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“Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his servants, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing such things when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with gluttons, then the master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in two and divide him with the hypocrites. In that day there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:45-51).
In his discussions about the end times and His return, Jesus told this parable about a faithful and a wicked servant. Faithfulness is a very important virtue that God wants to see in us and that He will demand of His servants. Only a faithful servant is also a wise servant. The master will only praise and honor a faithful servant. Our Lord Jesus entrusts us with tasks. He wants us to carry them out faithfully and reliably until He returns to gather His church. Therefore, this is a very important aspect of our service that we must never lose sight of.
Over the years, we can fall into a certain routine and become only willing to fulfill the bare minimum of our obligations. But Jesus wants us to serve Him and carry out our mission with the fervor of our first love. In the Book of Revelation, we read how Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus: “But I hold this against you, because you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, unless you repent, I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place. But this is what you have against me: that you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:4-6).
The church in Ephesus carried out its ministry diligently and did the Lord's work with all its might. However, they did not do this out of love. He said to them, "Consider therefore from where you have fallen" (Revelation 2:5). You have abandoned your first love! In Jesus' eyes, anything not done out of love has no value. Therefore, it is important that we continually examine whether our service stems from mere duty or from love.
If we have the right attitude of heart, we will receive a great reward, and our Lord will be very pleased. “He will put him in charge of all his possessions” (Matthew 24:47). Jesus described it in the same way in the parable in the next chapter, which deals with the distribution of talents. The servants were to manage them until the master returned. There, too, we read about the result of faithfulness for the diligent and faithful servants: “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21) .
Serving the Lord always brings with it a great responsibility.
I think everyone longs to hear this testimony from the Lord. We will receive this testimony if we serve Him faithfully and lovingly to the end. On the other hand, the Word of God also shows us very clearly that if we do not perform our service properly, we will receive a harsh judgment from Him. The Lord's service always carries a great responsibility, and we must never take this matter lightly. In both parables, Jesus addresses the judgment that will befall those who handle service carelessly or even maliciously. A servant who mistreats and exploits his fellow servants and is only concerned with his own advantage will experience a nasty surprise when his master returns.
In Matthew chapter 24, verse 51, we read: “He will cut him in two and divide him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a terrible judgment, and none of us would want to experience such an end. In the parable of the talents, we read a similar description of the servant who deliberately disobeyed his master's will: “Throw the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 23:30). This again clearly shows us that great responsibility lies in the work the master has entrusted to us.
A great reward and high praise await those who faithfully serve the Lord. Those who are careless and unfaithful in their task will receive a severe judgment. We are rapidly approaching the end times and see with open eyes how everything is drawing near to the Second Coming of Jesus. Especially during the coronavirus crisis, we see very clearly that worldwide changes are keeping people on edge. All signs point to the imminent return of Jesus, and we must be ready when our Lord and Savior comes to collect His church. “Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).
Unfortunately, we often observe that over time, the zeal for service and even the initial love within us cool, and that only the fulfillment of duty determines our actions. We frequently see this in the lives of married couples. Full of enthusiasm and head over heels in love, they begin their marriage, believing it will continue this way for a lifetime.
Yet in many marriages, after a few years—unfortunately, sometimes even after just a few months—nothing remains of that initial love. Arguments, conflict, and profound misunderstandings characterize many a loveless marriage that began so promisingly. What is the cause? The initial love has vanished. Everything in life becomes mere duty. Life then often becomes tasteless, loveless, and sometimes even terrible. This is not God's will, but a life of sin.
It is often said of a new convert that he is still so zealous for the Lord. This short sentence already implies that zeal will naturally wane over time. This is a terrible fact and, unfortunately, all too often the case. Often, people have been believers for many decades and repeatedly mention how long they have been in the faith. However, there is no trace left of their initial love for Jesus and genuine, pure zeal for their Lord.
In this context, Jesus once had to make the following statement: “So the last will be first, and the first last” ( Matthew 20:16). We understand the logical conclusion that it is not the beginning, but the end that is crowned. How many have not persevered to the end? How many have wavered in their faithfulness and strayed from the path that the Lord Jesus exemplified? “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Jesus gave this promise to the church in Smyrna. Nothing has changed regarding these truths of Holy Scripture to this day. The will of God does not change. These are serious words.
The times we live in are also very serious. In this age of freedom and abundance, we are being tested in our faith and loyalty to God, and we must demonstrate faithfulness and love for our Lord Jesus in all our actions and thoughts. Let us pray for our ministry and for one another, that we may be found as faithful servants when the Lord returns. It should be a joyous event for us, something we eagerly anticipate, and not one we fear.
This was also the wish of the Apostle Paul: “For I am torn between two things: I long to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil 1:23).
At the end of his life, he gave the following testimony: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
I wish this for all who follow Jesus Christ. God bless you.
Ernst Fischer
Municipality of Cloppenburg