Luc 12:45

45 Mais, si ce serviteur dit en lui-même: Mon maître tarde à venir; s'il se met à battre les serviteurs et les servantes, à manger, à boire et à s'enivrer,

Luc 12:45 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 12:45

But and if that servant say in his heart
Not the same servant before spoken of as a wise and faithful steward, that gives to all in the family the portion of meat in due season, and shall be found doing, and be made ruler over his master's goods but another, who also, as he, is made by his Lord ruler over his household, and is in a like post, and in the same office, but is an "evil servant", as Matthew calls him, to distinguish him from the other; and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read here:

my Lord delayeth his coming;
though a wicked servant, he calls Christ his Lord; but it is not saying Lord, Lord, that will be of any avail, but doing the will of God, by believing in Christ, and obeying his commands: he had a notion of the coming of Christ, though he did not desire it; and because he tarried longer than was expected, supposed him to be slack concerning his promise, and began to think, and hope, and at length to believe, that he would not come at all, and therefore gave himself up to a wicked and licentious way of living:

and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens;
to persecute the ministers of the Gospel, and the true disciples of Christ, the undefiled virgins, that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes:

and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken:
to live a voluptuous and sensual life, to give himself up to intemperance and debauchery: and, generally speaking, as professors of religion, when they turn apostates, are the most violent persecutors of the saints; so such persecutors of Christ's, faithful followers are commonly drunkards and debauchees; (See Gill on Matthew 24:48), (See Gill on Matthew 24:49).

Luc 12:45 In-Context

43 Heureux ce serviteur, que son maître, à son arrivée, trouvera faisant ainsi!
44 Je vous le dis en vérité, il l'établira sur tous ses biens.
45 Mais, si ce serviteur dit en lui-même: Mon maître tarde à venir; s'il se met à battre les serviteurs et les servantes, à manger, à boire et à s'enivrer,
46 le maître de ce serviteur viendra le jour où il ne s'y attend pas et à l'heure qu'il ne connaît pas, il le mettra en pièces, et lui donnera sa part avec les infidèles.
47 Le serviteur qui, ayant connu la volonté de son maître, n'a rien préparé et n'a pas agi selon sa volonté, sera battu d'un grand nombre de coups.
The Louis Segond 1910 is in the public domain.