ACC ~ Matthew 24 v45 - 51

OVERVIEW:

Faithful and wise make a rare combination. There are many clever individuals, yet the wise are very few. The good steward is granted authority over all possessions of his master; that is, he is made coheir with Christ and will reign with Christ (ORIGEN). Both wisdom in dispensing the gifts of God and faithfulness to God are the necessary components of good stewardship. This applies both to teachers, entrusted with the distribution of knowledge, and to those entrusted with the greatest and most honorable responsibility over “all possessions” in the life to come (CHRYSOSTOM). The parable of the good and wise steward applies first of all to bishops, who are called to wisely feed their flock with the Word of God and to be constantly ready to give account of their stewardship in Christ’s coming (HILARY OF POITIERS). This parable is against the wicked rulers who lead a luxurious life and against negligent teachers. Both of them sin because they do not believe that their judge will ever come. These will be condemned at the last judgment and will be cut off from the grace of God forever (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). Cutting off means separating from the fellowship of Christians and condemning to destruction with the sinners (INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW). The Holy Spirit is the agent of union with God. Therefore, as Adam after the Fall was cut off from the Spirit, so will be those condemned at the last judgment. Thus cutting off the Spirit means the punishment of separation from God (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA).

24:45 | Who Is the Faithful and Wise Servant?

THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANTS

ORIGEN: We should understand the phrase “faithful and wise servant” as referring to a person who is faithful in the customary sense of the term, not as referring to those who are wise or clever by natural endowment. Many who are clever and wise are not at all faithful. For instance, whoever considers the great number of people who fancy themselves Christians will discover many who are faithful and who have great zeal for the faith but are not very wise. He will thus conclude that “the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation,” [1] knowing that “God chose the foolish of the world to confound the wise.” [2] He will also see that others who are thought to be believers are clever and wise enough but of only limited faith. If they are not unfaithful, they are certainly at least less faithful than the “foolish of the world” whom “God chose.” But it is rare for faithfulness and wisdom to coincide in one person to enable him to “give his fellow servants their food at the proper time.” He needs wisdom to give food to the needy “at the proper time” and faith to refrain from keeping the food for himself in time of need. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 61. [3]

[1] Lk 16:8.

[2] 1 Cor 1:27.

[3] GCS 38.2:141.

24:46 | Blessed Is That Servant

RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LORD’S GOODS

CHRYSOSTOM: Everyone should make full use of what he has been given for the common advantage of all. If you possess power or wealth or wisdom, do not use it to hurt your fellow servants. If you do, it will be to your own ruin. Since sins come from foolishness, he requires both wisdom and fidelity. One is faithful who has been a good steward of his Lord’s goods, not stealing from the Lord, not spending without aim or fruit. One is wise who knows how to dispense the things given him in a fitting way. Indeed, we have need of both these things together, faithfulness and wisdom, and these in conjunction. We are called to exercise our stewardship in a fitting manner, spending carefully. And we must not steal from the Lord. If one of these is lacking, the other is halted. There would be great blame if one were to waste the Lord’s goods, spend freely the resources we have been given, even if we never stole anything at all. Similarly there would be heavy charges to make against one who spent his Lord’s goods well but occasionally stole something for himself. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 77.3. [1]

[1] PG 58:706; NPNF 1 10:466.

A GREAT PROMISE

ORIGEN: “Blessed is the servant whom the Lord will find so doing when he comes.” A great promise is extended to the Lord’s faithful and wise stewards. It is like the promise he made to those to whom he said, “Take authority over five cities” or “take authority over ten cities.” [1] For to be made the head “over all his possessions” is nothing other than to be made an “heir of God and coheir with Christ” [2] and to reign with Christ. The Father has given him everything he himself possesses, as Christ said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” [3] The Son of the good Father who is given authority over all his Father’s possessions also shares this honor and glory with his faithful and wise stewards, so they also might be with Christ above every creature and authority. This is what he meant when he said, “Truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 62. [4]

[1] Lk 19:17-19.

[2] Rom 8:17.

[3] Mt 28:18.

[4] GCS 38.2:143.

24:47 | Set Over All His Possessions

ENTRUSTED WITH RICHES

CHRYSOSTOM: Let everyone who is entrusted with riches listen carefully. He is not only speaking to teachers but to those who manage money. In both cases they are entrusted with riches. Those who teach are entrusted with a wealth that is far more necessary than those who deal with money. There are times when teachers have difficult times. If in these times you who have money are not willing to demonstrate your generosity, what excuse will you have? You need to exhibit both generosity and honesty, for the two go together.

It is an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of someone else’s resources. This happens to the faithful: “Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” What can be equal to this honor? What sort of speech would be fitting to this dignity? What sort of blessedness would accompany it? Here we are speaking of nothing less than the King of heaven who possesses all things. It is he who is setting a person “over all his possessions.” This is why he calls him to be wise. He must not spend large sums for small benefits. It is only having been responsible here in this life that he will receive the riches of heaven. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 77.3. [1]

[1] PG 58:706; NPNF 1 10:466.

OVER ALL HIS POSSESSIONS

HILARY OF POITIERS: Although he urged everyone to exercise an indefatigable vigilance, Christ commanded the princes of the people, the bishops, to demonstrate a special attentiveness in expectation of his advent. The bishop is represented in this parable by the faithful and wise servant who was set over the household. He is fully equipped and enabled to care for the people entrusted to him. He needs to be attentive to his instructions and obedient to the commandments. When he speaks the truth and prudently applies doctrine, he will confirm the weak, heal the broken, convert sinners and feed his household with the Word of life—their eternal food. If he is found performing these tasks diligently, he will receive glory from the Lord as a faithful servant and effective steward. He will be set over all his possessions. In other words, he will be established in the midst of the glory of God. Nothing could possibly be better than this. ON MATTHEW 27.1. [1]

[1] SC 258:202.

24:48-49 | The Wicked Servant

BEATING ONE’S FELLOW SERVANTS

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: This teaching is directed against the rulers who are leading a luxurious and leisurely lifestyle. He calls the negligent teacher a wicked and evil servant because he takes advantage of the judge’s absence and believes he will not be observed because of the judge’s forbearance. So he beats harshly those over whom he holds power and associates with those who are in love with the flesh. They sin both because the judge is not present and because they don’t think judgment will ever arrive. By wounding some of them, he points out those who are disabled in soul because of the luxury of their exalted positions. Just as the apostle says, “When you sin against your brothers in this way [you] wound their weak conscience.” [1] Therefore he threatens to introduce the most severe punishments to those living self-indulgently… .

Those who pretend to understand the principles of the good life are not thinking as they should but are only clothing themselves in the appearance of virtue. They will be cut into pieces on that fearful day of judgment. This is a judgment from the Spirit and results in a perpetual alienation. … Grace will be cut off from all the pollution of his soul, and his part will be reckoned with the hypocrites. Jesus calls hypocrites those who are cut into pieces and yet continue to teach others the way to live. They succeed only in making things worse for those learning the life of discipleship. Further, Jesus teaches that those who have not carried out faithfully the ministry given to them in this present life from the Lord will not receive another from him. … For the cutting Jesus reveals is not a bodily one but the stripping of their adoption as sons from the Spirit. Moreover, they are punished because they lived a life of derision. They will gnash their teeth when they consider the reason for their pain and the exceedingly severe character of their punishment. FRAGMENT 277. [2]

[1] 1 Cor 8:12.

[2] MKGK 248.

24:50-51 | Weeping and Gnashing Teeth

THE UNFAITHFUL SERVANT PUNISHED

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: “He will cut him off” means that the Lord will cut him off from the fellowship of Christians. The unfaithful servant will neither be glorified with the saints nor gently punished with those who have committed venial sins. Instead, he will be thrown in with the hypocrites and infidels, where he will suffer the destruction of those whose behavior he imitated. A good priest is glorified above all others, not only on account of his own righteousness but also on account of theirs as well, since he is the cause of their righteousness. In the same way, a sinful priest is punished more severely than anyone else, not only for his own sins, but also for theirs, since he made himself the cause of their sin. The Lord calls them not only hypocrites but also infidels, because every hypocrite is an infidel, but not every infidel is a hypocrite. Whoever gives the appearance of being in the church and then acts against the church is properly called a hypocrite. HOMILY 51. [1]

[1] PG 56:928.

THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT CUT OFF

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Let us investigate carefully what “to be cut into pieces” means. [1] When in ancient times Adam came into being, God made him a partaker of his own Spirit, giving to his nature a most perfect beauty. For “he breathed on his face the breath of life.” [2] For to truly give life is to have the Spirit of life, that is, of Christ. But because Adam was deceived and slipped into sin, he was cut off from the Spirit. For it pleased our God and father “to bring all things together under one head in Christ” [3] and to restore the ancient beauty to human nature. We have received this through grace, but the stealthy entrance of sin stripped it from us. For Christ breathed into us after the resurrection, restoring ancient beauty to us. “Receive,” he says, “the Holy Spirit.” [4] And so the Spirit is united to us. For “he who unites himself to the Lord is one with him in spirit.” [5] Surely, just as we have been compelled to be zealous in our efforts by a sense of devotion, we are receiving the utmost fullness since we now have the pledge of the Spirit at the appropriate time. We are deprived of that same foretaste of the Spirit when we stand accused in our own sin since the gift of the Spirit is cut off and sent away from us as in the time of the judgment. We affirm that it is this judgment that Jesus speaks of when he mentions cutting something apart. For one such as this who has the Spirit is not delivered over to punishment. FRAGMENT 278. [6]

[1] The act of punishment for which the evil servant is cut off indicates symbolically that the divine Spirit has departed because of sin. Cyril argues that the presence of this Spirit, restored by Christ after the sin of Adam, depends in every person on moral conduct.

[2] Gen 2:7.

[3] Eph 1:10.

[4] Jn 20:22.

[5] 1 Cor 6:17.

[6] MKGK 249.