Please bear with me as I explain this hypothetical situation. The owner of a major corporation decides to go overseas for about a year to open a new branch office. During his absence, he decides to put “Jay” in charge of day to day operations. The owner gives Jay very specific instructions…entrusting him to carry out all of his directions. After all, he is the owner of the company! The owner returns earlier than expected and finds:
The business grounds have not been cared for at all since his departure
The reception area was a mess and the secretary was watching TV, eating ice cream, and doesn’t even acknowledge the owner’s presence
He walks down the hall and finds a large group of employees cheering on two men playing the Madden 2025 football video game
The office has trash everywhere and a certain smell is permeating the air
He finally makes his way to Jay’s office and asks what in the world is going on?!
Jay says -- we meet every week to discuss the instructions you left. Some of us have memorized entire sections of the instructions. Most of us commit to reading a portion of them every week…and when we get together we even share our favorite parts. “We have invested a lot of time to your instructions!”
What good does it do to read the cookbook and never cook? What good does it do to memorize the Driver’s Ed manual but never obey it? What good does it do to study the very words of almighty God (the owner of all we possess) – and yet we don’t truly follow them? (Illustration Source: Bob Deffinbaugh - a pastor, Bible teacher, and published author)
We need to look at our investments of time, talent, and treasure the way the owner wants them handled.
PARALLEL PASSAGES? There seems to be a parallel passage to Matthew 25:14-30 found in Luke 19:11-27. Even though there are some similarities…there are some key differences as well.
Differences:
o The Parable in Luke is told when Jesus was near Jerusalem, but before His triumphal entry.
o The Parable in Matthew is told when Jesus was already in Jerusalem for a few days.
o In Luke there are ten servants, but in Matthew there are only three servants.
o In Luke, the master who went away gives each servant the same amount of money, one mina. This was about 3 months’ worth of wages in Jerusalem at the time. One mina would be about $12,000 in the USA today, figuring $15/hour times 8 hours equaling $120. Three months would be about 100 workdays and 100 times $120 equals $12,000. In Matthew, talents are given to the three servants according to their ability.
The talent of silver was a weight of about 75 lbs. If the master was gone for 6,000 days (Matt. 25:19 says he returned after a “long time”), then each talent would have been worth roughly $720,000. The formula for this figure is 1 talent is equal to 75 pounds of silver or 6,000 denarii. 1 denarius is equal to 1 day’s wage (Matthew 20:2). So, we can multiple today’s average daily wage ($15/hr.) by 6,000 to discover today’s approximate value.
So, we really ought not draw applications or interpretative values across from Luke 19 for the Matthew 25 passage. While some will attempt to treat these passages as parallel passages of the same event, it is more likely they are similar events that Christ used the same framework at different times.
Acquisitions (25:14-15)
The Lord begins to teach what is referred to today as the parable of the talents. The account begins by revealing the boss was going away and decides to entrust to his servants money for investment. The first servant got 5 talents, the second servant got 2 talents, and the third servant got 1 talent. Matthew 25:15 tells us the servants received specific amounts according to their personal abilities. Essentially, the servants received the opportunity to invest what their boss had entrusted to them.
When wife and I were first married, we lived in a fully furnished apartment near the university while I did the final semester of my master’s degree. To say this place was small is an understatement, but the $170 a month rent was extremely attractive to us! We had 6.5-foot ceilings (so you had to duck your head when walking under the living room ceiling fan!). After a little while, we had saved up to make our first purchase as a married couple…a 5-shelf bookshelf with a dark cherry stain. It was easy to think “yes! It’s all ours…this belongs to us!”
For the Christian, that is not the view the Bible gives us. The only thing I own is my sin. Everything else comes from God! Think of the many gifts God gives us!
Mechanically inclined
Music (Col. 3:16)
Administration (I Cor. 12)
Hospitality (I Tim. 3:2)
Helps (I Cor. 12)
Teaching (Romans 12)
Service (Romans 12)
Breath (Gen. 1-2)
Psalm 103:2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Consider what you have been given from God! Be honest with yourself. A dirty rotten sinner who was shaking his fists at the all-powerful God…has also been blessed by God! Take your eyes off of what others have and that you wish you had yourself…and purposely sharpen your focus on ALL you have in Christ!! A helpful exercise in hard times is to literally sit down with pen and paper and make an actual list of God’s blessings on your life.
Investments (25:16-18)
The first two servants were able to double what their boss entrusted to them; however, the third servant chose to bury and hide what the boss gave him.
God has given us all such talents for a purpose (I Cor. 10:31). The church needs to invest in things that count for eternity! Most importantly, we must invest where the owner (God) has instructed us to invest…and that is where the biggest returns are found!!
9 Places God Calls His Church to Invest In:
1. Ex. 20 & Heb. 10 – Worshiping (time, talent, treasure)
2. Ex. 20 & Eph. 6 – Obeying your parents (time)
3. Mal. 3:8-10 – Tithing (time, talent, treasure)
4. Eph. 4:29 – Building up (time, talent, treasure)
5. Eph. 4:32 –Forgiving spirit (time)
6. Eph. 5 – Purity: immorality not named (time, talent, treasure)
7. Matt. 22:37-40 – Loving God (time, talent, treasure)
8. Matt. 22:37-40 – Loving others (time, talent, treasure)
9. Mark 16:15 – Gospel Living: Declare the saving grace of Jesus! (time, talent, treasure)
Reckoning (25:19-30)
The master or boss returns for the servants to give an account of what they did with what he had entrusted to them. The first and second servants speak of their wise investments and are rewarded. These first two servants hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (25:21, 23) Unfortunately, the third servant speaks of no investments made and only has excuses.
Excuse #1- Master, you are hard! The Greek word for “hard” means harsh, strict, severe, demanding (25:24). This is the servant’s perspective. It is not a statement about God’s character. The servant is making an excuse for his lack of faithfulness by saying his master expects too much. The servant’s incorrect view of the master led to personal laziness and lack of action. It is vital the church has a correct view of God!
Excuse #2- Master, I am afraid of you (25:25)! This is not a reference to the “fear of the Lord,” but rather to a self-protective fear that stirs a person to avoid responsibility.
A very nervous airline passenger began pacing the terminal when bad weather delayed his flight. During his walk, he came across a life insurance machine. It offered $100,000 in the event of an untimely death aboard his flight. The policy was just three dollars.
He looked out the window at the threatening clouds and thought of his family at home. For that price it was foolish not to buy, so he took out the coverage. He then looked for a place to eat. Airports now carry a good variety of eateries so he settled on his favorite, Chinese.
It was a relaxing meal until he opened his fortune cookie. It read, “Your recent investment will pay big dividends.” (Source: Unknown)
We have all played the excuses game in our minds and with God! The excuses we use are often similar to the ones used in Matthew 25.
1. I am afraid of failing…so I won’t even try
2. God expects too much
3. I would do more if I had more money…but God is calling the church to be found faithful with the money has given you.
4. That’s not the way we have done it before, so I don’t want to do it.
5. That’s not my job. God calls the whole church to serve, not just the staff or a smaller percentage of the church family.
6. I am too busy with other things, so serving God takes a back seat.
7. I have served my time. This creates the mindset of spiritual retirement, but that is not found in scripture.
Are you making such wise investments with your time, talents, and treasures that you are ready to be accountable to the Lord?