Thread by @glprater

#GeraldsDevotional
Not Everything Is As It Seems – Summarizing the Purpose of the Description

In this last section of Matthew chapter 24 (and for all of chapter 25), Jesus once again transitions the focus of His description of the last days. Remember the two questions that His disciples asked Him (“When will these things be and what will be the sign of Your coming at the

end of the age?”) In His description, Jesus went to great efforts answering that second question and gave pretty clear examples of signs and precise timing of events that will take place DURING the last days. But as for the first question of when it would start, He was

intentionally vague, saying “you won’t know exactly when, but you WILL be able to see that it is getting close.”

Now He finishes His description by giving reasons why He answered the first question the way that He did. The overall reason is to encourage us to live lives of

wisdom and faith everyday, being always prepared because we don’t know exactly when that day or hour will come when this all starts. But there will be signs that should get our attention. No one will be able to say “LORD I didn’t know” because:

1) He had warned us all through

His Word (Himself and the prophets) what would happen, and
2) He had promised that there would be signs to indicate that we were in the season when that day was approaching.

So now in today’s verses, Jesus compares two types of people… the “faithful and wise” in contrast to the

“evil and foolish.” In the first half of this section, He describes the faithful and wise servant. But before looking at what happens to this servant, let’s first consider what it means to be “faithful and wise”. Faithful is literally someone who is full of faith and believes in

the salvation of the LORD. They take this with them everywhere they go (see Ephesians 6:16-17) and it helps them to make wise decisions. Wise decisions are those based not on our own understanding, but that of the LORD (see Proverbs 3:5-6).

So in verse 46 of our scripture today,

the LORD says “blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” We might ask ourselves “Doing what? Ruling over his household and giving them food?” I would ask you to consider the wording in this way based on what we know about the LORD and our daily

interactions with Him:

Blessed is the servant whom the master will find “Being faithful and wise.” But the One who gives them food in due season (as needed daily) is actually the LORD, not the servant. This servant clearly understands the Source of his daily provision.

Or perhaps the servant is giving daily provision in the form of spiritual food to others (his fellow servants). Next Jesus assures them that this servant’s master will make him a true ruler over [His] greater things in heaven. Why will the master do this? Because when he came (at

an hour that the servant didn’t know), the master found him being faithful and wise.

But the evil and foolish servant does the opposite of all of these things. He doesn’t trust in or wait on the LORD and he generally makes decisions based on his own understanding or what the

world shouts and does around him (sin, drunkenness and debauchery). When the master comes, he finds this servant conforming to the ways of this world. Jesus says that he will be cut in two (humbled) and appointed his place with the worldly hypocrites (the people who say one

thing, but actually do another).

When you read this last parable of chapter 24 and the two that follow in chapter 25, take note of a recurring theme. Here, both the wise and foolish servants are referred to as “servants” of their master. In the next parable in chapter 25, both

groups are referred to as “virgins”. When I read these parables and ponder on them, I see a recurring theme that revolves around why the LORD sealed up the exact time of the rapture and told us to be alert and to always be ready. In all of these parables, both groups are His

elect. He knows that they all will ultimately be saved. The first group (the wise and faithful) will be taken away before the terrible times start. Yet when we study the book of Revelation, we see that people will still be saved during the time of tribulation, but it will be at a

price of great pain. I believe that the servants who will be saved during that difficult time are the ones He describes here as foolish. About them, Jesus repeatedly says that “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Many will say “Why did I not listen??”

It is not too late. The Bridegroom is coming to take His bride (the church) out of this place so that she can be prepared and adorned for the wedding. And when He does so, the door will be shut (see Matthew 25:10). So now let’s finish reading this final portion of Matthew 24

beginning at verse 45.

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will

come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - Matthew 24:45-51
@threadreaderapp unroll