When the Cat is Away ... - A Reflection on Matthew 24:42-51

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Have you heard the saying, “When the cat is away, the mice will play?” It is an idiom meaning that without supervision, people will disregard or break rules. Or, when someone in authority is not present, subordinates will do pretty much what they please. This seems to be a universal truth. We find scores of examples of this even in the Bible. A notable one that you might remember is how wicked the people got when Moses went up the mountain to get the ten commandments from God. When Moses returned, there were severe consequences for their wickedness (see Exodus 32).

 

This will, however, be nothing compared to the fate that awaits the wicked when Jesus returns. He speaks about returning suddenly, when least expected, hoping to find that the servant he has placed in charge of his household has been doing his duties. And he warns about what will happen to the servant who fails to do this in no uncertain terms.  “The master ... will punish the wicked servant severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 

 

Who does this servant represent? Given that Jesus said this to the disciples, and not to the usual crowds that hung around him, meant the warning was for a specific audience. This would be the shepherds in the church today who have been placed to look after the flock that God has put in their care, feeding them the food they need. They need to be wise and faithful. The “wisdom” is about the things of God, not of the world. And the “faithfulness” is in the things committed to him by God. Both need to be used to “feed” the “sheep” in their care, good spiritual food that will nurture and nourish them.

 

But this doesn’t discount us. In some way or another we are all given flocks to look after. Parents are given charge over their children. Educators are given charge over students placed in their care. Employers are responsible for their employees. And if you take it all the way to the top, leaders over their nations. But do we fulfill our obligations to those God has given us to nurture and nourish. Do we provide them with the food of life? Is it flavorful and nutritious — good to eat and grow? Or is it like congee—watered down rice with hardly any taste or benefit? 

 

The month is almost over. Then another four months for the year to get over. I wonder how many years before time itself is over. We have waited a little over 2,000 years for Jesus to return. Most people have never given a thought to his coming back, and when we don’t think about it, we do pretty much what we like. Like mice when the cat is away. But today’s reading reminds us that he will return. And there will be a reckoning. May he find us, all of us, to be good and faithful servants that he will commend and honor.

 

In the meantime, let us feed our people well.

 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/y_UM4ZXhHew