Because this forum technically has some problems and inconsistencies I am posting a new topic about the faithfull Slave thing to clearly show that The Faithfull Servant meanssomething else then what JW's learned us... also... I want to let my mind go about what it means for US... now living people... who are we in this timespan since the bible itself is two thousand years old. Who are we in the eyes of Christ?
Please compare Mathew 24:40-51 with the scriptures in Luke 22:35-48.
Matthew 24:40-51:
40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 n Two women will be grinding o at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, p stay awake, for you do not know on what day q your Lord is coming. 43 r But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night s 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 t ready, for u the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is v the faithful and w wise servant, 3 whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 x Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, y he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master z is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants 4 and eats and drinks with a drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come b 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 c there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 22:35-48:
35 a “Stay dressed for action 6 and b keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are c waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and d knocks. 37 e Blessed are those servants 7 whom the master finds e awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, f he will dress himself for service and g have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 h But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour i the thief was coming, he 8 would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be j ready, for k the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, lare you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is m the faithful and m wise n manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 o Blessed is that servant 9 whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, p he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master q is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and r get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come s on a day when he does not expect him and s at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 t And that servant who u knew his master’s will but v did not get ready u or act according to his will, will receive a w severe beating. 48 xBut the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, y will receive a light beating. z Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Please note that while in Matthew the discreet slave parable is told within the chapter about the desolation of Jerusalem, Luke shows that the remark of Jesus is an ANSWER to a question of Peter namely: “Lord, lare you telling this parable for us or for all?” ... it shows that the parable Jesus was telling did NOT necessarely happened after the prophecy he made earlier in chapter 24 in Matthew. ALSO,as you can see in Matthew, the slave parable is just part of a couple of parables which all mean the same: be aware, be prepared... also... in Luke the slave parabel is not mentioned NEAR the prophecy
Also note that Peter says PARABLE ... According to Luke he did NOT say prophecy now did he? Also... note that some slaves would not KNOW the same things as OTHER slaves... Some (like the Apostles) knew more about Jesus will then others... They had a bigger responsibillity then others since they knew more about the masters will then the "standard" disciples.
But more importantly: note that the parabel is more complete in Luke then the account in Matthew. In verse 35-37 you see that when the master sees the servants that waited for him and were awake would be served by their master! ... that reminds me of the situation in John 13:
“Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 z Jesus answered him, “What I am doing a you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 b Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, c “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
So... if we take alle accounts and all gospels into account my conclusion is quite simple: the faithfull slave parabel had a fullfillment in the first century... with eyewitnessess... and what are we? We must be the corn (or the weed) but NOT the servants (or slave!) ...
Matthew 13:24-30
24 He put another parable before them, saying, w “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds 3 among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants 4 of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, x ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, y Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’
I never, ever saw in one watchtower who the servants where in that particular part... the reapers are angels, master of the house is Christ... who where the servants of the house?! The congregation of Christ in the first century.
Just my two cents :)