Matthew 25.14-30

Don't you hate it when you receive something, and you expect to get a lot out of it, but you soon realize it doesn't deliver as much as you were hoping for? You've probably experienced this if you've ever ordered a burger from a fast food joint. You might see a commercial on TV that shows a new cheeseburger, and it looks amazing. The hamburger patty is so big and juicy, the vegetables are fresh, and ever sesame seed is in just the right position. So you excitedly hop in your car to go get this amazing cheeseburger, but when you finally get it and remove it from its wrapping, it's not anything like the one in the advertisement. It's small and shriveled, and it looks like someone in the back room must have been sitting on it for the last half hour. No one likes to receive less than what they're expecting. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a story about someone who experiences this. Here's the text.

14 Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one wit the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent 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 the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. 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 the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; 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 the one talent 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 our and hid your talent 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 Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

The plot of this parable is pretty straightforward. A rich man goes away on a journey, so he divides his property among three servants (measured in an ancient monetary unit called a 'talent'). Two of those servants take what they have been given an put it to work--investing it, developing new products, etc. The third servant, however, takes the money home, digs a hole in his backyard, and throws it in. When the master returns from his journey, he calls his servants together to get his money back. The first two servants are able to bring the master more money than he had left them with because they had gained a return on their investments. Because of their faithfulness in this, they are commended and invited to the master's party. The third servant, on the other hand, only brings back the same amount of money he had at the beginning, and as a result, he is condemned.

So what's this mean? Remember that this parable, as well as the ones surrounding it in context, is addressing what life should look like for Jesus' followers in light of his second coming. It's telling us what we should be doing in this "in-between time"--between Jesus' ascension and his return. So what should we be doing? We need to be faithful with the resources God has entrusted with us, and this means putting them to work to bring about increase in God's kingdom.

When Jesus ascended, he left us with a job to do: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20). The gospel is meant to spread. The church is meant to grow. It wasn't supposed to just stay with those twelve guys who followed Jesus. So in the book of Acts, we see the church spreading throughout the world with fervor. The early Christians lived out this mission of spreading the good news about Jesus, and our churches today are guided by this same mission. We are left with the task of bringing about increase in the kingdom, of making sure more and more people have the chance to come to know Jesus.

include that!) Other God-given resources include our talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts. And, most importantly, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who empowers us for our mission (Acts 1:8). So God has made sure to give us resources so that increase can happen!

But there is another thing that is needed. Not only do we need resources, but we need to utilize those resources. We've got to put those resources to work! This is what it means to be faithful with what God has given us. It means not stockpiling our material wealth so that we can kick back and live easy, but rather employing it generously to help others and to spread the gospel. It means taking whatever spiritual gift or ability God has given us and putting it into action. It means letting the Holy Spirit move us and lead us into situations where people need to experience the love of Christ.

The problem with putting resources to work, of course, is that it involves risk. That seems to be why the third servant buried the money entrusted to him. He was afraid that if he invested it, he would lose it. He wasn't willing to take the risk. And maybe that's why you're sometimes hesitant to use what God has given you. Because it's risky. It's risky to sacrifice money when you could put it into your savings account. It's risky to utilize gifts and abilities for the kingdom, because it might involve getting out of your comfort zone or experiencing added stress. And it's really risky to follow the Holy Spirit where he leads, because he likes to lead us into some scary situations! But all of this is what it means to be faithful with what God has given us. We're not meant to bury our resources in our yards. We're called to faithfully put them to work for the sake of the kingdom.

What resources has God given you? How can you begin using them this week for sake of God's kingdom?

David Heffren