Before we get started, how was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Good! By a show of
hands, how many of you ate too much this weekend? Me too! How about after the
meal? Did anybody fall into a Turkey coma Thursday afternoon or evening? Me too!
Well, it’s good to see that most of us have made it out the other side ok! Now we can
officially begin the Christmas season right!?
If you have your Bibles, go ahead and grab those now, we will be in Matthew
25: 14-30. If you don’t have your Bible with you, go ahead and follow along in the
copy in the seatback in front of you. We will be on page 21 in the New Testament in
those Bibles. As you turn there, please pray with me.
Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning with thankful hearts. Many of
us are still trying to shake off the effects of the tryptophan that we have consumed
this week and others of us are already planning the combination of diet and exercise
that we will employ starting January 1st to shed the extra pounds that we have
gained. Thank you Lord for the many ways in which you have blessed us this year.
As we sit under your Word today, Lord, activate our hearts and minds. Help us hear
what you have for us in spite of me. Thank you for your Son, Jesus. We pray these
things in His most precious name. Amen.
Ok, so let’s get some context here this morning before we jump into the text.
Here in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus and His disciples are leaving the Temple and they
head out for some time alone. They are only a couple of days from when Jesus will
be crucified, but the disciples still don’t seem to have a clue about what is going to
happen. Jesus foreshadows His death and second coming and the disciples ask when
it will happen and how they will know. Jesus then begins the longest continuous
teaching in the book of Matthew as they head up to the Mt. of Olives, which is right
outside of Jerusalem. Jesus ends the teaching by telling four parables, the third of
which is called “The Parable of the Talents.” Let’s take a look at this parable now.
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own
slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to
another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on
his journey.”
Now, in those days, it was fairly common for landowners with great wealth to
go on long journeys. They would go off to attend events or to do business or to
simply enjoy the things that far off places had to offer. However, the timing of even
the most well planned trip would be ambiguous due to the many uncertainties of
transportation at the time. So, these wealthy landowners would entrust their
property and assets to their accountants, which would either be free men, or in this
case, trusted servants.
I wonder if we can even wrap our minds around what that might be like
today. To get us thinking in the right way, the value of a Talent is estimated by some
to be around 10,000 denarii. To put that into perspective, 1 denarius is equal to 1
day’s wage, so all told we are looking at the equivalent of 8,000 days’ wages or
roughly 22 years’ worth of work. The idea of going on a long trip with only a vague
sense for when you might be returning and leaving your possessions in the hands of
someone else while you are gone is kind of unsettling, isn’t it? Most of us don’t have
that kind of freedom. We only have a set number of vacation days at our company
and with technology today, we often end up taking at least a portion of our job with
us via email, Face Time, or just the internet. Can you imagine going away on a long
trip, trusting everything you have to someone else, and then being completely
disconnected from that person for the entire trip? I can’t decide whether that would
be freeing or cause me more anxiety! Let’s jump back into the text and see what
happens next.
16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded
with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had
received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent
went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Ok, let’s talk about these three verses. The two men trusted with 5 and 2
talents respectively get right to work to increase their master’s money. And, in doing
so, they are both able to double the amount that they have been given. Now
remember, when we put these amounts into perspective, the fact that they were
able to double their master’s money was not unimaginable, but it was definitely no
small feat! They must have worked hard.
The third servant however, decides to take a much different approach.
Instead of working hard to increase what he has been trusted to steward, the man
goes out and hides the money to make sure that nothing happens to it. That sounds
pretty strange to us today. We know that crazy Uncle Larry doesn’t trust the banks
with his money, so he buries it in coffee cans in the woods behind his house, but we
wouldn’t consider that a normal thing to do. However, at the time, burying your
money in the ground was considered a normal and fairly secure way of protecting
your assets, but it wasn’t the only way to keep your money secure. Now, let’s see
what happens when the boss returns.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled
accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and
brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I
have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and
faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many
things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 “Also the one who had received the two
talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have
gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.’
So, each of the first two servants come to the master and give him twice what
he had originally trusted them with. Verses 21 and 23 are some of the most famous
in the New Testament. “Well done, good and faithful slave.” How happy must these
two men have been in this moment? It feels great to be appreciated for what you
bring to the table doesn’t it? For students, maybe it’s getting an A on a project that
you’ve worked hard on. For adults, maybe it’s getting a positive review from your
boss at work and maybe even a bonus or a raise. Whatever it might be, it just feels
good to be appreciated.
There’s something interesting to note here before we move on, though. The
second servant was given less responsibility than the first, but he was also able to
double his charge and in the end received the same commendation as the first.
Notice the master did not say, “Enter into the partial joy of your master.” The
amount of influence that each man had was never the issue here. The number of
talents they were given was like an unnecessary detail provided in a story problem
on a math test to throw you off. The important thing here is what they did with what
they were given. Now let’s take a look at what happens with the third servant.
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said,
‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering
where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your
talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that
I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought
to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my
money back with interest.
Right away we see that the third servant knows that he is in trouble. Instead
of presenting the master with what he has done, he begins by making an excuse,
which is that he was afraid of making a mistake. Then he goes a step further and
blames it all on the master. He says that he buried the money because he knew that
the master was a ruthless businessman. Maybe if the master had been more
honorable this whole thing wouldn’t have happened this way! Not only that, he goes
a step further and says “See, you have what is yours,” as if to say it is even fair and
just that I didn’t increase the amount that you gave me. The servant goes from
excuses to blame to judgment. This guy just doesn’t know when to quit!
The master’s response is devastating. You see, the master does not consider
the servant’s laziness and fear to be a passive thing. They are active offenses against
him. Laziness is the squandering of an opportunity. Laziness is wasting time and
resources. Laziness is contempt for the master. He addresses the servant’s excuses,
saying that he could have put it into the bank and earned interest if he was afraid of
losing it. Next, we see the price of the servant’s unfaithfulness.
28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has
the ten talents.’ 29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have
an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be
taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
First the master takes the one talent from the servant and gives it to the
servant who has ten. For the servant, having and hoarding is the same as not having
at all because in the end it is taken from him. Then, the servant pays the ultimate
price. He is thrown out of his master’s household to fend for himself. The servant
who was once esteemed enough to be entrusted with a portion of the master’s
wealth is now considered worthless. What a devastating fall.
Now this is a great story with a great moral that teaches the value of hard
work and loyalty. But, that is not the reason Jesus told this parable. Let’s make a few
substitutions into the story. First, instead of a shrewd and unfair businessman, let’s
say that the master is the Holy and Just God of the Bible. He is not only a wealthy
landowner. He is the Creator of everything and the Author of history. Next, let’s
replace the three slaves with you and me. We’re not only servants to the Master, but
the Creation of His hands and His image bearers. And instead of God entrusting us
with his riches, He entrusts us with our lives. Just like with the slaves in the original
parable, each one of us is entrusted with a different amount. Each of us has a
different set of gifts and abilities. Each one of us has a different amount of power
and influence. Each one of us has different relationships with different people and
different circumstances and challenges in our lives.
Once we make those substitutions what do we see? Are we the first slave
who was entrusted with the highest amount? Have we been given much talent and
influence with which to glorify God and expand His kingdom? Have we used our
talent and influence to multiply the impact of our lives for His glory? Are we the
second slave who was entrusted with a smaller amount? Have we been given a bit
less talent and influence, but still worked hard to multiply our impact for the glory
of God and the expanse of His kingdom? Or, are we the third slave? Have we hoarded
the talent and influence that we have been given? Instead stepping out of our
comfort zone and actively serving God have we instead served our own fear and
comfort? If we have, what can we do to change our standing with the master? How
can we ensure that we hear “Well done, good and faithful slave,” when we have
breathed our last breath?
My son, Calvin, is four years old. He loves Paw Patrol, anything Disney, and
playing toys with his sisters. He is in that fun stage of life where he is asking a lot of
questions and learning new things everyday. He is what we affectionately call a
“motor mouth.” When he gets going it is hard to get him to stop talking. The bad part
about this phase is that he will sometimes wake his sisters up from their naps with
his relentless jabbering. The good thing is that with so much talking comes many
opportunities for him to say things that are hilarious and adorable that we won’t
soon forget. This happened to Lauren two weeks ago when she was getting the kids
ready to leave the house in the morning. She was loading the kids into the van and
out of nowhere Calvin said, “Mom, here are my constructions.” Now, you need to
know that when he says “constructions” he means “instructions” and at the ripe old
age of four he had come up with three rules for life that he wanted to share with his
mom. So, he said, “Mom, here are my constructions: Stay calm. Use Actions. Have
breath.” “From the mouths of babes,” right?
So this morning, I’m going to use Calvin’s “constructions” to help us with
what to do when we find ourselves in the position of the third slave in the parable of
the talents. The first “construction” is to “stay calm.” It’s great advice, but hard to
do. We live in an age of overreaction. It seems like every morning we wake up to a
world on fire. Whether it is politics, sports, education, or religion, each day seems to
be worse than the last and we fan that flame as if it were our only source of light and
heat. We get on Facebook and Twitter and pick fights with complete strangers. We
stand around the water cooler at work and entertain every possible doomsday
scenario. But, let’s be honest, the knee jerk reaction that we are so prone to rarely
ever yields the preferred result. Instead, we should pause and remember the truth
of the gospel. Jesus Christ came to earth in the form of an innocent child. He lived a
perfect, sinless life. He was put to death on a cross to atone for the sins of the world.
And on the third day he rose from the dead, conquering sin and death forevermore.
In 1 Corinthians 15:55 the Apostle Paul writes, “O Death, where is your victory? O
Death, where is your sting?”
In times of panic and despair we need to remember that the battle has
already been won. Death has been defeated. As the old song says, there is victory in
Jesus. So, we can all stay calm.
The second “construction” is “use actions.” This one is a tricky one. As
Christians we often wrestle with the balance between works and faith. On the one
hand you have James 2:26 which says, “For just as the body without the spirit is
dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Then on the other hand you have the
Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 who says, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.” So, which is it, works or not? The answer is both.
First, let’s be clear that you cannot work your way into heaven. Even when
the bar is set very low, we fail time and time again to be found righteous in the sight
of God. None of us can even make it through the Ten Commandments unscathed and
that is just Morality 101. Never mind looking at our motives and intentions! We are
all hopeless sinners in need of a savior. However, as James says, good works are the
proof of faith. I’m sure that you all have heard the old saying, “Actions speak louder
than words.” This saying rings true in the realm of our salvation as well. If you have
received the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, you won’t be able to keep yourself
from spreading the love that you have received to others. Works are not an on-ramp
to heaven by which you can bypass faith in Christ. On the contrary, the salvation you
have received in Christ will lead to good works for the Glory of God and the good of
His Kingdom.
With that said, let’s remember the master’s chastisement of the third slave.
Laziness is not a passive thing that “doesn’t hurt anyone.” Laziness is active
contempt for the master. Laziness says, “Now that I have found favor with the
master, I can just kick back and take it easy.” No way! Knowing what you know
about the tremendous love that God poured out for His people through His Son, how
can you feel anything but energized to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to
everyone you know? Let’s get off the bench and get into the game! Use actions.
The third “construction” is to “have breath.” Now that might sound like
nonsense at first glance, but let’s take a look at it for a moment. We talked a bit
earlier about our tendency to over-react. This “construction” provides help with that
idea. “Have breath” simply means “take a break.” Give yourself some margin. God
rested on the seventh day after creating the world and everything in it. He included
rest in the Ten Commandments. Jesus accomplished amazing things during His
three-year ministry. In that short amount of time He turned the world upside down,
but even in the heart of His ministry Jesus took time to be alone with God. He took
time to have meals with friends and strangers. He took time to rest, recharge, and to
enjoy life.
Some of us have a tendency to be driven. We set our minds on a goal and we
don’t let up for anything until we have achieved it. In our drive to make the biggest
possible impact with the life that we have been given, let us not forget the bigness of
God. God uses your work and mine to accomplish great things for His kingdom, but
He does not need our work. 19th Century English Preacher Charles Spurgeon said it
best when he said, “Success can go to my head unless I remember that it is God who
accomplishes the work, that he can continue to do so without my help, and that he
will be able to make out with other means whenever He wants to cut me out.” In our
pursuit of honoring God let’s not forget to “have breath.”
The Parable of the Talents is a warning to us that just as the master in the
story left his servants for a long journey, so too has Christ left the Earth. And, just as
the servants in the story did not know when their master would return, so are all
Christians in the dark as to when Christ will come again. So, the big question
becomes, when Christ returns, what will He find? Will He find us diligently at
work multiplying His kingdom or will He find us paralyzed by our own fear, having
accomplished nothing with what we were entrusted?