41 Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. 47 That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; 48 and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
Peter asks whether Jesus’ warning is for the disciples alone or for everyone, and Jesus answers by describing a steward—a household manager—whose task is to feed the household on time and keep the master’s affairs in good order (v. 41; cf. vv. 42-43). The picture is simple: the master is away; the steward’s authority is real but delegated; the test is faithfulness in ordinary duties until the master returns.
Jesus calls the model disciple “the faithful and prudent steward” who gives “the food allowance at the proper time” (v. 42). Disciples must provide steady care for others. Faithful means reliable under God; prudent means acting with right judgment. The emphasis falls on “at the proper time,” suggesting regularity, not drama. When the master arrives and finds that steady service, the servant is blessed and entrusted with more, because proven fidelity expands responsibility (vv. 43-44).
The contrast is the steward who presumes on the master’s delay, abuses people, and indulges himself (v. 45). Delay exposes character. Authority becomes dangerous when it forgets it is a trust. The violent turn toward “beating the menservants and maidservants” and the slide into eating, drinking, and drunkenness is hyperbole that echoes Israel’s prophets who warned against leaders who “feed themselves” rather than the flock (cf. Ez. 34:2). Jesus’ answer to Peter is becoming clear: those put in charge must remember they are stewards, not owners.
The master’s return “on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour” underlines that accountability is not on our timetable (v. 46; cf. 1 Thess. 5:2). The severe punishment image is judicial language from the world of parables: it signals real judgment without giving us a literal penalty chart. The point is moral clarity, not measurement—what we do with entrusted gifts matters to God.
Jesus then speaks to degrees of responsibility. The servant who “knew his master’s will but did not make preparations” receives a heavy penalty; the one who acted wrongly, “ignorant of his master’s will,” is punished lightly (vv. 47-48a). Knowledge increases accountability because knowing the good binds the conscience more fully (cf. Jn. 9:41; Rom. 2:12-16; Jas. 4:17). Ignorance does not make wrong right, but it affects guilt. This is both just and merciful: God judges truthfully, taking into account what each person had and knew.
The closing line gathers the whole: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (v. 48b). “Entrusted” is the key word. Life, time, relationships, resources, and knowledge are deposits placed in our hands. Jesus does not describe success as control but as faithfulness. In leaders, fidelity looks like feeding others in due season, guarding the vulnerable, and keeping watch even when results are slow. In every disciple, it looks like using what we have for the good of those God has given us, confident that the Master sees and will set things right when He comes (cf. Mt. 25:14-23).
Lord Jesus, make us faithful and prudent in what You have entrusted to us. Keep us steady when You seem delayed, generous when others depend on us, and honest when we are tempted to live as owners instead of stewards. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., eds., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition (Dublin: Four Courts; Princeton: Scepter, 2008).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (New York: Paulist Press, 2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
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