited this in a while. I had considered some interesting tangents with your reply, but even a limited engagement into tax season has me backed up!
I consider that Satan has never believed that he could possibly thwart God's will - only that he desires many to share in his contempt for it. It is the contempt for God that I see as evil, not the efforts against Him. This slave has contempt for his master or else he would not be able to carry on in this way.
Michele,
Thank you! Yes, I agree that with less effort than we often think and the aid of the workings of the Holy Spirit, we can identify them.
I've always loved Horton, and see it as an analogy of faith and how it can cease to exist if it is not shared.
The reference to the evil slave is the same reference to the first slave. They are one and the same person with two different possibilities. The Greek word ekeinos ("that") in verse 48 means "that same".
We, as slaves of the Master, have two possibilities in front of us. We can be the faithful steward, or the evil one.
But as far as rightly dividing this passage, it is more than clear that it does not speak of two references, but only one with two possibilities. And the one reference, however he is, faithful or evil, denotes a saved person.
Antonio
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