Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 24:45

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?" — Matthew 24:45 (ASV)

Who then is a faithful...? A better translation is, Who then is the faithful and wise servant? The latter word, "wise," is the Greek term that ethical writers used to express the practical wisdom of adapting means to ends, as contrasted with the wisdom of pure contemplation on the one hand, or technical skill on the other.

To give them meat in due season. A better translation is, to give them their food. In the parallel passage of Luke 12:42, the word used means "a measure or fixed portion of meal or flour." This comparison highlights one function of Christ's ministers: they are to supply people with the spiritual food they need to sustain their higher life.

It may be the spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Corinthians 3:2) or the strong meat or solid food. This implies an art of spiritual dietetics, so to speak, which requires tact and discernment as well as faithfulness. The wise servant will seek to discover not only the right kind of food but also the right season for giving it. An apparent parallel is found in the common interpretation of rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), but the imagery implied in that phrase is likely of an entirely different character (see the note on that verse).