We were studying the parable of the talents last time, so let’s pick up there.
Two of the servants used their talents and were not only successful, they were rewarded for their work. So, why did the third guy bury his talent in the ground? He was afraid of his master. He thought he “was a hard man”1 who took from other people’s hard labor—basically a “wicked and slothful”2 man. But he was wrong about that. His perception of his master was totally different than the other two servants.
And that, my friends, explains many people’s theology: they believe that God is either lazy or wicked because he does not use his mighty power to prevent evil. They conclude they do not want to serve that kind of God. It is ironic, incidently, that the servant basically called his master “wicked and slothful” and then the master calls the servant “wicked and slothful.”
Many people are afraid of God but this fear arises from their own inability to be good, which is what they think God requires: goodness. But Jesus took care of all that. God is full of love. God is full of mercy. God only wants the best for us. The only thing God asks from us is our trust. When we learn that God is trustworthy, we will grow into faithful servants. If we do not trust God, we will forever be afraid of what he might do; we will not be free to use the talents he gives us. We will not be successful in the ways God has planned for us and we will blame God for our failures. Just like the third servant.
Many people are angry at God. The third servant only received one talent. His actions reveal how he really felt about that. He was so mad that he decided he didn’t even want the talent. It could be perceived as a childish response. He didn’t get as much as the others, so he threw his talent away. But why didn’t he get as much as the others? The answer is clear: the talents were given “each according to his ability.”3 The third servant had already proven that he could not be faithful with any more than one talent. Had he been faithful with more, he would have been given more, which is why Jesus said, “to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.”4
So, what is our takeaway? The more we have been given, the more responsible we are for it. The more responsible we are with it, the more we will be given. God is just. God is faithful. He requires that we be the same. And one more thing. Although the master’s words to the third servant are alarming, we must not overlook or downplay his words to the two faithful servants: “Enter into the joy of your master.”5
When we please God, he is pleased. But also, when we please God, we are pleased. We receive his joy; we become joyful with him. This kind of joy is the greatest kind. This kind of joy comes from the deepest place in our soul. It is where we discover what we were created for. Look at Ephesians 3. When we are faithful to God with the talents he has given us, we will begin to “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” and be “filled with all the fullness of God.”6 And then we will find that he “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”7 His power at work within us is in direct relationship to the talent we have been given, which is in direct relationship to our proven ability. When we are faithful, God is faithful. The more we have been given, the more responsible we are for it. The more responsible we are with it, the more we will be given.
1Matthew 25:24 2Matthew 25:26 3Matthew 25:15 4Matthew 25:29 5Matthew 25:21, 13 6Ephesians 3:19 7Ephesians 3:20