Matthew 25
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Matthew 25:19-26, “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant…”
In this chapter, Jesus gives us a deeper look into the Kingdom of God through three parables that demonstrate the need to be ready for his return.
Our specific focus verses today are part of the parable of the bags of gold. Other translations call this the parable of the talents. A wealthy land owner goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with some talents. A talent was actually a measure of weight rather than an amount of money. It was approximately 130 lbs. so whether or not it was a talent of silver or gold, it would have been very valuable. Even one talent of silver would have been more than an average person would have made in a year. I read several places that one talent in today’s money would be roughly one million dollars. This Master had entrusted one servant with 5 talents, one with 2, and another with 1, all significant sums. The talents and the servants belonged to the Master and the crowd that Jesus was speaking to would have known that.
The first servant who was given five talents doubles his money. The second servant who was given two talents doubles his money. The third servant, however, basically just hid his head in the sand and hoped the whole thing would go away. After praising the first two servants for their resourcefulness, the master says to the third one, “You wicked and lazy servant.” He had really harsh words for him. At first glance, we might be taken aback by such hard words. But think about it, the master bought these bondservants or slaves to make a profit for him. He would never have bought them if he thought they would make him lose money. Their purpose was to earn a profit for the master.
God expects to see a profit from us. He isn’t harsh. He doesn’t require that we do the impossible – he has given us abundant resources. However, he does require us to use our God-given talents and resources to produce a spiritual profit for His Kingdom. God created us with the intention that we would use our money, our resources, and our talents and skills to produce a profit for him…spiritual profit.
One of my seminary professors used to say, “We don’t serve a mush God.” Our God is not all mushy love, rainbows, and unicorns. Yes, he is loving but he still has expectations for us. There are standards and accountability. And this is one of those areas. God doesn’t expect us just to sit and soak up all the love and wonderfulness of faith. He actually expects us to do something about it, to earn a spiritual profit. And he is serious about it.
What does this look like for us? Interestingly, Jesus answers this for us later in the chapter with another parable about separating the sheep and the goats. If you haven’t read through the entire parable, take a moment and do so. Bottom line: Whenever we use our resources and talents to help alleviate the suffering of the poor or oppressed, it’s like we are doing it for Jesus himself. Friends, we were created to fulfill a bigger purpose, God’s purpose. As Christ-followers, we are expected to extend the boundaries of the Kingdom of God, bringing some of this spiritual profit, into this world to alleviate suffering and pain, to share the love of Christ, to be ambassadors for Jesus. What we do in this place is to be a preview of heaven. How are we doing?
Let’s pray…Lord, All we have is yours. We belong to you. Help us fully submit our lives to you. I want to earn a spiritual profit for your Kingdom. Guide me in that, Lord. Help me focus more on others and less on myself. More of you and less of me, Jesus. Amen.