The “faithful and discreet slave”: appointed over the domestics or over the belongings?

After examining “new light”

1.In the previous reflection we examined the concept of “new light.” We read Proverbs 4:18 in its context and saw that it speaks of the conduct of the righteous, not of doctrines that change direction. We discovered that the Governing Body itself admits to being neither inspired nor infallible. And we asked ourselves a natural question: if new light comes from human study, who are these men? Who appointed them?

2. This question takes us to the scripture on which the entire structure of the organization rests: Matthew 24:45. “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?” It’s the verse that justifies the authority of the Governing Body, the unique channel between God and humanity, the obedience required of every brother and sister.

3.We did what the Scriptures ask of us: we opened the Bible and read that verse in its context. What we found gave us encouraging answers to many doubts. Answers that we believe every brother and sister deserves to know. Let’s read them together.

What we’ve been taught

4. The Watchtower of July 15, 2013 — available on wol.jw.org — published an article titled “Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?” The article explains that in 1919 Jesus reportedly examined the Christian organizations and chose a small group of anointed brothers — the Governing Body — as his only channel for dispensing “spiritual food” to all of humanity.

5. From that teaching flow enormous consequences. The Governing Body is presented as the only conduit through which God communicates with humanity. Its directives carry the same force as a divine commandment. To obey the Governing Body is equivalent to obeying God. To disobey is equivalent to apostasy — with disfellowshipping and the loss of all contact with one’s family and community.

6.It is an immense responsibility. And if the scriptural basis is solid, it is right that it be so. But what if it isn’t? Wouldn’t it be our duty to verify? As always, we invite you to take your own copy of the New World Translation and read with us. Don’t trust us — trust the Scriptures.

Let’s read the context

7.Matthew 24:45 is not an isolated verse. It is placed within a section of the Gospel where Jesus speaks of his return and the need to remain vigilant. Let’s open the Bible from Matthew 24:42 to Matthew 25:30 and notice something we may never have observed before: it is a sequence of parables, one after another, all on the same theme.

8. Here they are:

1. The thief in the night(Matthew 24:43-44) — “If the householder had known in what watch the thief was coming...” No one treats it as a prophecy. It is a parable about vigilance.
2. The faithful slave and the evil one(Matthew 24:45-51) — “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave...” This is ours.
3. The ten virgins(Matthew 25:1-13) — “The Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to ten virgins...” No one treats it as a prophecy. It is a parable about preparation.
4. The talents(Matthew 25:14-30) — “A man about to travel abroad called his slaves...” No one treats it as a prophecy. It is a parable about faithfulness.

9. Four consecutive parables. All teach the same principle: be ready, because you do not know when the Master will return. The Watchtower itself treats the ten virgins and the talents as parables applicable to all Christians. But it extracts the faithful slave from the sequence and transforms it into a prophecy with a specific fulfillment in 1919. Why? On what basis does a single parable, in the midst of parables, become a prophecy?

10.There is a second detail that deserves attention. Let’s read verses 45-51 carefully. Jesus speaks of oneslave — not of two. The same slave can prove to be faithful (verses 46-47) or evil (verses 48-51). They are not two different characters. It is a choice: will you be faithful or will you be evil? It is an exhortation to personal vigilance, not the identification of an organization.

11.And now let’s read verses 46-47 with care: “Happy is that slave if his master on arrivingfinds him doing so! Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings.” The appointment “over all his belongings” happens when? At the master’s arrival. Not twenty years earlier. Not in a specific year of modern history. When the master arrives.

12.The note in the New World Translation itself on verse 46 cross-references Revelation 16:15: “Look! I am coming as a thief.” This cross-reference places the event in the context of the great tribulation — an event that, according to the teaching of the same organization, is still future. If the appointment of the slave occurs at the master’s arrival, and the master’s arrival is still future, how can it have already occurred in 1919?

13.We’re not interpreting. We’re reading. Read for yourselves Matthew 24:42 through Matthew 25:30 and evaluate: is it a sequence of parables or a prophecy hidden among parables?

Does 1914 hold up?

14.Even if we were to grant — for a moment — that the faithful slave is not a parable but a prophecy, a problem would remain: the date of its supposed appointment. The organization teaches that Jesus appointed the slave in 1919, after invisibly returning in 1914. But how do we arrive at 1914? With a calculation:

• Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE (according to the Watchtower)
• The “seven times” of Daniel 4 correspond to 2,520 years
• 607 BCE + 2,520 years = 1914 CE

15. The entire edifice rests on one date: 607 BCE.If that date is correct, the calculation works. If it isn’t, the whole thing collapses. So the question is simple: did the destruction of Jerusalem occur in 607 BCE?

16. The answer, according to every available historical and archaeological source, is no. The confirmed date is 587/586 BCE— twenty years later. The evidence comes from at least five independent lines: the Babylonian astronomical tablet VAT 4956, which records lunar and planetary positions corresponding only to 568/567 BCE for Nebuchadnezzar’s 37th year (which places the destruction of Jerusalem in 587); thousands of Babylonian commercial tablets dated to the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian kings; the Babylonian Chronicles; synchronisms with Egyptian chronology; the Canon of Ptolemy. All converge on the same date: 587/586 BCE.

17.A former member of the Governing Body, who was part of it from 1971 to 1980, worked for months on the entry “Chronology” for the dictionary Aid to Bible Understanding. He searched for evidence of 607 BCE. He didn’t find any. All historians indicated a date 20 years later, and thousands of cuneiform tablets showed nothing to indicate that the Neo-Babylonian empire was the length required. He described this experience in his book Crisis of Conscience.

18.Let’s look at what happens if we apply the historical date:

If 607 doesn’t hold — and the evidence is overwhelming— 1914 collapses. Without 1914, there is no 1918 inspection. Without the inspection, there is no 1919 appointment. Without 1919, the entire foundation of the Governing Body’s authority falls.We don’t say this with joy. We say it because the Scriptures ask us to make sure of all things.

What a Governing Body member said under oath

20.In 2015, the Australian Royal Commission into institutional responses to child abuse examined the practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Case Study 29). A member of the Governing Body was called to testify under oath. When asked whether the Governing Body considered itself the only spokesperson for God on earth, he answered:

“I think it would be presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using.”

21. Let’s read it again. A member of the Governing Body, under oath before a government commission, called “presumptuous” what is taught to every brother and sister in the Kingdom Halls.The Commission itself described this answer as inconsistent with documentary evidence — the very same publications that present the Governing Body as God’s only channel. The transcript is public: Royal Commission — Case Study 29.

22. The question arises naturally. If a member of the Governing Body says one thing to the brothers and another under oath, which of the two is the truth?

“Not inspired, not infallible”

23. The Organizzazione (study edition) of February 2017 contains this statement:

“The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction.”

We appreciate this honesty. But if they are not inspired, “new light” is not divine revelation — it is human study, subject to human error. We saw this in the previous reflection.

24.Yet the same organization demands absolute obedience. The Watchtower of November 15, 2013 writes: “All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.” If they can err in doctrinal matters — their words — why do they demand obedience even when the instructions do not seem reasonable? And when these instructions concern matters of life or death — like blood — what room is left for personal conscience?

25.We’re not judging anyone’s intentions. They are sincere men doing their best. But the printed words pose a question that deserves an honest answer.

What Jesus said

26. Jesus addressed the topic of religious authority directly. In Matthew 23:8-10 he said:

“But you, do not you be called Rabbi, for one is your teacher, and all of you are brothers. Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called leaders, for your Leader is one, the Christ.”

Jesus was not just talking about titles. He was talking about people who place themselves above others and make brothers subject to themselves. The principle is clear: Christians are all brothers, and the only Leader is the Christ.

27.And in Luke 21:8 he warned: “Look out that you are not misled, for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and, ‘The due time is near.’ Do not go after them.” The organization has repeatedly said “the due time is near” with specific dates — and was wrong every time:

• 1874: invisible return of Christ. It did not happen.
• 1914: presented as the end of the world. The end did not come; it was recalculated as “invisible presence.”
• 1918: destruction of the churches of Christendom. It did not happen.
• 1925: resurrection of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob on earth. It did not happen.
• 1975: end of 6,000 years of human history, Armageddon expected. It did not happen. The faithful were blamed for having “misunderstood.”

28.Jesus’ words are clear: “Do not go after them.” We are not saying that the Governing Body acted in bad faith. We are reading the Scriptures and historical facts. Let each draw their own conclusions.

Objections

32. As always, we invite you to read these verses in your own copy of the Bible and to evaluate personally.

Questions for reflection

33.Three questions. We’re not asking for immediate answers. Just that we think about them — in the silence of our conscience, in the moments when we are alone with Jehovah.

At the heart of it all

36. This third question opens up an even deeper reflection. It is no longer about the faithful slave, nor 1914, nor the Governing Body. It is about God himself.

37.Does the God we have been taught to know through the publications — a God who only communicates through an organization, who punishes those who ask questions, who separates families, who will destroy billions of people at Armageddon — correspond to the God we find when we open the Scriptures and read them with our own eyes? In the next reflection we will open the Bible and let it speak to us directly about His character. And we will find together a Father whom many of us have never known.

38.Verify for yourselves. Read Matthew 24:42 through Matthew 25:30 in your New World Translation. Count the parables. Read verse 46 and ask yourselves: is the appointment past or future? Don’t trust us — trust the Scriptures and your own conscience. The truth is not afraid of questions.

“Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine.”

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”