Jehovah’s Witnesses put a lot of emphasis on the “Faithful & Discreet Slave” found in Matthew 24:45 where Jesus talks about that slave providing food at the proper time. They once believed this slave or servant was their founding member, Charles Taze Russell (See Studies in the Scriptures Series 7: The Finished Mystery, p.538). From 1927 until 2012, this faithful and discreet slave was interpreted as all anointed Jehovah’s Witnesses. (see Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, p.626).
Since July 15 2013, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been told – and now believe – that the “Faithful & Discreet slave” is their governing body only. Confirmation of this fact is found in The Watchtower July 15 2013 page 21, paragraph 10:
10 Who, then, is the faithful and discreet slave? In keeping with Jesus’ pattern of feeding many through the hands of a few, that slave is made up of a small group of anointed brothers who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food during Christ’s presence. Throughout the last days, the anointed brothers who make up the faithful slave have served together at headquarters. In recent decades, that slave has been closely identified with the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Note, however, that the word “slave” in Jesus’ illustration is singular, indicating that this is a composite slave. The decisions of the Governing Body are thus made collectively.
The definitions for “Faithful” and “Discreet” as quoted on Dictionary.com are:
Definition of “Faithful”
- strict or thorough in the performance of duty
- true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc.
- steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant
- reliable, trusted, or believed.
- adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate
When one looks at the evidence, is the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses truly “Faithful” as defined above?
Definition of “Discreet”
- judicious in one’s conduct or speech, especially with regard to respecting privacy or maintaining silence about something of a delicate nature; prudent; circumspect.
- showing prudence and circumspection; decorous
- modestly unobtrusive; unostentatious
Is the Governing Body one to be “discreet” in relation to the “master’s domestics” as found in Matthew 24:45?
Everything that is disseminated by their “faithful & discreet slave”, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it as if it was the Word of God itself. But really, should they be relying so heavily on such imperfect men? Let’s look at how “faithful” and “discreet” the Governing Body is towards themselves. How can we do this? By comparing the printed Insight on the Scriptures against the electronic version of Insight on the Scriptures found on the 2014 Watchtower CD-ROM.
Really, if the Governing Body are truly “Faithful and Discreet”, the CD-ROM should match what is printed in the book that it is supposed to replicate. If any changes were to creep in, surely this would mean that the Governing Body are more synonymous with the “Evil Slave” mentioned in Matthew 24:48.