A Faithful and Wise Servant
A Faithful and Wise Servant
Daily Reflection: Matthew 24:45-47 — 11/22/2023
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. — Matthew 24: 45-47
As Jesus sat with his disciples on the Mount of Olives they were taking in the buildings of the temple, when Jesus said to them, “there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). Then his disciples took advantage of the opportunity to ask the kind of question that most disciples are always interested in.
“When will this happen? What will the sign be?”
We are calendared people, preoccupied with the when’s and what’s of life. They are important, to be sure, but Jesus is more interested in who are becoming than he is dates and events. For dates and events are inevitable; regardless of what we do time marches on. The question is, What kinds of persons will we be in those times and during those events?
Hence Jesus, after a long discussion about the end, shifts the conversation to one about readiness. In light of the fact that these things will be, we aren’t to busy ourselves with charts and times, maps and theories, but with steady and persistent faithfulness that reveals itself in our sacrificial love of others.
The faithful servant, he says, is not the one that uses the delay to his advantage, saying, “I’ve still got time.”
No, the faithful servant asks, “how can I use the time I have faithfully in ways that please the master?”
Alrighty God, Everlasting Father. The earth belongs to you and every thing in it. Thank you for being a wonderful creator and for entrusting the care of your creation to human beings. Forgive us, O Lord, for our misuse of time. Teach us to occupy our time with love and faithfulness that is expressed to you and others. That we might resemble your Son Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in oneness. Amen.