and prudent. These titles, united here in the one example, are subdivided in the following chapter. We have the

prudent virgins, and the good and faithful servant.

It has been suggested that the words `Who then' should be taken as a figure called Metonymy, this particular

example being the Metonymy of the Subject, when the subject, the thing, is put for that which is connected with it.

If this be so the meaning, though not the translation, would be, `How blessed is the faithful and prudent servant', etc.

A further thought is that by the use of this rather strange expression the Lord intimates that there will be few such

when the Son of man cometh. A reference to Luke 12:41,42 may give yet further light. The Lord in verses 35-40

speaks a parable, using the figure of the watching, waiting servant. Peter then says to the Lord:

`Speakest Thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise

(prudent) steward, etc' (Luke 12:41,42).

This seems to say that if Peter and the rest of the apostles did not come within the meaning of the words, who

then could? The parable is followed by a statement concerning the few stripes and the many stripes that will be

apportioned to fit the case of the well-informed and the ill-informed servants. The prudent and the foolish are

brought together first in Matthew at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in connection with obeying or disobeying

the words that the Lord had uttered - words not addressed to sinners needing salvation as is evident throughout.

Luke 16:8 brings before us the prudence of the unjust steward. Phronimos, `prudent', and phroneo, `to think' are

related. The usage of this word phroneo in the prison epistles is very suggestive. For example, this word is absent

from Ephesians and 2 Timothy, occurs once only in Colossians (3:2), but is found ten times in Philippians. Now

Philippians is not dealing with salvation, but service, not a free gift, but a prize, and this accords with the usage of

prudence in Matthew. Faithfulness comes out prominently in this connection. Luke 16:10 says:

`He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much'

And again in Luke 19:17 the parallel with Matthew 24 is clear. To the overcomer in the book of the Revelation

come the words, `Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life'. Those who overcome with the

victorious Lamb are, like Him, `faithful' (Rev. 17:14; 19:11). Faithfulness to the trust committed, prudence born of

watching and waiting for the coming Lord, these are the two outstanding features of the servant who receives

commendation. The being made ruler over all the Master's goods finds a ready parallel in the life of Joseph, as

indeed does all that is stated of the faithful servant. The reference to being made ruler comes out again in Matthew

25. This time the servant is not initially given to rule, but subsequently as a reward for his faithful use of the five

talents, or the two talents, he is made ruler over five or two cities, and equally enters into the joy of his Lord, Who

`for the joy that was set before Him endured a cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the

throne of God'. To the same effect is Philippians 2:5-9:

`Let this mind (phroneo) be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who, ... humbled Himself ... wherefore God

also hath highly exalted Him'.

The state of heart of the bad servant is reflected in such passages as 2 Peter 3:3-14, where the scoffing of those

who walk after their own lusts regarding the coming of the Lord, the reference to the Flood (see 2:5) and `being

found of Him without spot' are suggestive parallels to Matthew 24. The state of drunkenness is also likened to the

condition of unwatchfulness that shall overtake those who are in darkness: `for they that be drunken are drunken in

the night' (see 1 Thess. 5:1-11).

The fate of the evil servant is `to be cut asunder'. The word literally means to be cut in half, and has the

meaning `cut in pieces' in the Old Testament. There is no doubt as to the word itself. The question, however, is

what does it mean? Are we to understand that the Lord will literally cut His evil servants into pieces? The word

`cut asunder' is dichotomeo, and occurs only here and in Luke 12:46. Dicha enters into the word dichazo, which is

rendered `set at variance' in Matthew 10:35, although the word literally means `to divide into two parts'. Temno

means `to cut' and apotome is the Septuagint rendering of the word `smote off' in Judges 5:26 (Codex Alex.). This

word undergoes a change in some of its usages in the New Testament, for in Romans 11:22 we find apotomia

rendered `severity', and apotomos in Titus 1:13 `sharply', 2 Corinthians 13:10 `sharpness'. The idea of `cutting'

here is figurative and not literal or physical. This seems to be the meaning in Matthew 24:51. The severity of the

punishment is emphasized by the usage of such a word. Further, the evil servant's portion is to be with the