Luke 12:41-44 41And Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or also for all?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful steward, the wise one, whom the master will put in charge one his servants, to give them at the right time their portion of food? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge over all his possessions.
Peter was paying attention to what Jesus was talking about. But like in other occasions, Peter spoke up for the group of disciples with a question. Peter saw two groups, using insider/outsider terminology: the disciples and everyone else. Jesus does not directly answer Peter’s question but responds with a third story in the form of a parable that has two parts. The message of this story is similar to 17:22–30 and 22:24–38, which are directed to the disciples, so the focus of these teachings is the disciples.
The short story focuses on a steward of a household. This steward is described with two descriptive adjectives. First, he is faithful (pistos), meaning he is trustworthy, carries out his job wel,l and does as the master has asked. Second, he is wise (phronimos), meaning that he has good sense and insight into how to run the master’s affairs. This steward has risen to the top of the crowd, and so the master trusts him to take care of other servants who are part of the household. One of the most critical jobs is to make sure everyone gets food. The cook and the kitchen staff should be at the top of the list of people to acknowledge and care for. This story assumes a rather large house because the steward has to make sure everything flows together, from the cooking of the food to the dispensing of it to others.
This story, like the previous two, is built on the premise that the master goes on a trip for some time. The steward takes the place of the master and has to make sure everyone in the household is fed. At some unknown point in time, the master will return. There are two possible outcomes. The first half of the story up to verse 44 gives the positive outcome that when the master does return home, he finds everyone well fed because the steward has lived up to his reputation of being faithful and wise. Because of the servant’s good stewardship and obedience, the master gives him a promotion to watch over everything he owned.
The application of this parable to the disciples was that Jesus was putting them in charge of caring for the needs of the church, his people. The disciples would need to feed the other followers the truth that Jesus had taught them. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, they were to teach others everything he had commanded them. Those who lead faithfully can expect a blessing. The application of all his possessions is unclear, whether that is in the form of earthly or eternal reward. Being faithful in small matters will prepare one for larger matters (16:10). Those who lead God’s people today in whatever role that might be must prove faithful and wise. This passage has the motivation of doing this ministry while awaiting Jesus’ second coming, which we do not know when it will be. Being a good steward requires faithfulness by staying true to what Jesus taught. It also requires prudence and wisdom in making decisions that will affect others.
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