Island man, I think that the failure of Jesus'words foretelling the 'end of the system of things' in the first century disqualifies any credibility in extending or applying the parable to a future time. Prophecy has no value except for empowering the bearers and misleading the gullible.
I agree with you Brokeback, the words are very unlikely to be kosher in the first place.
It is a parable about the integrity of a lowly person put in charge of other humble workers, so that he does his duty even during the absence of the master of the house so that things will always function properly. It is about the integrity of the elevated servant not to be found with egg on his face at his master's return. This being said in the context of a prophecy of catastrophic destruction to the Jewish nation ("Let those in Judea flee to the hills") and deliverance by a heavenly master.
When the words were written, Judea was fully Romanised including, I believe there were public baths at that time in Sepphoris in Galilee and the Judaic religious life too was skewed towards the Roman not always the formidably strict separateness of Jewish tradition, they could enjoy the benefits of a developed civilization. The only households described in the illustration would probably have been Roman patricians who in Judea would have kept slaves who were really household servants.
The Watchtower has always been a Bible quoting religion, it foolishly believes and teaches that the scriptures have such authority that all that is needed is to quote a verse or two to establish a matter. In practice it adds its own directive on the verses to suit its cultic purpose. Its folly has always been to interpret scripture as if it referred to blocks of people or specific groups which exit in the modern world. This habit was something Rutherford used in his diatribes, significantly from the fascist era and it has continued in the mentality of the govenors of Jehovah's Witnesses ever since.
It suits their interest to narcissistically imply themselves in their role now or in the future as predicted by Jesus' words fabling a discreet servant who feeds the other household staff at the right time.
The Watchtower has proved itself to be the most indiscreet serving body and has dispensed appalling, opinionated spiritual food misleading millions and never once getting the timing right.
What does that say? Wrong food for the wrong time, or even if it were argued to be right food... it has always been for the wrong time! It says that even if the scripture was intended to pinpoint a 'group' it most clearly could not apply to them.
