Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30
I love the word faithfulness.
It’s not a very exciting or flashy word. A faithful person doesn’t really stand
out from the crowd. Maybe faithful
makes you think of an old dog that maybe isn’t too smart but always wants to be
with you. But to be fair to dogs, their faithfulness is one of the things that
makes them so appealing as pets and leads people to become so bonded with them.
They are always glad to see you when you have been away. Their love (if you can
really call it that) seems so simple and unconditional. They act like their
lives revolve around you – which, I guess, they do.
I’m not sure that I want to use a dog as the best example of
faithfulness. I wonder if they are guided more by instinct than by a conscious
decision to love. But in any case, faithfulness is a wonderful quality in any
relationship. We appreciate having faithful friends that we can count on to
help us and support us in any circumstance. Of course, God, with his completely
trustworthiness and unfailing love is our ultimate example of faithfulness, and
faithfulness is what He calls us to in our relationship with Him.
I know that many people in our Body here are high achievers.
We set stretch goals for ourselves and try to do our best in whatever we take
on. We have high expectations for our kids to do well academically and in their
careers. We want to be “successful” however we might define that. There is
certainly nothing wrong with that. We need to be careful, however, that we do
not ascribe our attitudes to God and think that He is evaluating our level of
spiritual excellence, continually checking on how we measure up. If He did, we
would all be getting F’s, because His standard is absolute perfection.
But God doesn’t call us to excellence; He calls us to
faithfulness. The reason excellence is a dangerous concept spiritually is that
it leads us to compare ourselves to other people. Then we either get proud,
because we are doing something more or better than they are. Or, more likely,
we beat ourselves up because it seems like everyone else is “doing better” than
we are. When we focus on faithfulness, however, our focus goes back on God.
What am I doing with what he has given me? I don’t need to worry about Carl
being such a good speaker, or Fred being able to connect with people so easily,
or Daniel being such a good pray-er, or Kristin tracking a million issues in
her heart at once. What am I doing with what God has given me? I am not John, and
I shouldn’t try to be. Comparing ourselves with others so easily gets us off on
the wrong track. God has created me – and you – just the way He wanted to, and
He has a unique calling for each of us. His purpose, His desire, is for us to
be faithful to that particular calling. What are we doing with what He has
given us? That is what we are going to be talking about today, as we look at
two very similar parables.
They are almost the same story, as recorded by Luke and
Matthew. One gets the impression that Jesus had certain themes that he kept
emphasizing. The disciples probably heard the same story multiple times as
Jesus went around to different places and tailored it to his audience or
situation. In any case, I thought we should start with Luke’s version today
because it may be a little less familiar than the Parable of the Talents in
Matthew. In Luke, it is called the Parable of the Ten Minas, at least in the
NIV.
It starts at verse 11 of Luke 19, but let’s back up for a
moment to look at the context. Jesus is passing through Jericho on his way to
Jerusalem. He has just met Zacchaeus and called him down from the sycamore tree
to go with him to his house. Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector, is so touched
by this gesture of love and acceptance that he makes a huge commitment to help
the poor and reimburse anyone he has cheated. Jesus sees his faith and
recognizes his change of heart and declares that salvation has come to his
house. “For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save the lost.” The people around realize that Jesus has some kind
of special authority. Now to our passage.
While they were
listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near
Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to
appear at once. –Luke 19:11
Jesus had spoken much about the kingdom of God. He had tried
to explain (sometimes through parables, as we know) how it was different than
an earthly kingdom. However, it seems that most people still had this idea that
if He were truly the Messiah that He would have to be a political leader and
set them free from the oppression of the Romans and lead them into some
restored place of prominence and prosperity among the countries around. So once
again, He tries to find a way to say, “No,” or at least, “Not yet.”
As we look at this parable, you will notice that it is
actually a story within a story. It is speaks of the relationship between a
king and his subjects, as well as a different sort of relationship between a
master and his servants. The man in charge, though, is the same person.
He said: “A man
of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and
then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten
minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
“But his subjects
hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be
our king.’
“He was made king,
however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given
the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.—Luke 19:12-15
The man of noble birth goes to a distant country to receive
his appointment to be king. This is quite an unusual way of doing it, but it
does parallel the way the Herods received their authority from Rome. Before he
leaves he entrusts ten minas to ten of his servants (implying one to each), and
he specifies that he wants them to do something useful with the money. He wants
a return on his investment. A mina was quite a sizable sum, about 3 months’
wages. The fact that he is going to a distant country implies that he will be
gone for quite some time. This is Jesus’ way of saying, “Not yet,” to the
people expecting an imminent earthly kingdom. He would be going away – but He
would be coming back.
However, many people on earth would not be interested in
being subject to Him. They would refuse to accept Him as Lord of their lives.
They would like to stop His return if they could, but He will indeed come back
someday. Then every knee will have to bow and every tongue confess that He is
Lord. It will be a day of judgment for everyone. For those of us who are His
servants, He will want to see what we have done with what He has entrusted to
us.
“The first one came
and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
“‘Well done, my good
servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very
small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
“The second came and
said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
“His master answered,
‘You take charge of five cities.’—Luke 19:16-19
The first servant has demonstrated some truly outstanding
financial management capability, so he is deemed able to rule ten cities. What
the master really highlights, though, is that he was trustworthy. He didn’t
know for sure if and when the master would return. But he was faithful with
what he had been given. The second was also faithful – perhaps not quite the
Warren Buffett that the first one was – and he is also given a reward – and an
ongoing responsibility – commensurate with his management ability.
“Then another servant
came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of
cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you
did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’—Luke 19:20-21
The servant says that he is afraid of the master, but do you
detect what his underlying message is? What he is actually saying is, “I don’t
trust you. I might do something for you and get nothing out of it. I don’t want
any part of this deal. I will give you back what belongs to you, but I am not
going out of my way to enrich you.” And maybe he was afraid, too. What if he
made a mistake and lost the money? Maybe he doubted his own ability to do
something useful with what he had been given. He has no faith. He is faithless,
not faithful.
“His master replied,
‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did
you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I
did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came
back, I could have collected it with interest?’—Luke 19:22-23
What is the master saying? First of all, he is telling the
servant, “This is not about your ability. That is no excuse. It doesn’t take
any financial acumen to deposit money to earn interest. This is about your
attitude toward me and my authority. You resent me and want no part in what I
am trying to do.” Ultimately, it didn’t matter if the master was a hard man or
not. It was not for the servant to judge that. If he did, he was placing
himself above the master. Secondly, the master is pointing out that the servant
was guilty of what he was accusing the master of doing! The servant thought the
master was taking unfair advantage. But the servant was failing to acknowledge
that he was taking the master for granted. He was dependent on the master – but
not grateful for anything he had received. So that is why the master calls him
a wicked servant.
“Then he said to those
standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten
minas.’
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he
already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell
you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has
nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who
did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of
me.’”—Luke 19:24-27
So here is the resolution of the plot and the subplot. If we
don’t use what God has given us, eventually He will take it away. And the
people who resist and reject the lordship of Jesus will eventually be judged
and destroyed. But if we are faithful, God will be able to entrust more and
more to us.
Let’s turn now to the Matthew passage and see how it is
different from the story in Luke. Matthew records quite a series of parables that
Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of heaven. The one right before this one in
Matthew 25 is the Parable of the Ten Virgins, five of whom were foolish and
allowed their lamps to go out, and five who were well-prepared no matter how
long it might take for the bridegroom to arrive. This next story is
traditionally called the Parable of the Talents. It is actually the source of
the definition of the word talent as
a natural (in other words, God-given) aptitude or skill. However, the latest
version of the NIV calls it (rather prosaically) the Parable of the Bags of Gold.
“Again, it will be
like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his
wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to
another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work
and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two
more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and
hid his master’s money.—Matthew 25:14-18
In this version of the story, the master really is
entrusting his wealth to his servants. The amount of gold in one talent was
equivalent to 20 years of wages for a laborer. That makes a talent 80 times
more valuable than a mina. So this emphasizes even more than the last story
that the master is giving the servants something extremely valuable. No wonder
the faithless servant hides it in the ground. This isn’t something to keep on
your bookshelf. Another obvious difference in this story is that this time the
master doesn’t give each servant the same amount, but to each “according to his
ability.” This removes the excuse, “God, you weren’t fair. You gave me more
than I could handle.” It also reminds me of Luke 12:48, from another parable
that we studied back in May: “From
everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who
has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” God gives us
talents and skills and resources according to our ability to do something
useful with them.
The first two servants didn’t procrastinate. They didn’t
wait until the last minute to do something with what they’d been given. They
didn’t know when the master might return. It says that the first one went “at
once” and put his five bags of gold to work, the second likewise. The third
plays it safe and hides his one talent.
“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!’—Matthew 25:19-23
It is significant that verses 21 and 23 are identical. The
first servant did not “do better” than the second. So the master does not give
him any special treatment. Both of these are “good and faithful” servants, with
different abilities and results. They had been faithful in small things, so the
master would be able to entrust them with larger ones.
Being faithful in small things is so important. We will
never be able to do a great work for God if we are not faithful in the mundane
responsibilities and day-to-day opportunities of our lives. I think young
people in particular tend to think that “someday” they will be able to step out
in faith and do something for God. You need to remember that God is more interested
in how you are living for Him today. How are you treating your siblings, how
faithful are you with your schoolwork, how helpful are you with chores. I may
have said this before, but bear with me: Faith is not a bank account where we
build up a reserve to use someday when we might need it. Faith is a more like a
muscle that gets stronger as we use it. Every time we do something by faith we
learn to trust God more and we will see Him entrusting us with more.
What is the real reward offered to these servants? Come
share in your master’s happiness. What an amazing opportunity we have to share
in God’s happiness. Its ultimate expression will be when we are together in
heaven, of course, but even now we find that true joy is God’s joy. Can you
sense when God is happy about something? There is no greater satisfaction we
can have than being a part of bringing that about. I love the line attributed
to Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century: “From the best bliss
that earth imparts, we turn unfilled to Thee again.” The only true happiness is
sharing in the 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.’—Matthew 25:24-25
As before, the third servant accuses the master of being
unfair. Perhaps, as I said, he was overwhelmed with a sense of his own
inadequacy. He saw the master as a hard man, taking advantage of others and
probably quick to punish anyone who stood in his way. In any case, the servant
did the minimum he thought he could get away with. But he didn’t get away with it.
“His master replied,
‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money
on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it
back with interest.
“‘So take the bag of
gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be
given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what
they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside,
into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’—Matthew 25:26-30
The worthless servant is banished from the presence of the
master. The darkness outside represents the opposite of entering into the
master’s happiness. The servant will weep at the separation and gnash his teeth
with regret for his lost opportunities.
So the question that I want to leave with each of us today
is, “What am I doing with what God has given me?” This is a question that each
of us needs to ask ourselves. We need to think about what it means for us to be
faithful to what God has called us to do. Others can advise us, but ultimately
we need to be accountable to God alone. We shouldn’t compare our performance
with others’ if it makes us proud or discouraged. We should be motivated by
God’s calling on our lives – nothing more and nothing less. How do we know what
that calling is? Sometimes it comes through a revelation of the Holy Spirit
impressing on our spirit what God’s will is. But these kind of impressions need
to be confirmed by God’s Word and godly counsel from other believers. Receiving
a calling from God is often a process, like receiving individual pieces of a
puzzle that we fit together to get the whole picture. God can use circumstances
to adjust His calling, but we need to be careful that we don’t just take the
easy way out when barriers appear in our path. God may want us to persevere
through difficulties to pursue His calling. That’s where faithfulness becomes
important again. We carry on with what we know so far, while remaining open to the
new things that God may want to show us to change the direction of our lives.
With that in mind, I would like to share a short video with
you about missions, as you consider what God might be calling you to.
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