The Master

[B-A-C]

The word "master" is in the New Testament over 40 times.
Now some of the those times the "master" is obviously Jesus.

Luke 5:5; Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets."
Luke 8:24; They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.
Luke 8:45; And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You."
Luke 9:33; And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—not realizing what he was saying.
Luke 9:49; John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us."
Luke 17:13; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

Those are the only verses that specifically refer to Jesus as the master. ...or are they?

Jesus tells several parables about "the master". I wonder who He is talking about? Who could be 'the master" in all of Jesus's teachings and parables?

We can start here with Matt 10 here. For no other reason than Matthew comes first in the gospels.

Matt 10:23; "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
Matt 10:24; "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
Matt 10:25; "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

A slave (some Bibles say "servant") is not above his.. "master". Who is the master here? The slave should become like his... "master". Who is the master in these two verses?
Jesus of course. In fact I submit to you, that in EVERY single verse that has the word "master" in the New Testament... it is speaking of Jesus.

Matt 24:44; "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Matt 24:45; "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
Matt 24:46; "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Matt 24:47; "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Matt 24:48; ''But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,'
Matt 24:49; and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
Matt 24:50; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
Matt 24:51; and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

the "Son of Man" is coming... at an hour when you do not think He will. Who is the Son of Man? Jesus of course.
The master put a "faithful and sensible" servant on charge of his household. Let us break this down... The master... who is the master of the household?
Jesus. Jesus is saying the Son of Man will come back when you don't think He will. He is comparing this to a master who is away for a while.
The the master returns. Now there are at least two servants in this story. A faithful and sensible servant. But also an evil servant.
But there is only one master is this story. There is only one household in this story. This story is NOT about two different masters.
This story is NOT about two different households. This is about two servants in the same master's house.
Just because you are in the masters house doesn't guarantee the master will be happy with you.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

The very next chapter of Matthew.. also has a story where Jesus is speaking about a "master".

Matt 25:14; "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
Matt 25:15; "To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
Matt 25:16; "Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
Matt 25:17; "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.
Matt 25:18; "But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
Matt 25:19; "Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.
Matt 25:20; "The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.'
Matt 25:21; "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Matt 25:22; "Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.'
Matt 25:23; "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Matt 25:24; "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.
Matt 25:25; 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'
Matt 25:26; "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
Matt 25:27; 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
Matt 25:28; 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'
Matt 25:29; "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Matt 25:30; "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Final Judgment

Again we have some servants in the house of the "master". This time there are three servants. But there is still only one master in this story.
There is only one master is every one of Jesus's teachings, as we will see. Some people say well the third servant was never in the masters care to begin with.
Or some people say, well it was a different master in a different house. This story doesn't say either of those things. All three servants were given
money (money doesn't necessarily mean "money" here) by the same master. The master had the same expectation for all three servants.
Two of the servants were told they were "good and faithful". (Much like the servants in Matt; 24:24) but one of the servants of the master
was called "wicked and lazy, worthless" by the same master who praised the other two servants. Again we see, that just because the master has taken you
in and given you something ( a talent) doesn't guarantee He is going to be happy with you.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Now we will jump over to Mark. Why? Because it's the next book after Matthew.

Mark 13:33; "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
Mark 13:34; "It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
Mark 13:35; "Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
Mark 13:36; in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.
Mark 13:37; "What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'"

If we jump back about 7 verses we see...

Mark 13:26; "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

Again we see here the "Son of Man" (Jesus) is coming back... at an unexpected time. Like a master out on a journey. Who leaves
His servants in charge of His household. Who is the master here? It's still Jesus. What does the master tell the servants that He himself put in charge
of HIS household? Be on the alert. Now why would the master say this to servants who are already in charge of His household?
There aren't someone's else servants in someone else's house. These are servants in charge of the "master's house".

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

What book comes after Mark? Luke of course.

Luke 12:35; "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
Luke 12:36; "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
Luke 12:37; "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
Luke 12:38; "Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
Luke 12:39; "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Luke 12:40; "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
Luke 12:41; Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"
Luke 12:42; And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
Luke 12:43; "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Luke 12:44; "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Luke 12:45; "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
Luke 12:46; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
Luke 12:47; "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
Luke 12:48; but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

This version is very similar to the storys in Matthew and Mark in many ways.
But a few things stand out in this version. First of all "keep your lamps lit". There is another parable where some virgins let their lamps go out.
Again the master is coming at an hour when no one will be expecting Him. Who is the master in this story? Verse 40 tells us "the Son of Man" will
be coming when you don't expect Him to be coming.

Again the masters servants are expected to be waiting, awake and alert when the master returns from His journey.
Now Peter.. (you gotta love Peter) is like many Christians today. Well Jesus who are you talking to? "Are you talking to us (your disciples).. or are
you talking to everyone else also?" It's great that Peter asks this question because now we get to hear Jesus's answer about who this message is for.

Again we see two kinds of servants in the masters house. There is only one master, and only one house. Both servants belong to the same master in
the same household. Both servants were put in charge of certain things in the masters house. These aren't someone else servants in someone elses house.
They are the masters servants, in the master house.

Again we see one of the servants is a "faithful and sensible" servant. But they other servant did not do the master will. He was caught taking advantage
of the things in the masters house. It says this servant is cut into pieces and given a place among "the unbelievers".

I'm starting to see a pattern here about the master (Jesus) and His expectations about when He returns. Which servant are you?

... to be continued...

 

[B-A-C]

Now we will jump ahead a few chapters in Luke to...

Luke 19:12; So He said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.
Luke 19:13; "And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.'
Luke 19:14; "But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'
Luke 19:15; "When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.
Luke 19:16; "The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.'
Luke 19:17; "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.'
Luke 19:18; "The second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.'
Luke 19:19; "And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
Luke 19:20; "Another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief;
Luke 19:21; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.'
Luke 19:22; "He *said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?
Luke 19:23; 'Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?'
Luke 19:24; "Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.'
Luke 19:25; "And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.'
Luke 19:26; "I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Luke 19:27; "But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."

This is of course the same parable about the talents, that Jesus tells in Matthew 25. But it has a few twists that are worth noting.
This time the master has 10 servants, not just 2 or 3. But this time He gives all ten servants the same amount of talents. Again like
the parable of the talents, there are two "good and faithful" servants but one "worthless" servant. Would Jesus really call anyone He
has given talents to, and put in charge of His household wicked and lazy?
The Bible says He will.
What is different about the version is that in verse 14, it mentions some people who say "we don't want this guy to be in charge of us".
There are a lot of people like this in the world today. They don't want Jesus to reign over them. However the penalty for this is mentioned in verse 27.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

All we have left now is John.

John 13:16; "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
John 15:15; "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:20; "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

I mentioned these verses earlier, but perhaps now we can see them a little differently.

Eph 6:9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Col 4:1; Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
2 Tim 2:21; Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
2 Pet 2:1; But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Jude 1:4; For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Our master should be Jesus. Dozens of verses in the Bible call Him the master.

 

[B-A-C]

Some churches believe in something called "TULIP". The "I" in tulip stands for "irresistable grace". Which means if God offers salvation to someone, they cannot or will not refuse it.
This has a lot to do with predestination, and the "pre-elect". These churches teach God decided long ago, who He would try to save, and who He wouldn't try to save.

But something we see through the Bible over and over again is... sometimes people refuse God's invitation. People have the power to resist the Holy Spirit. ( Acts 7:51; )

 

[B-A-C]

Are we really "followers" of the Master (Jesus)? Or are we "do it my own way" Christians? If we aren't following Jesus, is He really our Master?

 

[Dave M]

do we have a servants heart? because in America it more about being served then serving. But as usually Gods ways are in direct opposite of the worlds way.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

I tell you when you are more concerned about serving people and how you can help and encourage them all your problems seem to go away. I think God planned it that way.

Can you imagine the creator of us and the universe came to serve and set the example, to be willingly put to death and tortured for us while we were still in our sin, its just mid boggling.

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

followers of Jesus = a servants heart, putting the needs of others before are own needs, I pray for a heart like this daily, it helps to be around other people like this, to see there example, and as we Jesus was the best example we could ever receive