There are a number of parables which deal with the proper attitude of servants while waiting for their master’s return from some far place. Christ used this metaphor as a symbol of His people waiting for His return to earth.
The first set appears in Matt. 24:45-51 and Luke 12:35-48. The disciples had been asking when the end of the age would be. The Old Testament prophets had spoken of "the last days" and the "day of the Lord" when things would be different. The disciples now knew that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah who would effect these changes, but when would He do it? The Lord Jesus told them only the Father knows the time. How then should they behave while waiting? The parables in the verses mentioned above tell us that the servants should be carrying out their responsibilities at all times as if they expected their Lord that very minute.
In Luke’s Gospel, Peter asks if Christ is addressing these thoughts to the disciples or to everyone. Then the Lord gives the parable of the especially responsible slave who is in charge of the welfare of the other slaves. How is this slave judged when his master returns? By the manner in which he has treated his fellow slaves! Not by how he has dressed or cut his hair, not by how many hours he has spent in the synagogue or studying the Scriptures, but by how he has treated his fellow slaves. Has he cared for them, making sure they were well fed, or has he eaten most of the supplies himself? Has he been beating or mistreating his fellow servants? None of us physically beat our fellow Christians, but do we abuse them verbally? Do we discourage their spiritual growth by a critical attitude? Do we want to nourish and nurture other Christians or is our main thought to "discipline" them for any deviation from "correctness?" How we treat other Christians is very important to the Lord Jesus, for they too are part of His body.
Another set of parables with the same theme (servants waiting for their Lord) but with a different emphasis is found in Matt. 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. In both parables the Lord entrusts certain assets to his servants before leaving on a journey and upon his return asks the servants to account for their use of those assets during his absence. In both parables one servant has declined to use the assets at all, but has hidden them away. His excuse is that he was afraid of the master and afraid that if he lost the money in some sort of speculation the master would punish him. In the parable the master punishes him for not attempting anything with his assets. The unproductive servant assumed the master would be angry if the servant ventured the assets and made no profit, or, worse, lost the principle. The tone of the parable implies that laziness or self-centeredness (what’s best for me rather than what’s best for my master) was more offensive to the master than lack of success after an honest effort.
The Lord Jesus has entrusted each one of us with gifts, assets, abilities, etc. What are we doing with them? All of us would agree that laziness or self-centeredness are unbecoming to Christ’s servants (and let us remember we are all Christ’s servants), but have we hidden away our assets because we fear we won’t succeed in our use of them? It is our business to work according to God’s will; it is God’s business to measure success. Obedience and diligence in His service may be of more value to God than our measures of success in His service. From a natural viewpoint, the Lord’s work can be very discouraging. Often people to whom we have ministered the gospel for years die without any evidence of having trusted Christ, children who have attended Sunday school or Bible clubs grow up and lead sinful lives, people who have shown great interest in the assembly suddenly lose interest and never come back again, and so on and on. Our natural response to all this is, "What’s the use? Why waste my time, effort, money on all this? Why not just enjoy myself?" The answer is because God’s bookkeeping and ours are different and because only He knows the whole story. What seems like failure to us may be counted success by Him. We won’t know the whole story until we see Him face to face. That is what faith is_believing when we can’t see. If we knew everything now, we wouldn’t need faith. "Let us not be weary in welldoing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). The harvest is yet future but we all know there will never be a plentiful harvest with scanty planting. How are we behaving while we wait for our Lord? "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know [by faith] that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
FRAGMENT "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name" (Heb. 6:10).
Never mind where your work is. Never mind whether it be visible or not. Never mind whether your name is associated with it. You may never see the issues of your toil here. You are working for eternity. If you cannot see results here, remember God does see them, and if you are faithful now, your work will follow you. So do your duty and trust in God.
FRAGMENT And we believe Thy Word, though dim our faith may be; Whate’er for Thine we do, O Lord, we do it unto Thee.