Parables of The Kingdom
Passage: Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable of the Talents
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 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. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 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.’ 21 “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!’
22 “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.’ 23 “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!’
24 “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. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “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? 27 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. 28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 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. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Recap: Sermon 11-13-11 – Parables of the Kingdom – Worth Your Weight in Gold
What would you like to have said about you when you are gone? In other words, what is your ultimate goal for your life? What are you investing time and energy into during your short time on earth? Possible goals:
1. Accumulate material things (money, big house, fancy car) – “The one with the most toys wins.”
2. Some Great Achievement (Nobel, Pulitzer, Emmy, Grammy,etc.) - Get noticed by the world
3. Adventurous Experiences – (like skydiving or travel) – all the things on the bucket list
4. Harmonious Family Relationships – all your goals center on building the family – loyalty.
5. Security & Comfort – Life is tenuous and you are just trying to hold onto what you got.
All of these goals have some merit – but what if we looked at our life from the perspective of God. God gave us life, and all that we have, does He have some right to expect something from his investment. The Parable of the Talents looks at our life from such a perspective.
· The wealthy master is going on a journey and gives to his servants various amounts of gold to invest and earn a profit. He gives 5 talents to one servant, 2 to another, and 1 to the final servant.
· 1st Note – The word “talent” refers to a weight in gold (or silver). It is only through this parable it has come to mean in English a special ability that a person has. The 1984 NIV translation used the word talent in the text, but the newer NIV translation instead translates the Greek word talents as “bags of gold.” One scholar estimated a talent of gold to be worth $250,000 in today’s dollars.
· The Master returns and calls the servants to account for their talents of gold. The first two servants had both put the money to work and had doubled the investment. They return their doubled portion to the master. He commends them both and invites them to share in His happiness.
· The third servant had buried the talent and could only return the original talent back to the Master. The Master is not pleased, chastises the servant and has him cast out of the assembly.
A Different Picture of God – There are many images of God laced into Scripture, including that of a Shepherd, Gardener, King, Mother Hen, Cosmic Artist, etc. In this parable Jesus portrays God as a Profit-Seeking Businessman. The Master gives money and demands a return from his servants. He is said to be a “hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” So can we picture God as a hard-driving Wall Street Investment Banker?
What do talents represent? – The key to this parable is understanding what is meant by the talents. I would suggest that talents do not directly represent our particular skill or abilities, however such skills are related to what Jesus is driving at. Instead, the talents represent opportunities to build up God’s Kingdom. The talents when put to work give the servants a chance to earn a profit for the Master. In the same way when we act on the opportunities we have to serve God or share the gospel we can “earn a profit” for our Master.
All God’s people are given such “talents.”- It is not just the professional clergy who have the chance to serve the Lord or lead people to a saving relationship with Jesus. God gives all of us opportunities to build his kingdom in some way. God puts people in our path that he would have us befriend and share the gospel, or invite into church. God gives us all time to not only earn a living but to seek service opportunities.
A few points from this parable:
One – God gives opportunities according to His Will. He gave the talents to the servants, “each according to his ability.” He knows what we are capable of and empowers us as He sees fit – Romans 12:6-8.
Two – We will be called to account for the opportunities we are given. If we bury our talent in the ground, we may find our Master in Heaven is displeased with us.
Three – Our view of God affects how we respond to Him. The third servant feared the Master, viewing him as a hard man. The other servants were joyful in presenting to the Master their earnings. Gratitude is a better motivator than fear.
Four – The main reward for faithfulness to God is more opportunities to serve our Lord. The Master says “You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.” We must be faithful with the opportunities to serve God in order to get more opportunities. If you want to do great things for God, start by faithfully doing small things for God.
Five – The side reward for faithful service is joy. When we obediently do as God calls we share in the Master’s Happiness. One day we will fully enter God’s Joy-Filled Life, but even before eternity we experience glimpses of it as we serve Him.
Six – The reward for faithfulness is the same regardless of the results. The servant who earned only two talents received the same commendation as the one who earned five talents. God is pleased when we are faithful with the little we have, and he has given to all enough to do something for Him.
Seven – The third servant is condemned not for what he did, but what he failed to do. Rather than putting the talent to work he buried it. Fear and laziness worked together to keep the servant from using what the master had given Him to make a profit for the Kingdom. His talent was taken from him, and given to a servant who would do something with it. Then he was cast into the outer darkness. Jesus consistently taught that some would be left out of the joyfulness of eternal life and instead be shut out from God’s light and life.
Eight – We can invest our talents from God by cooperating and working within a local fellowship of believers. The Master tells the lazy servant that he should at least have put his talent on loan with the bankers and so earned some interest. By combining his talent with others it could have been invested and earned a profit, even if the servant was not a confident entrepreneur. We may be unsure of how to serve God and build God’s Kingdom, but we can put our talent (our time and skills) together with those of other believers and as the church we can have more impact than we can as individuals.
Can you think of someone who received a great talent and yet wasted it? (Maurice Clarett, maybe, or do you remember who Len Bias was?) Such sport talent wasted seems so tragic, and yet it is only about a game.
Consider how much greater a tragedy it is from God’s perspective when he gives one of his people an opportunity to do something in His Kingdom that is not just about playing a game but has eternal consequences, and they forsake that opportunity. God’s goal is to bring as many people into His eternal kingdom, that people would know the love and grace of the Savior. Are we putting our talents to work towards that goal, or do our goals revolve around things that are only for this life?
Take and Seal It - An e-mail follow-up to Sunday morning’s message
By Pastor Mitch Reed - Immanuel UCC, Zanesville – Ohio - e-mail: cowcountry94@yahoo.com