Learning how to be the right kind of steward can seem difficult, but never without reward. The Lord Jesus taught and explained His parables of stewardship. In these teachings, He presented the faithful steward receiving his reward at the time of accounting for his stewardship. The apostle Paul confessed this truth in 1 Corinthians 9:17 when he said, “if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward.” Paul knew God had a special calling upon his life and also knew he would stand before God to give account for his service. In like manner, each believer will one day stand before the Master (Jesus Christ) to give an account of his stewardship. Those who have served as good stewards will receive reward, while those who failed to do so will suffer loss (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
Every believer will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account for his stewardship while living upon this earth. Perhaps no one understood this quite like the apostle Paul. He was the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and had a special calling as a steward “of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He spoke often about the fact that the gospel had been put in his trust (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3). The apostle Paul feared what would happen if he failed to fulfil his stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16-17) because he knew a time of accounting faced all believers including himself. Though Paul’s calling was special, the fact that he would give an account was not unique to him only.
Basically, a steward is one who oversees someone else’s possessions. The scripture shows stewards overseeing the substance and possession of the king (1 Chronicles 28:1) or administering the oversight of labourers within a vineyard (Matthew 20:8). The life of a steward was devoted to his master’s needs, wants, and demands. The job description was broad and comprehensive. Eliezer, Abraham’s steward (Genesis 15:2), ruled over all that Abraham had (Genesis 24:2) but also went forth to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 24:9). The master’s needs became the responsibilities of the steward. Simply put, the steward was responsible for what the master had placed under his care and supervision.
The Pharisees repeatedly sought to trap the Lord by attempting to draw Him into controversial discussions. Today's passage demonstrates much more than a simple response to entangling questioning. Interestingly, we learn from the Lord's response that God's law made allowances for man based upon God's understanding of man’s nature. In other words, the Lord Jesus indicated that God gave some of the law simply because of the hardness of man’s heart! Unfortunately, these laws are used today by men to justify decisions contrary to God's will thus further validating the hard-hearted nature of man. In either case, God's ways are never thwarted. God's laws allow even man's wickedness to bring about God's justice and His laws further expose the inherent shortcomings of man. God graciously gave some of His laws to make allowances for man's weaknesses caused by sin.
The Bible admonishes believers to be stedfast and unmoveable (1 Corinthians 15:58). We are to be grounded and settled (Colossians 1:23) in the faith—much like a tree planted by the rivers of waters (Psalm 1:3). Yet, today's passage points to the dangers of a hardened heart set in rebellion. It is likened to a stone and a millstone. We should remain stedfast in our commitment to serve the Lord, yet our hearts should remain tender and pliable to Him and His will. A stony heart hinders the seed of God’s word from taking root (Matthew 13:5-6). This hardness hinders the possibility of spiritual fruit from taking root and maturing. A soft heart and a stedfast walk exhibit the godly balance that God desires for each of us.
