Luke 12:42-47 - Christ's Teaching on Stewardship: Faithful Service in God's Household

The Berean Daily Verse and Comment TODAY'S VERSE ARCHIVES RANDOM VERSE FREE SUBSCRIPTION ABOUT "These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11 Light Mode View as PDF Luke 12:42-47 - Christ's Teaching on Stewardship: Faithful Service in God's Household (42) And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? (43) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. (44) Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. (45) But if that servant says in his heart, "My master is delaying his coming," and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, (46) the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (47) And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. New King James Version copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 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 To learn more, see: 'As a Thief in the Night' Topics: Christian Responsibility Edification Equipping of the Saints Feeding the Flock Food in Due Season Neglect Sober Watchfulness Steward, Responsible Stewardship Thief in the Night Vigilance Watchfulness SUBSCRIBE AND RECEIVE DAILY Sign up for The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. Email address: Bible version: We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or given out to a third party. This free daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, giving valuable insight into the Word of God. Join over 155,000 other subscribers. CGG ©2025 Church of the Great God. All Rights Reserved Facebook Youtube Spotify Instagram RSS Feed