THREE Most Important Rules of Biblical Interpretation: Context, Context, Context!!!
There are many ways to interpret Scripture and because Scripture is literature, it often includes figures of speech.
Literal (understanding and interpreting things in their most basic, factual, and direct sense, without considering any figurative or metaphorical meaning).
Metaphorical (using it to symbolize or stand for another thing).
Allegorical (containing a moral or hidden meaning).
Figurative (any figure of speech statement or phrase not intended to be taken literally).
Symbolism (the idea that things can represent other things).
Hermeneutics; THE Art & Science of Biblical Interpretation. Five principles to follow:
(1) Historical
(2) Cultural
(3) Authors intent / purpose of the message.
(4) Application
(5) Context, Context, Context!!!
We read Scripture because we want to learn and grow closer to our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. Men wrote the Bible books but God was the Author. God’s communication skills are stellar. He knows what to say and how to say it. There is always a purpose for His messages. We take His word at face value. The literal interpretation is always applied first. The others (metaphorical, allegorical, figurative, symbolism) would be applied if the literal application was not tenable.
Example of Correct and Incorrect Hermeneutics
AS A FORMER MEMBER of the Watchtower Organization I draw from many examples of incorrect hermeneutical interpretations and applications. One very serious one is found at Matthew 25:45, “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?” The Watchtower hermeneutical interpretation asserts that God appointed them to represent this “faithful slave” as His sole communication tool. They also purport to know the exact number of “faithful slaves,” 144,000. There is a small group of these “slaves” which govern all the rest. Is their interpretation and application of Matthew 24:45 correct?
Gleaning the true meaning of Scripture requires an accurate assessment of what the context is communicating. Let me repeat that in another way, context, context, context. The “key” to understanding any isolated text is contingent upon knowing what the surrounding context is communicating. It is surrounded by a context for a reason.
There are three problems with the Watchtower’s application: (1)The text and context fails to communicate a named organization, (2) The text and context reveals no specific number, (3) The Watchtower hides the true meaning of the text.
APPLYING THE RULES OF HERMENEUTICS TO MATTHEW 24:45
(1) Historical: First century.
(2) Cultural: Jews.
(3) Author’s Intent / Purpose of the message: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
(4) Application: To All Servants of Jesus Christ.
The Context Reveals The Purpose Of The Discourse, “The Sign of His Coming” Matthew 24:29-31 reads: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (vs.30) And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (vs.31) And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
No one knows the day or hour of His return but the context does reveal signs to observe (Matthew 24:32-25:46), “The fig tree” (Matthew 24:32-35), “The days of Noah” (Matthew 24:36-39), “The two” (Matthew 24:40-41), “The faithful head of the house” (Matthew 24-42-44), “The wise slave” (Matthew 24:45-51).
The Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (Matthew 24:45-51)
[45]“This parable follows naturally from the previous teaching. Christ’s Second Coming will be like God’s coming in judgment in the days of Noah. A catastrophic separation will occur between the righteous and the wicked. It will come suddenly; no one knows the day or the hour, and therefore the appropriate response is to watch constantly. The ‘evil servant’ who expects his lord to delay his return (v. 48) and does not watch for him is cut off when the master returns, just as unbelievers will be cut off when Christ returns as a thief in the night to gather His own. The ‘faithful and wise servant,’ on the other hand, waits for his master with eager anticipation (vv/ 45, 46).” Exegetical Commentary on Matthew by Spiro Zodhiates, pgs 420, 421
To understand the Greek meanings of words I use the authority of Greek Scholar Dr. Spiro Zodhiates. The numbers listed after the Greek words are identifying references found in any Greek-English Lexicon.
“Jesus contrasted the ‘faithful’ (pistos [4103] and ‘prudent’ (phronimos [5429]slave here with the ‘bad‘ (kakos [2556] one in verse 48. The faithful (pistos) servant has the faith (pistos [4102] to believe that Jesus told the truth about God and about His own Person and work.
We are told that the master delegated rule to this servant. He is … given charge [from kathistemi {2525} from kata [2596], according to; and histemi {2476}, to stand, establish] over [epi {1909}, upon] his household to the care [therapeias, the genitive of therapeia {2322}, compassionate care] of them by giving [from didomi {1325}, to give] them food at the right time [from kairos {2540}, proper season]. (v. 45; a.t.)
Instead of ‘care’ (from therapeia), the the United Bible Society’s and Nestle’s texts read ‘domestic affairs’ (from oiketeia [3610] — a type of care appropriately qualified by the context). The faithful and prudent servant carefully attends to the domestic affairs of his household and thus is ready for the coming of his lord at any time. He not only meets schedules but, according to Luke 12:42, he gives proper portions of food (sitometrion [4620] for sitos [4621], wheat; and metron [3358], measure). This is not restricted to food alone but no doubt extends to all physical and spiritual needs of the household.
[46] A further simile of the faithful and prudent servant of Jesus Christ is given in the term makarios (3107), blessed — the beatitude word that means to be indwelt by God and thereby fully satisfied. … ‘Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh [elthon, the aorist participle of erchomai {2064}; cf. Luke 12:43] shall find so doing.’ The aorist tense here underscores Christ’s appearance at any time.
We believers who are truly blessed should serve the Lord with faith and prudence every waking moment of our lives so that when Christ does appear suddenly, we will be “caught” doing (from poieo [4160], ‘continually doing’) the right thing.
[47] The master rewards the faithful and prudent servant with extensive sovereignty over his kingdom: Verily [amen {281}, truly] I say unto you, that over [epi {1909}, upon] all things of his possessions [huparchousin, the neuter plural dative present active participle of huparcho {5225}, to be, belong to], he will establish [from kathistemi {2521}] him. (a.t.)
[48, 49] The adversative ‘but’ (de [1161]) introduces another servant who contrasts vividly with the ‘faithful and prudent one’ … The evil of the servant is twofold. The first is internal — a belief with a bad attitude: My lord is taking his time — procrastinating! This, of course, is false, and it brings to light this servant’s faithlessness against the faithfulness of the other servant. The second is external — two actions that issue from this bad attitude and belief: He beats his fellow servants and gets drunk with other drunkards, his new associates. The evil servant’s ‘unwise’ mind contrasts with the ‘prudent’ (phronimos) mind of the other servant.
True believers in Christ do not have these beliefs, attitudes, or actions. They believe their Lord’s coming is imminent because that is what He taught, and He always spoke the truth. Interestingly, Jesus connected a denial of the imminence of His Second Coming with bad attitudes and actions. The evil servant’s use of chronizei (My lord delays [chronizei, the present tense of chronizo {5549} associated with the noun chronos {5550}, a space of time] his coming) carries a sarcastic tone. Its not a neutral but an attitudinal statement that implies his lord’s procrastination and an excuse to behave irresponsibly.
[50] The master of the evil servant returns suddenly without warning: The lord of that servant shall come [from heko {2240}, to appear, arrive, become present] in a day when he does not look [from prosdokao {4328}, to expect] for him, and in an hour that he does not know [from ginosko {1097}, to experientially know]. (a.t.)
It is evident that the hypocrite, described here as an example of those who confess Christ with their mouths but accuse Him of delay in their hearts, are unbelievers and behave accordingly. They do not really expect (prosdokao) Christ’s Second Coming at any time. The text does not say that such evil servants do not look at all for the master’s return; in fact, the wording, ‘in a day when [they] look not for him,’ implies that they were looking on other days. It was a good start with slow deterioration. At first they look every day; but then as time passes, they look intermittently, then finally not at all. The day they give up is the day they begin to beat their fellow servants.
(51) The master will punish the evil servant at this unexpected return.” (Exegetical Commentary on Matthew by Spiro Zodhiates, pgs 420 – 425)
Summary:
(1) How To understand an isolated Scripture? Context, context, context! The context of Matthew 24:45 is revealed at Matthew 24:3, “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'”
(2) Parables: The parables illustrate the peoples attitudes toward His coming and what will happen when He comes.
(3) Blessings: Verse 45 is the parable of the servant. The careless servant will be severely judged as an unbeliever, in contrast to the good servant who will be rewarded by his Lord.
(4) The Parable of Matthew 24:45 speaks and applies to all servants of Jesus Christ.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As demonstrated, the Watchtower’s hermeneutical interpretation of Matthew 24:45 referring to their Organization, exclusively, is an excellent example of incorrect hermeneutics. The only identifying marks God provides: “faithful and unfaithful.” The 144,000 number application also lacks context authority. There is absolutely no number given of faithful or unfaithful slaves. In other words, the Watchtower’s dogma (misleading false teachings) did not pass the hermeneutical test. The word nefarious comes to mind.
The big takeaway for me is the contrast of attitudes between these two “slaves.” The “evil servant” expects his lord to delay his return as reflected by his attitude. The “faithful and wise servant,” on the other hand, waits for his master with eager anticipation. This is a sobering reminder to all Christians. We must look for His return with great eagerness and anticipation every single day! In so doing means eternal blessings from God the Son, Jesus Christ.
I believe one of the most important things Christians should learn is hermeneutics. This will safeguard them from false teachers and cults.
Tags: Bible, Christianity, faith, God, jesus
The Bible vs. The Watchtower 
Leave a comment