The Berean - Luke 12:42-47 NASB

The Berean - Luke 12:42-47 NASB
(42) And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? (43) “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (44) “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (45) “But if that slave says in his heart, `My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, {both} men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; (46) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect {him} and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (47) “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
New American Standard Bible

Here, Christ’s instruction to watch continues. However, this time Jesus focuses specifically on the responsibility of the steward—the one given authority over the household while the Master is away. His theme is preparation and faithful continuance of duty. He tasks the steward—a type of the ministry—with giving the household “food in due season.”
Similarly, Paul outlines the responsibilities of church leadership in his letter to the Ephesians. Notice that the focus is on the church, not on the world: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry [service], for the edifying of the body of Christ. . .” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Church leaders are responsible for feeding and preparing God’s household and encouraging them to watch themselves.
If the steward does not properly watch, however, the human proclivity is to let down—and abuse. The steward in Luke 12:45 is focused on the Master’s return—or lack thereof—rather than on his own alertness and attention to his duties. As a result, he falls into excesses of eating and drinking (rather than providing food for the household). He ends up beating those he was supposed to watch over, as if he thought they belonged to him. Clearly, those who have stewardship responsibilities in the church have an added weight to “take heed to themselves” lest they neglect or even damage those for whom they are supposed to be providing spiritual food.
— David C. Grabbe