Faithful and Discreet Slave

by stillin 25 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  stillin

  I'm sure that this has been discussed before, but bear with me while I share my little insight.

  The scripture about the FDS is found in Jesus description of the last days in Matthew 24. Not in Mark 13, nor Luke 21. Those other writers didn't consider it important enough to include it in their writings. It is the ONLY mention, as far as I know, of any such "arrangement," yet on face value, if you are just reading the Bible, it seems more like one of Jesus' thought-provoking rhetorical questions, rather than a part of the sign of the last days. No "two or three witnesses," yet this one scripture has become a rallying cry for a whole religion, consisting of MILLIONS of adherents!

  How gullible have I been? I question my own soundness of mind!
• 

  inbetween

  I agree, however, no matter if born-in, like me, or joined later, this scripture is one of the doctrines, that you will hear later in your "biblestudy".

  First they present "truths", with quite some support in the bible, like no trinity, no hellfire, no soul etc..

  Once you accept that, yuo also built trust in the org, for sharing such precious truths, you let your guard down, and the critical thinking behind, then you are ready for all this doctrines, which are very loosely bible-based or just a twist of scriptures like faithful slave, blood, disfellwoshipping etc...
• 

  Chalam

  Hi,

  Yes, important point. There are plenty of heretical groups that go off on huge red herring over a single verse.

  Take this one for example

  1 Corinthians 15:29 (New International Version)

  29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

  Mormons think that they can baptise on behalf of the dead, even though over this single verse.

  Now back the the "FDS", if you read the passage it is clear it is not talking about an organisation or even a single person.

  Matthew 24:36-51 (English Standard Version)

  No One Knows That Day and Hour

  36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

  45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  The faithful and wise servant is anyone who continues being responsible over the affairs of the Master.

  If you read the next chapter, there is clearly more that one faithful servant Matthew 25

  Anyhow, don't beat yourself up, many others have been tricked and bewitched by the WT. Just make sure you stop serving this false master ASAP.

  Blessings,

  Stephen
• 

  stillin

  thanks, Stephen. It sounds like you've done some thinking. While i'm here, I wanted to tell you that I appreciate your Christian perspective here.

  Stillin
• 

  palmtree67

  What are the affairs of the Master that we are repsonsible for?
• 

  stillin

  I was thinking that it just meant that each of us should look out for the other. Silly me.
• 

  diamondiiz

  That's how wts operates, they transform themselves into an angel of light appearing to be so holy and only deeper research reveals their true self. If anything they are the true apostate religion and 2Th 2:3 applies to them.

  Let no one seduce YOU in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He is set in opposition and lifts himself up over everyone who is called “god” or an object of reverence, so that he sits down in the temple of The God, publicly showing himself to be a god.

  A believer or not, one could apply this scripture to wts' gb and it would fit so well. How watchtower depicts gb is so disgusting! They claim that God and Christ both trust these leaders, they claim that others don't have mediator but only they - yes fds does but any other partakers are questioned as to their validity of being true annointed but for some reason no one can question the validity of gb! Anyone can call others by whatever name but you call gb member a deregatory name and you're from the devil :) FDS was only an illustration used by Christ which doesn't apply to some special group of people, and it DOESN"T APPLY TO GB!!!!
• 

  palmtree67

  stillin,

  I sort of think it's more than that. But I don't think it's all the petty rules and regulations the GB puts forward.

  I think we have to be pro-active in applying Jesus counsel, but is there more?
• 

  stillin

  I'm sure the Bible is deep enough to satisfy the deepest thinkers. I just wonder why we need all of the help in figuring it out if it's God's Word to Mankind?
• 

  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Actually stillin, it is in Luke 12. Take a look and see if you can figure out why Watchtower Corp. almost never uses this paragraph...

  (Luke 12:41-48) 41 Then Peter said: “Lord, are you saying this illustration to us or also to all?” 42 And the Lord said: “Who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time? 43 Happy is that slave, if his master on arriving finds him doing so! 44 I tell YOU truthfully, He will appoint him over all his belongings. 45 But if ever that slave should say in his heart, ‘My master delays coming,’ and should start to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day that he is not expecting [him] and in an hour that he does not know, and he will punish him with the greatest severity and assign him a part with the unfaithful ones. 47 Then that slave that understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do in line with his will will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one that did not understand and so did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few. Indeed, everyone to whom much was given, much will be demanded of him; and the one whom people put in charge of much, they will demand more than usual of him.

  This is obviously the same message, but presented such that Watchtower Corporation doesn't want to use it. Here it is all one paragraph, straightforward context, rather than broken up into little paragraphs that the GB can easily snip out as in Matthew. In the paragraph in Luke, it is clearly an illustration, one in a series of illustrations. IT IS NOT A PROPHECY. And where Matthew describes the "evil slave" and the GB says that's another "class", here in Luke it is "that slave". It is the very same slave that had been faithful and discreet but became unfaithful. No room for the idea of two "classes", it's just an illustration of one being faithful and responsible or not.