Verse 46
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful.
In this verse Jesus passed beyond the metaphor to the fact typified in the analogy. "Cutting asunder" and appointing a portion "with the unfaithful' refer to the final judgment, not to the displeasure of an earthly lord over faithless conduct of a servant.
The Lord ... shall come ... emphasizes the certainty of Jesus' coming to judge the quick and the dead. However long delayed, in the eyes of men, it shall nevertheless come to pass as the Lord promised.
Cut him asunder ... means "to punish with terrible severity."[46] This is a very strong word, bringing to mind such passages as Daniel 2:5; 3:39, etc., in which offenders in ancient times were literally cut in pieces. The use here is a metaphor for the utmost in severity.
The next two verses were probably intended by Jesus to soften somewhat the terrible metaphor he had just used. Severely as the wicked shall be punished, none will be punished any more than he deserves. As the great Restoration preacher, L. S. White, was accustomed to say: "God is too wise to make a mistake, and too good to do wrong."
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