Matthew 25b:

Reading #423  The talents

Having established the “condition” of the church in the last days (wise and foolish), Jesus then went on with another parable, in which He described the “works” of that church.  He repeated the warning, “Watch therefore; for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes”, and then He showed what it means to “watch” for His coming. 

The time is to be spent, not in idle waiting, but in diligent working. 

We must not think that by our works we can EARN salvation, but we must know that by our works we SHOW our salvation.  Works BEFORE justification are natural works, while works AFTER salvation are Christian works.  In this parable Jesus makes plain that Christian works are vital.

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Matthew 25:

14 For the kingdom of heaven [the church on earth portion of it] is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered to them his goods.

15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several [individual] ability; and straightway took his journey. 

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.  17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

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The man travelling into a far country represents Christ, who, when speaking this parable, was soon to depart from this earth.  The “servants” of the parable, represent the followers of Christ.  We are not our own.  We have been “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), not “with corruptible things, as silver and gold .  .  .  but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18, 19); “that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to Him which died for them, and rose again”.  (2 Corinthians 5:15).

As we saw last week, all men and women have been bought with this infinite price, the universal grace of God.  By pouring the whole treasury of heaven into this world, by giving us in His Son all the powers of heaven, God has purchased the will, the affections, the mind, the heart, of every human being.  Whether believers or unbelievers, whether they accept it or not, all are the LORD's property.  All are called to do service for Him, and for the manner in which they have met this claim, all will be required to render an account at the great Judgment Day.  However, as we shall see next week, there will be a different result for the believers than the unbelievers, because the claims of God are not recognised by all. 

In this story, it is those who have publicly accepted Christ’s service who are “His OWN servants”.  Each has his or her “work”, each has his or her place in the eternal plan of heaven.

Before He left His disciples, Christ “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive you the Holy Ghost’” as a picture for all of us.  John 20:22.  The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit. “To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will”.  1 Corinthians 12:8-11. 

All do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised.

To every one God has given “according to his several [individual] ability”.  The talents (abilities) are not apportioned capriciously.  He or she who has ability to use five talents receives five.  He who can improve but two, receives two.  He who can wisely use only one, receives one.  None need be upset that they have not received larger gifts; for He who has allocated the quantity to every follower is equally honoured by the improvement of each trust, whether it be great or small.  The question that most concerns us is not, “How much have I received?” but, “What am I doing with that which I have?” 

God loves those who are determined to aim high.

There is a story in the Old Testament which illustrates this.

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2 Kings 13:

14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. 

And Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof [are in trouble]”.

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take bow and arrows”.  And he took to him bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand upon the bow”.  And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands [showing him God’s support].

17 And he said, “Open the window eastward”.  And he opened it.  Then Elisha said, “Shoot”. And he shot [one arrow out of the window].  And he said, “The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek, till you have consumed them”. [Thus he was given the promise of complete victory.]

18 And he said, “Take the [other] arrows”. And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Smite upon the ground [with them]”.  And he smote three times, and stayed [stopped]. 19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, “You should have smitten five or six times [you should have been more enthusiastic]; then had you smitten Syria till you had consumed it: whereas now you shall smite Syria but three times” [He would not conquer them in his lifetime.].

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Enthusiasm is what the Son of God wants us to have. 

It is written of the book of history, “And I saw when the LAMB opened one of the seals [the first], and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder [a very loud proclamation], one of the four beasts [living creatures] saying, ‘Come and see’. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer”.  Revelation 6:1-2.  Did you notice that in this picture of the church going forth with the gospel there are no arrows?  He wants us to be enthusiastic, but not forceful – the gospel is a message of peace and love, not coercion.

God expects more from us than the giving of a message.  He wants us to live out that message and form a character after His likeness, for the gospel is the “power of God unto salvation”, and “therein is the righteousness of God revealed from [saving] faith to [living] faith: as it is written, ‘The just [the acceptors] shall LIVE by faith’.”  Romans 1:16-17.

From my library:

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Let no one say, “I cannot remedy my defects of character”.  If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life.  The impossibility lies in your own will.  If you will not, then you can not overcome.  The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.  Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little.

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That’s why he who had received five talents and doubled them was given the one talent of the fearful servant.

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Matthew 25:

18 But he that had received one went and dug in the earth, and hid his LORD's money. 

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He that received a small amount showed what he would have done with a greater, no matter what he professed.  His misuse of the talent showed that he despised what God had given him.  Jesus said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much”, and “he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much”.  Luke 16:10.

What we need to realise is that this principle of unfaithfulness will react on ourselves.  If we behave that way, we will fail of obtaining the grace, the power, the character, which may be received though an unreserved surrender to God.  We will show that we are living apart from Christ, even while professing to be His follower.  The defects cherished in life’s minor situations will pass on to more important affairs.  We will act on the principles to which we are accustomed.  Repeated actions form habits, habits form character, and character determines our destiny.  It was Daniel’s actions from the moment of asking for a different diet, to continuing to pray with his windows open, that fitted him for the position of being our earthly guide through his book.

Unfortunately, many professed Christians are waiting for some great work to be given to them, not realising that we already have our jobs.  Because these may seem uninteresting, many fail to perform the common duties of life and while waiting for the greater work, their lives pass away, unfulfilled.

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Matthew 25:

19 After a long time the LORD of those servants comes, and reckoned with them.  20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, “LORD, you delivered to me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more”.  21 His LORD said to him, “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your LORD”.

22 He also that had received two talents came and said, “LORD, you delivered to me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them”. 

23 His LORD said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your LORD”. 

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These faithful workers claim no merit for themselves.  They have merely used what was given – in their minds they have only done their duty. 

But when the Master rewards them He treats them as if they had done it all on their own.  He is filled with delight as He praises them; “Enter you into My joy” He says.  And they will as they see the real results that have come from their work – for they have helped in the training of many of the redeemed who will be with them in the kingdom.  As “the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister”, so have they.  Matthew 20:28. 

And, as He will continue His work in heaven and the new world, so will they, for the reward of working with Christ in this world is the greater ability and wider privilege of working with Him in the world to come, and indeed, in the universe.

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Matthew 25:

24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not strowed [scattered seed]: 25 and I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: lo, there you have that is yours”. 

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There are many who think of God as a hard master because He claims their possessions and service.  But all that we possess came from Him.  “All things come of You,” said king David; “and of Your own have we given You”. 

1 Chronicles 29:14.  All the blessings of life, and the life itself, come to us stamped with the sign of the Son of God’s death.  Therefore, the charge that God is a hard master, reaping where He has not sown, is false!

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Matthew 25:

26 His lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and slothful servant, you knew [thought] that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strowed [scattered seed]: 27 you ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers [in the bank], and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury [interest]. 

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The owner did not argue with his servant, but taking his own words, he showed that his conduct was still bad.  There is always SOMETHING we can do with what God has given us.

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Matthew 25:

28 “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him which has ten talents.  29 For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has. 

30 “And cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

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Here Christ warns that if we feel that the smallness of our ability excuses us from service, we are making a big mistake!  The sentence announced above is not arbitrary.  It is not merely the reward of the final judgment, but also a picture of the gradual retribution in this life.  Every power unused will gradually decay – “use it or lose it” as the saying goes.  Activity is the law of life, idleness is death.  The gifts of the Spirit are given “to every man to PROFIT withal”.  1 Corinthians 12:7.  If we refuse to use that which God has given us we are agreeing to a process that will surely dwarf and destroy us.  It is a natural process in this world, and is reflected in Christ’s words of the judgment.

What is described above is the result of a life of selfishness – a life centred on feeling – and those who live like that will not be able to enter heaven for they would not be able appreciate the atmosphere of love that pervades there.  To their minds the science of heaven would be a mystery, never to be fathomed.

From my library:

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Many who profess to be Christians neglect the claims of God, and yet they do not feel that in this there is any wrong.  They know that the blasphemer, the murderer, the adulterer, deserves punishment; but as for them, they enjoy the services of religion.  They love to hear the gospel preached, and therefore they think themselves Christians.  Though they have spent their lives in caring for themselves, they will be as much surprised as was the unfaithful servant in the parable to hear the sentence, “Take the talent from him”. 

Like the Jews, they mistake the enjoyment of their blessings for the use they should make of them. [They are fools.]

Many who excuse themselves from Christian effort plead their inability for the work.  But did God make them so incapable? No, never.  This inability has been produced by their own inactivity and perpetuated by their deliberate choice.  Already, in their own characters, they are realizing the result of the sentence, “Take the talent from him”.  The continual misuse of their talents will effectually quench for them the Holy Spirit, which is the only light. 

The sentence, “Cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness,” sets Heaven's seal to the choice which they themselves have made for eternity.

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Bye for now,

Ron

Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library.  No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly.  All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own.

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