Matthew 25:14-30
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey. “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’
“The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’
“Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’ “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! (Matthew 25:14-28)
Now, this scripture sounds like it is about money, but I would like to suggest that these coins (called ‘talents’ in ancient times) in this text are of greater value than money; these are the ‘talents’ God has given us. Each and everyone of us has their own set of ‘talents.’
Matthew 25:15 says
He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability..
Regardless of the number of talents, we must use those talents to the best of our ability. We must be faithful to our gifts to grow them as we are able.
We each should assess our lives to determine if we are increasing our talents or not.
- Consider the gifts with which God has blessed us.
Take some time this week and reflect on all the good gifts given us. Think about our family, finances, friends, possessions, opportunities, church, family, and more. Give glory to God and thank Him for His grace shown to us.
- Consider our faithfulness.
Ask ourselves how we have managed what God has given us. Are we generous and sacrificial; are we good managers of God’s resources? Are we wise or foolish? Are we investing in the kingdom of God or our kingdom?
- Get to work.
If we have not been a faithful servant in the past, we can start doing it now. Don’t despair about your history; live with determination for your future, resolve to be led by God’s Spirit, and be determined to live in faithfulness.
The irony of this parable is the man with the smallest amount of responsibility was the one who was declared wicked and lazy. The measure is not how much God has given us but what we do with it. In other words, there are no excuses.
Wherever we are in life, and whatever we are given, we have no excuse to not grow our talents. We are called to be responsible for our large or small opportunities.
Let us pray:
Dear God, we thank You for the gifts You‘ve given each of us. We pray that we will be faithful in using these gifts. Help us to play our part to the best of our ability. Grant that we will so live today that when we stand before you face to face, we will hear your welcoming words,
‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Amen.
Delivered at Street Church, Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH; 19 November 2023
deni doulos 