For the kingdom of heaven is as a man The opening sentence in the original is anacoluthic, and our translators have supplied what they supposed to be wanting. The Greek has only, For just as a man, etc.
; Vulgate, sicut enim homo. The other member of the comparison is not expressed. The Revised Version gives," It is as when a man." They who receive the possible interpolation at the end of Matthew 25:13 would simply render, "For he (the Son of man) is as a man."
The Authorized Version plainly affords the intended meaning in the words of the usual preface to such parables (Matthew 25:1; Matthew 13:24, Matthew 13:31, etc.). The conjunction "for" carries us back to the Lord's solemn injunction, introducing a new illustration of the necessity of watchfulness.
Travelling into a far country ( ἀποδημῶν, leaving home). Here our Lord, being about to withdraw his bodily presence from the earth and to ascend into heaven, represents himself as a man going into another country, and first putting his affairs in order and issuing instructions to his servants (comp.
Matthew 21:3;Matthew 5:1-48). Who called his own ( τουους) servants. The sentence literally is, As a man … called his own bond servants. Those who specially belonged to him—a figure of all Christians, members of Christ, doing him service as their Master.
Delivered unto them his goods ( τα Ì ὑπα ìρχοντα αὐτοῦ, his possessions). This was not an absolute gift, as we see from subsequent proceedings, and from the well known relation of master and slave.
The latter, generally speaking, could possess no property, but he was often employed to administer his master's property for his lord's advantage, or was set up in business on capital advanced by his owner, paying him all or a certain share of the profits.
The money still was not the slave's, and legally all that a slave acquired by whatsoever means belonged to his master, though custom had sanctioned a more equitable distribution. The "goods" delivered unto the lord's servants represent the special privileges accorded to them—differences of character, opportunities, education, etc.
, which they do not share in common with all men. This is one point, as above remarked, in which this parable varies from that of the "pounds." In both cases the gifts are figured by money—a medium current and intelligible everywhere on earth.