MATTHEW 24:49 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;”
And begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards. The wicked servant's behavior in the assumed absence: beating the other servants and carousing with drunkards. The abuse of authority over the servants and the indulgence in drunkenness are the behavioral consequences of the assumption that the master will not return soon. The wicked servant has not left his position — he has stayed while behaving as if the master has gone indefinitely.
Church Fathers on Matthew 24:49
Though the Lord had given above a general exhortation to all in common to unwearied vigilance, yet He adds a special charge to the rulers of the people, that is, the Bishops, of watchfulness in looking for His coming. Such He calls a faithful servant, and wise master of the household, careful for the needs and interests of the people entrusted to Him.
That He says, 'Whom think ye is that faithful and wise servant,' does not imply ignorance, for even the Father we find asking a question, as that, 'Adam, where art thou?' [Gen 3:9]
Nor yet does it imply the impossibility of attaining perfect virtue, but only the difficulty.
Read all 23 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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