The identity of "The Faithful and Discreet Slave", solved - I think.

by Island Man 21 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Island Man

  When Jesus asked: "Who is the faithful and discreet slave?" He was not pointing to a specific singular entity that will spring up in the future. He was asking a rhetorical question directed to all who would be appointed to feed the congregation in some way. He was essentially asking them: "Will you prove to be faithful in teaching the congregation wholesome things at the right time?" I think Jesus asked this question in the context of telling his followers to keep on the watch because those appointed to teach the congregation would have a pivotal role to play in helping others to keep on the Watch. This connects back to the householder parable that immediately precedes the FDS parable in Luke. The slave in the FDS parable is the householder in the thief-householder parable immediately before. The householder has to keep on the watch to secure his house against the unannounced thief. The slave does this by feeding the domestics the right food to help them keep on the watch.

  So the way I see it Jesus was telling everyone to keep on the watch and then used the FDS parable to give some focused counsel directed to the teachers of the congregation telling them that they have a special role to play in this regard and they had better prove themselves faithful in doing it. That's the way I see it.
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  Finkelstein

  JWs are FDSL to the Watchtower Publishing house its established leaders and doctrines which are obvious now to be falsely devised for commercial purposes.
  
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  Brokeback Watchtower

  I think we need context to understand the meaning behind this verse:

  Matthew 24:40-51New International Version (NIV)
  40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
  42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
  45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  It seems to be an illustration to keep the believer on their toes so to speak and to keep making sure they are living the right way according to the belief that the master (Jesus with a messiah complex) will return. I see nothing to indicate a spiritual feeding program assignment in this illustration. But a printing company founded by a delusional person might interpet it the way the watchtower corporation does due to personal bias and to keep the presses running and increase profit$$.

  
  
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  OUTLAW

  The identity of "The Faithful and Discreet Slave", solved - I think.

  
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  Island Man

  "I see nothing to indicate a spiritual feeding program assignment in this illustration."

  I wouldn't use the word "program". But the parable definitely makes reference the slave being appointed over the domestics to feed them. That much cannot honestly be denied.

  “Who really is the faithful and discreet* slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? - Matthew 24:45
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  Brokeback Watchtower

  Yes but a spiritual feeding program is an assumption of the term "food" a leap in logic if you will that fits nicely with the bias of a delusional religious printing operation that want to put an importance label on their product.
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  Brokeback Watchtower

  Personally I think we need to take into a count is that very likely this utterance was never made by a miracle working self proclaimed son of god, and that it is an entire made up fiction, so that the spectrum of for speculating what someone original meaning can be quite broad and have attached to those words by literalist and fundimentalist which include their world views.

  Seeing that CT Russel and associates were in the religious printing business would weigh heavy on their interpretation and meaning of those words to steer them towards finacial success and sainthood. Russel had control and he became the Faithful Servant of the lord according to his steering this illustration in that direction making printed material into spiritual "food at the proper time".
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  Half banana

  Island man, I think that the failure of Jesus'words foretelling the 'end of the system of things' in the first century disqualifies any credibility in extending or applying the parable to a future time. Prophecy has no value except for empowering the bearers and misleading the gullible.

  I agree with you Brokeback, the words are very unlikely to be kosher in the first place.

  It is a parable about the integrity of a lowly person put in charge of other humble workers, so that he does his duty even during the absence of the master of the house so that things will always function properly. It is about the integrity of the elevated servant not to be found with egg on his face at his master's return. This being said in the context of a prophecy of catastrophic destruction to the Jewish nation ("Let those in Judea flee to the hills") and deliverance by a heavenly master.

  When the words were written, Judea was fully Romanised including, I believe there were public baths at that time in Sepphoris in Galilee and the Judaic religious life too was skewed towards the Roman not always the formidably strict separateness of Jewish tradition, they could enjoy the benefits of a developed civilization. The only households described in the illustration would probably have been Roman patricians who in Judea would have kept slaves who were really household servants.

  The Watchtower has always been a Bible quoting religion, it foolishly believes and teaches that the scriptures have such authority that all that is needed is to quote a verse or two to establish a matter. In practice it adds its own directive on the verses to suit its cultic purpose. Its folly has always been to interpret scripture as if it referred to blocks of people or specific groups which exit in the modern world. This habit was something Rutherford used in his diatribes, significantly from the fascist era and it has continued in the mentality of the govenors of Jehovah's Witnesses ever since.

  It suits their interest to narcissistically imply themselves in their role now or in the future as predicted by Jesus' words fabling a discreet servant who feeds the other household staff at the right time.

  The Watchtower has proved itself to be the most indiscreet serving body and has dispensed appalling, opinionated spiritual food misleading millions and never once getting the timing right.

  What does that say? Wrong food for the wrong time, or even if it were argued to be right food... it has always been for the wrong time! It says that even if the scripture was intended to pinpoint a 'group' it most clearly could not apply to them.
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  Half banana

  Spelling: exist not exit! Groups which exist in the modern world.
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  stillin

  Island man, you taught me something! Are you the F&D ?