(Matthew 25:14-30)
If someone loaned you a million dollars and you had to pay it back in ten years, what would you do with it?
Read: Matthew 25:14-30
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.’
Summarize…
How are we to respond to the parable of the talents? Are we to live in fear that we are not serving God properly and are in danger of being “thrown into the darkness”? What if we don’t get results like the first two servants did? Does the parable teach us that God measures our faithfulness by how much we earn for him? Let’s find out…
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.
This was not a strange idea in the ancient world, where servants (slaves) were often given great responsibility. This was often the safest and smartest thing a man could do with his money.
Fun Fact: The sum each worker gets is enormous. In Jesus’ day, a talent was a very large unit of currency, equal to six thousand denarii. If a denarii was one day’s wage for a laborer, then one talent would be worth twenty years’ wages, and five talents would be worth thirty thousand denarii, or one hundred years’ wages!
In the application of this parable it is appropriate to see these talents as life resources – such as time, money, abilities, and authority.
To each according to his own ability: The servants were given different amounts of money according to their ability. One servant only received one talent, yet we should see that this was not an insignificant amount. Some received more; but everyone received something and everyone received a large amount.
What is God’s plan giving different amounts of talent?
Rom 12:6–8
6. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
7. if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
8. if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
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.
What is different in the first two explanations? “At once…” What do you think that means?
What is the same in the first two?
What did they do to grow the money?
(it does not say, but they doubled it, which to me means they had to take a substantial amount of risk)
They both:
· They did their work promptly.
· They did their work with perseverance.
· They did their work with success.
· They were ready to give an account to their master.
What good did the 3rd servant do?
What did he not do?
19. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
After long time. Do you think they doubted? What does it show of their character?
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!’
Notice that the responses to the first two servants are exactly the same, yet one was given 5 and one 2. What does this mean?
Well done, good and faithful servant!
What is missing from Gods response? Any reference to the amount of return. Does not say good and smart, good and profitable.
The master looked for goodness and faithfulness in His servants. Whatever financial success these servants enjoyed came because they were good and faithful. The master looked first for these character qualities, not for a specific amount of money.
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
This is a promise from God of things to come. What many things do you think you will be in charge of?
Come and share your master’s happiness!
This has the echo of heaven in it. The idea is that there is a place of joy belonging to the master of these servants, and they are invited to join the master in that place. There is a sense of heaven about this destiny for the two faithful servants.
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.’
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came
The master judged each of the servants individually. If they were taken as a group, they did very well: 8 talents given and 15 talents returned. Yet each one was judged on their individual faithfulness and effort.
“Remember, my hearer, that in the day of judgment thy account must be personal; God will not ask you what your church did – he will ask you what you did yourself.” (Spurgeon)
I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed
What is the servants excuse? Who does he blame?
Is it significant that he buried it?
Matthew 10:32-33
32. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
After the first two servants spoke and said “master, ..” What did they then say? What did the 3rd servant say?
…you entrusted me…
…I knew…
The 3rd servant was proud. He didn’t think, he knew.. He didn’t work, didn’t try, he may have hidden the fact that he was a “beliver,” but he did make excuses.
God responds:
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.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
These are strong words. Wicked I believe refers to his pride “I knew” Lazy is obvious.
It does show us what God thinks of wasting the gifts he gave us though…
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.
What does God do here to the the servants excuse?
He turns the servants own words back on him. Shows that even in his excuse, there is no logic. “Ex … if that is really what you thought then…
Maybe he did not have the skill or work ethic to generate on his own, but he could have at least added to the masters own work.
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.
So if you don’t use your gifts from God, what will he do? Is this scary for anyone?
30. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
What does weeping and gnashing of teeth refer to?
Psalm 37:12
Psalm 35:16
Psalm 112:10
Lamentations 2:16
Matthew 8:12
Matthew 13:42
Matthew 13:50
Matthew 22:13
Matthew 24:51
Matthew 25:30
Luke 13:28
…I did that on purpose to really emphasize this phrase as one you want to and should want others to avoid…
Just as there was a sense of heaven in the destiny for the two faithful servants, there is a strong sense of hell in the destiny for the wicked and lazy servant.
Some think that readiness for Jesus’ return is a very spiritual and abstract thing. It really isn’t – it is a matter of being about our business for the Lord. In light of this parable, we must ask ourselves: What have we done with our knowledge? Our time? Our money? Our abilities? The sins of omission [what we don’t do] may ultimately be more dangerous than the sins of commission [what we do].
God has not given each of us the same things, but he has given us the same charge.
There is a famous story associated with Christopher Wren, the great architect who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral. As he walked unrecognized among the men working on the building, he asked one man, “What are you doing?” to which the man replied, “I am cutting a piece of stone.” He asked the same of the second man, and he replied, “I am earning five shillings twopence a day.” When he offered the question to the third man, he answered, “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build a beautiful cathedral.”19 He knew he was participating in something magnificent, and Christ invites us to participate in the larger kingdom work that he is doing.
The parables demonstrate that we have responsibilities. When we think about salvation, we often think about going to heaven after we die. But the Gospels make clear that what we do during our lifetime also matters—a lot. How should we think about this? What is our role now, and how does it relate to what awaits us in the future?
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
1.God gives believers gifts and resources, but each is given a different share.
2.God calls his children to faithful stewardship of what he has given them.
3.God desires faithfulness more than “success.”
4.God rewards good and faithful stewardship.
5.God does not like arrogance, laziness, and excuses.
Big question: What does this story mean to you? Which servant are you?
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Extra QUESTIONS
1.In what ways are you like the first two servants? Why?
2.In what ways are you like the third servant? Why?
3.When you first read the parable, what is your reaction to the master and the way he treats the third servant? Why do you think you react in this way, and what does your reaction reveal about how you think about God and the Christian life?
4.In what ways do you believe that God is good, like the first two servants seem to do?
5.In what ways do you think that God is hard, like the third servant?
6.Do you prioritize faithfulness or success? While the actions externally may not look different, the internal mind-set of faithfulness or success matters to God, and we can ask the Holy Spirit to reorient our perspective.
7.In what ways do you compare yourself with others? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you value the way God has made you and the gifts he has given you?
1 Cor 12:7–11
7. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9. to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10. to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
1 Cor 28:27–30
27. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
28. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
29. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
30. Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues ? Do all interpret?
Ephesians 4:11-12
11. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12. to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Barnewall, Michelle Lee. Surprised by the Parables: Growing in Grace through the Stories of Jesus (pp. 82-83). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.
White, John. Parables (LifeGuide Bible Studies) (p. 34). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.