Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
Matthew 25:14-15Matthew 25:14-15
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
A Story about Three Servants 14 . The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned. 15 The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.
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The master decided to leave his wealth under stewardship, and he divided it in proportion to their abilities. But we need to be careful how we read that. This is a parable, and not necessarily allegory. Certainly the parable tells us that God expects us to profitable, to be fruitful with what he has given us. The comment here certainly makes clear that the master made a choice, not just randomly giving out his wealth to his servants.
But here is where we must be careful in application to our own lives. What if we haven’t been blessed with a wide range of possessions, talents or experiences? Are we to read this parable to say that God expects us to fail, so he hasn’t risked much on us? Short answer: NO. And this is not just an imagined problem. Many Christians have given up serving thinking they have nothing to offer. They begin ministry and service from the standpoint of defeat. We must find in this parable God’s concern for our diligence in the Kingdom, without reading too much into it that wasn’t intended.
And what if we have been given lots of skills, a wealth of possessions, or a bunch of life experience from which to serve him? Should we read this parable to say that this is a sign that God is happy with us? That he expects us to succeed? Once again, no. There are many whom God has blessed, but who have shown themselves to be lazy or even wicked.
So what is the point? We are to be diligent, to make our master a return on his investment. We are to use whatever we have been given. This doesn’t require us to compare ourselves to one another. The first two servants, given 5 and 2 talents respectively, are both given the master’s commendation. The one receiving two talents could have said, “Why wasn’t I given 5 talents?” But the amount wasn’t the issue. Being productive was.
prayer
God, help us to faithfully serve you. We want to please you, to thank you for the opportunity to serve, to thank you for your show of faith in our ability to please you! Root sin out of our lives so that we can be filled with power to accomplish your will. Help us to work together in unity as a body. Live among us, Jesus, so the world sees you when they look at us.
We will love you with our whole being, God – heart, mind and soul. And we will serve you with all the strength you give us. Amen.
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