Rather than answer directly, Jesus gives another illustration. “Who really is the faithful steward,” he asks, “whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time?

The “master” obviously is Jesus Christ. The “steward” pictures the “little flock” of disciples as a collective body, and the “body of attendants” refers to this same group of 144,000 who receive the heavenly Kingdom, but it highlights their work as individuals.