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The Parables
of Matthew
The Source
of Lasting Joy
Matthew
25:14-30
Introduction: Watching For The End
My son-in-law Joel tells me that when students
first start attending at Youth For Christ in Columbus, Ohio very few of them have
any knowledge about the Bible, Jesus or the other topics most children learn very
early in Sunday School. But, almost every one of them knows that the world is
going to end in 2012. At least that’s what they believe as they listen to the
word on the street.
The possible end of
the world on December 21, 2012 is a hot topic of discussion in many arenas. The
speculation is based on the ending of the Mayan calendar covering a cycle of
5,125 years. The previous cycle—The Cycle of Water—ended in 3114 BC with a
great flood. The current cycle—The Cycle of the Jaguar—is to end with great
shaking and devastation. It also happens to coincide with the end of a complete
set of 5 cycles covering almost 26,000 years. At this time the Sun will be aligned
with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Those who deal with such things
contend that the last time this happened it was marked by a shift that plunged
the earth into a great Ice Age. So, if all the Y2K hysteria wasn’t enough for
you, hang on to your hat for the next three years.
Do you ever wonder how so many people can
buy these kinds of theories while remaining completely unmoved by the
resurrected Son of God promising to return again someday? I do. They dismiss His life and His claims as myths
and then claim that the Mayans and Nostradamus outlined everything that would
happen. It is mind-boggling!
We conclude our study in
the Parables of Matthew this morning. As we do, I want to make sure you notice
how Jesus begins many of His stories during this last week of life with the
landowner or master going away on a journey with the promise of returning one
day. He also adds in the element of a sudden and unknown time when He will
return. We ended last week with His urgent invitation:
Therefore keep
watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew
25:13 NIV
That’s where we pick up
today as Jesus immediately starts another story where the landowner leaves on a
trip. As the story unfolds we will see
two servants greet the return with joy while the third servant is filled with
fear. As you wait for the return of
Jesus I believe God wants you to watching in anticipation for the joy that will
be yours forever.
The Assignment (vv. 14-15)
Again, it will
be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his
property to them. 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. Matthew 25:14-15 NIV
“It” is the Kingdom of
Heaven. Kingdom refers to the scope of God’s rule in Christ. The Lord’s primary
focus now is His disciples. He prepares them for His departure and promised
return. The
story is based again on a familiar custom. The local provincial leaders often
traveled to Rome to report to the emperor and to lobby for continued
support—especially when a change in emperors occurred. While the governor was
away he entrusted his responsibilities to subordinates who were expected to
fulfill them.
Jesus once again builds a story on a known to teach an
unknown and unexpected truth. He
clearly has the end of His ministry in view. The disciples were expecting Jesus
to announce the beginning of God’s Kingdom on earth. When Jesus announced He
was going to Jerusalem they were sure the time had come and even engaged in
lobbying for the most favored and powerful positions, arguing who was most
important among them.
They hadn’t been
listening. Jesus needs to prepare them for Calvary and for His eventual
departure to return to heaven. The Kingdom was going to come. It just wasn’t
going to come (yet) in the way the disciples expected. He was going away but He
would come back. The disciples needed to hear the message and so do we. Jesus
pulls us right into the story. We are moved to decide which character best
represents us. I promise you this:
If you will place yourself into the story, you will
discover the source of lasting joy.
It is one of three servants with whom you will
identify. One was given five talents
of money, one was given two and a third was given one. Let me try to provide some
perspective to help you understand. A common laborer would earn one talent in
20 years. Most of us are pretty common. Let’s just say the average household
income is $50,000. In 20 years that would be $1,000,000. For our purposes we
have a $5M, a $2M and a $1M servant.
The servants are given
different amounts for a clearly identified reason. The amount was decided based on the ability of each servant. This
shouts with the grace of God. The owner knows his servants intimately. He
entrusts to each one only what he believes they can reasonably be expected to
handle.
Now, extend the assignment
to those of us who are followers of Christ. The word talent came to mean more
than a measure of money. It refers to abilities, skills and gifts. God gives
that set of talents to each person. It is as unique and varied as the
individual. God gives them and expects
them to be used until life is over or Jesus returns. What
are His expectations for you? His
expectations are set according to how He has designed you.
The Actions (vv. 16-18)
Jesus draws us into the
story as He tells what the different people did.
The
man who had received the five talents went at once and put
his money to work and gained five more. Matthew
25:16 NIV
The five talent man proved
that the confidence in him was well-placed. He demonstrates:
·
Immediate Obedience—He went at once
·
Industriousness—He put his money to work
·
Shrewdness—He gained five more
Anyone listening would
have to be impressed.
The two talent man did the
same. He, too, demonstrates he was worthy of the confidence placed in him. He
doubles the amount given to him.
The one talent man takes a very different approach. He digs a hole and hides the money. It was a common
practice when people wanted to protect wealth from those looking to steal it.
Jesus gives no explanation why this man did what he did. He doesn’t accuse the
man of being too timid or excuse him for feeling inadequate for the task given
to him. The same trust was placed in him by the same man. The one talent man
knew the parameters within which he should be working.
·
He was not to protect it
·
He was to invest it to make a profit
·
He had the same obligation to use what
he is given to the maximum of his ability
Jesus wanted His disciples
to understand the sacred trust He was placing in them. He set the expectation
that they were to make sure the gospel was put to work without delay to produce
kingdom results. He wants us to embrace the same truth. He wants us to ask, “Am I using
what God has entrusted to me to the maximum?”
It’s important that we give careful consideration to the question
because one day there will be…
The Accounting (vv. 19-27)
After a long
time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
Matthew
25:19 NIV
We don’t know how long it
was but when the master returned he settles the accounts. The five talent man
who had the greatest responsibility is called first.
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.' Matthew
25:20 NIV
How do you picture him making his
report? I see him bounding in with
the sheer pleasure of pleasing his master. He isn’t bragging. He is excited
about being able to present five more. In return he receives the joy of his
master’s approval.
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 25:21 NIV
Once again the same scene
is repeated with the two talent man. Jesus could have also included a four talent
and three talent man, but three characters are sufficient to draw our focus to
the one talent man. Listeners already knew his approach had been different. The purpose of the parable is to expose
him. Everything else is stage setting. The others are supporting
characters. The one talent man is not eager like the other two. He smarts under
the approval given to them as he formulates his defensive explanation. Where
they were filled with joy; he is filled with anger. They were brimming with
happiness; he is cowering in fear.
The one talent man is not
lacking in skills as he defends himself. He uses two classic tactics. He
accuses the other person and he avoids all personal responsibility. He comes in
ready to do battle.
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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.
See, here is what belongs to you.' Matthew 25:24-25 NIV
He is full of excuses.
·
If I had lost the talent, you would have
demanded it of me anyway.
·
It’s not my fault because I was afraid.
·
You should be glad I kept the entire talent
safe for you.
He doesn’t really know his
master. If he knew his master, he would
have known his master would rather have him risk the talent and lose it than to
do nothing but bury it in the ground. The master points out that at the
very least he could have placed the money with bankers to receive some interest.
But, if he had gone to the bank, he would have put the money in a safety
deposit box. He wasn’t taking any chances at all.
The master’s response is
direct and to the point.
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? Matthew 25:26 NIV
The servant demonstrates his wickedness by
misrepresenting his master’s character.
He completely missed the desire of his master to increase his financial
holdings. The servant was so critical he accused the master of harvesting from
fields he hasn’t planted. The exact
opposite is true. The master graciously and generously invested his wealth
with each of the servants. This servant proved he was lazy as he, sadly and
tragically, did nothing with the talent he was given.
The response at first
seems severe as the master takes the one talent and gives it to the faithful
servant who now has ten. What the master actually does is treat the servant
exactly as the servant viewed him.
The Application
We need to look at what
this meant for the disciples then and means for us today. Whether it was then
or now, the application is the same as we invest what God has entrusted to us.
Our response is determined
by our understanding of what the talent is. Our word talent comes from here
with the idea of abilities and natural gifts. In the Kingdom of God it is far
more encompassing. A talent is what the
Lord entrusts to us in order to live our faith and to duplicate its power in
others. God gives us the gift of an abundant life. We need to dare to live
it and share it with others as we are called to high adventure of living for
Him. As we risk what He has entrusted to
us in order to fulfill the desires of His heart, we will find the only true
source of lasting joy. Two faithful servants did that; one didn’t.
Do you need to dig up your talent? Have
you safely buried it so you won’t have to be bothered by the inconvenience of
serving God and loving other people?
The greatest risk of all for the follower of Jesus is to do nothing with what
He has entrusted to you.
There is one last thing we
need to do. We need to look at the awards given out by the master.
The Awards (vv. 28-30)
'Take the talent
from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 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. And throw that worthless servant outside,
into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:28-30 NIV
Two principles can be
identified.
1.
Faithfulness brings increased opportunity
When you show that you are faithful in little, you
will be given the opportunity to be faithful in much. Because of faithfulness you are able to share in your
Heavenly Master’s happiness. You will know His well-done. You will know the joy
that beats in His heart beats in your heart, too.
2.
Faithlessness brings loss of opportunity
The one talent was taken
away from the faithless servant. It was given to the one who was faithful. With
all of this came the grim inevitability of judgment.
Conclusion: Jesus Will Return
I am sure many people will
soon be talking about the end of the world that looms in 2012. They may very
well change the way they live because of a theory based on nothing more than
speculation, faulty science and lack of logic. At the same time they will
ignore Jesus who faithfully let His followers know He was going away but would
one day return.
As we wait for Him I will
close with some observations about enjoying the only source of lasting joy.
·
Let everyone be faithful in using the opportunities
the Lord has given for serving Him
·
The God who is served will infuse your
soul with joy and pour meaning into your life
·
You find lasting joy only by giving it
away
·
More than anything, God wants to give you
His joy
Finally, when He returns, more than anything in the
world I want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and
share your Master’s happiness!”
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