Being Faithful In the Kingdom
Literally, this parable
begins, "For as a man going into another country...."
Obviously, Jesus is again likening the church, or kingdom of
heaven, to something his followers could understand.
Notice, the man in the story gives his own servants a sum of
money for which to care.
They are his servants and the money is his.
It is important each of us recognize that we and all we have
belong to the Lord.
Paul told the people on Mars Hill, "For in Him we live and move and
have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we
are also His offspring'" (Acts 17:28).
The Psalmist sang in behalf of the mighty God who is Lord,
"For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand
hills. I know all the
birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine"
(50:10‑11). These and
other verses indicate we are simply stewards of things belonging to
God, even including our own selves.
Good stewardship involves proper use of the things belonging to
another. The servants
in this parable were expected to gain even more, not just hold on to
what they had. Paul
described himself as a steward of God's mystery.
Then, he said, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one
be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:1‑2).
A part of his faithful use of that mystery was entrusting it
to others who would, in turn, place it in the safe keeping of
others. "And the things
that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
"Faithful Over a Few Things"
A talent was between 75 and 131 pounds, depending on which author
one reads. It could
have been gold or silver.
Each man received a number of talents based on his lord's
assessment of his ability to wisely use it to gain more. While their
lord was away, the five and two talent men doubled what they had
been given.
When the lord came back from his journey, he called his servants together to see what they had done with their trust. The five and two talent men both received the same words of commendation. "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:21, 23). The lord saw each man as having well used his trust. It did not matter that one earned five while the other earned only two. Instead, both were rewarded for faithful work.
God will judge each based on how he lived his life.
Our concern need not be with what we have or do not have as
compared to others.
Instead, we must strive to faithfully use the Lord's trust!
Our question should be, "What has the Lord given me and how can I
use it to his glory?" Our
goal should be to let our light shine so God can be glorified (Matthew
5:13‑16).
"You Wicked and Lazy Servant"
The one talent man hid his money in a hole in the ground.
When his master came back, he dug it up and brought it to him.
Lightfoot sees three specific things which caused him to fail to
please his master. First,
he did not believe in himself.
The Lord had evaluated his ability and given him what he was
capable of appropriately using.
Yet he did not believe he could use it wisely.
Second, he let fear keep him from working.
Fear is a dangerous and immobilizing force.
Jesus said the fearful would have their part in the second death,
or hell (Revelation 21:8).
Third, he envisioned his lord as a man looking for failures for which he
could punish his servants.
We need to realize God does not rejoice over our failures.
Remember, God is love.
His love for lost mankind was so great he sent his Son to die in
their stead (John 3:16‑17; Romans 5:6‑8; 1 John 4:7‑11).
Out of that true love comes a willingness to be longsuffering,
kind, not rejoice in our sins, but rejoice in our obedience to the truth
(1 Corinthians 13:4‑8).
Outer Darkness
The lord in Jesus' parable describes the one talent man as wicked and
lazy. He knew his master
would want him to work with what he had been given.
Still, he failed to seize his opportunities for work.
Do we really have to wonder what the Lord thinks of the church
today? We are in the middle
of a technical revolution.
We can communicate around the globe in a matter of minutes.
Through television and radio, we can reach multiplied millions
with the gospel at any moment.
Many of our friends and neighbors have heard more about our lawns
than they have about Jesus.
How will the Lord describe our efforts?
What will our reward be?
Our answer to these questions may give us a different view of the
judgment against the one talent man.
"And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30).
This is in stark contrast to the "joy of your Lord" which was
given to both the five talent man and the two talent man.
If we would have joy and avoid the place where crying and teeth
grinding is incessant, we must put what the Lord has given us to use!
1. Over what things has God given you stewardship?
2. What could you do to
faithfully use the things God has provided?
3. What lessons do you learn from the two commendations given by the Lord?
4. List reasons you think
the one talent man might have hidden the money.
5. What is "outer darkness"? How should we live if we do not want to go there?