In verse 42 the Lord tells us to watch, for we do not know on what day the Lord will come. Then verse 43 says, “But know this, that if the householder knew in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” The householder refers to the believer, and the house, to the believer’s conduct and work which he has built up in his Christian life. A thief comes to steal precious things at an unknown time. The Lord will come secretly as a thief to those who love Him and will take them away as His treasures. Hence, we should watch. “Therefore,” as the Lord says in verse 44, “you also, be ready, for the Son of Man comes in an hour that you think not.” This refers to the Lord’s secret coming to the watchful overcomers.
Verses 45 through 51 are concerned with faithfulness and prudence. Verse 45 says, “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the appointed time?” Faithfulness is toward the Lord, whereas prudence is toward the believers. Watchfulness is for rapture into the Lord’s presence, but faithfulness is for reigning in the kingdom (v. 47).
The household spoken of in verse 45 refers to the believers (Eph. 2:19), who are the church (1 Tim. 3:15). To give them food is to minister the Word of God with Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church. We all must learn how to minister the life supply to the household of the Lord at the appointed time.
Verses 46 and 47 say, “Blessed is that slave whom his master when he comes shall find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will set him over all his possessions.” To be blessed here is to be rewarded with ruling authority in the manifestation of the kingdom. The faithful slave of the Lord will be set over all His possessions as a reward in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
Verse 48 says, “But if that evil slave says in his heart, My master is delaying his coming.” The evil slave is a believer, because he is appointed by the Lord (v. 45), he calls the Lord “my master,” and he believes that the Lord is coming. Verse 49 says that the evil slave beats his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with the drunken. To beat the fellow slaves is to mistreat the fellow believers, and to eat and drink with the drunken is to keep company with worldly people, who are drunk with worldly things.
Verses 50 and 51 say, “The master of that slave shall come on a day when he does not expect him, and in an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” The problem with the evil slave is not that he does not know that the Lord is coming, but that he does not expect Him. He does not like to live the kind of life that is prepared for the Lord’s coming. Therefore, when the Lord comes back, He will cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. To cut him asunder means to cut him off. This signifies a separation from the Lord in His coming glory. This corresponds to being cast out into the outer darkness in the conclusion of the parable of the talents (25:14-30), which is a completion to this section. The Lord will not cut the evil slave in pieces; rather, He will cut him off from the glory in which He Himself will be. This is equal to being cast out into outer darkness.
Whoever is cast into outer darkness will be cut off from the Lord, from His presence, from His fellowship, and from the glorious sphere in which the Lord will be. This is not to perish eternally, but to be chastened dispensationally. Who can say that the evil slave is not a genuine believer? If he were not a brother, how could his work have been assigned by the Lord? The Lord would not assign duties to a false believer. Certainly the evil slave is a saved one. In Matthew, the book of the kingdom, the issue is not salvation. The issue is the kingdom: whether we shall receive a reward to enter into the kingdom, or whether we shall lose the reward, miss the enjoyment of the kingdom, and suffer punishment and discipline where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.