Every once in a while a parent or teacher will give a child a work assignment to do while they are out of the house or classroom. They expect them to work on it while they are away, and that it will be completed when they return. Sometimes that happens with your boss at work. He may be away on a business trip for a while, and expects a certain job assignment to be done and ready when he returns. A good worker or student will be diligent, and ready to present their work when the boss returns. Today’s parable contrasts this worker with one who has nothing to present to the boss when called. Let’s see what we can learn today.
Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples this parable. It is a parable illustrating the tragedy of wasted opportunity. The servants of the master represent believers who are given levels of responsibility with the work they are to do for the Lord (vs. 14-18). The man going on the journey is Jesus, who has returned to heaven for a time. He expects faithfulness from the believers while He is away.
Each servant is given a certain amount of talents. A talent was a measure of weight, designating a value of money. A talent of gold was more valuable than a talent of silver. The master divided the money among his servants according to their ability. No one received more or less than they could handle. Their failure to bring a return to the master with increase could only come from their willful disobedience and dislike for the master.
God has given to each of us Christians resources to use to the best of our ability for Him. God has a plan for every believer to pursue, and He has gifted each of His children specifically for that purpose. There is no place for laziness. The question we must put to ourselves right now is, how will we use what we’ve been given? The two wise and diligent servants put what they were given to good use, and they had something to show when the master returned. The lazy one, the one who was content to just sit back and do nothing while the master was away, had absolutely nothing to produce when he returned.
When the Lord, our Master, returns He will want to see what we have done for Him with what we have been given. The diligent and faithful workers were commended and given rewards (vs. 20-23). The one given the five talents and the one given the two talents were each given the same reward because they were each faithful in working with what they were given. The reward is based on faithfulness, not on results. Some Christians have been given the resources to be great, world-wide evangelists or famous Christian authors. Others are just a Sunday School teacher in a tiny church. One may win thousands upon thousands of souls to Christ, the other maybe one or two. The reward we each will receive will be based on faithfulness with what we have been given, not on the number or amount of results.
Even though our place, as believers, in heaven is secure, the way we live our lives does greatly matter. We will have to give an account of what we have done with whatever God has entrusted to us. Everything we have is a gift from Him, such as our time, skills, spiritual gifts, etc. How are we investing them? We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. We really must obey willingly.
Those who invest the resources the Lord has given them by serving God well will be rewarded. Those who don’t will be punished (vs. 29-30). God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God’s Kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.
Will we hear a commendation from Jesus? More than anything, I want to hear Jesus say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Let’s be good and faithful servants!
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