Read Matthew 25:14-30
Consider
the words: You wicked, lazy servant! Now those are some words I don’t
want to hear.
We
don’t always understand this part in our modern mindset. Hey, the guy
just didn’t do well. Why accost him and call him names—mean names at
that?
Was he
really wicked? Lazy, that’s easier to swallow, but wicked, really?
To understand
the parable, we should understand the Proverbs. In macro view, they say
there is God’s way and there is everything else. What are the terms for
everything else?
Wicked.
Sinful.
Slothful.
Lazy.
Foolish.
It’s a
dichotomy: Righteous or wicked. There is no middle ground.
There is no fence-sitting. It’s God’s way or everything else and
everything else is labeled wicked.
We in
this over-sensitized time don’t do well with distinct dichotomies, but there is
good and evil. There is right and
wrong. There is righteous and wicked.
We are
usually in tune with what’s happening in the parable up to this point, but now
the master says, “Take the money away from this servant and give it to the one
who has the ten talents.”
Ouch!
Isn’t that being a little harsh?
Let’s
remember that the money was a trust. It really never belonged to the
servants. Remember the joy of the first two servants. ‘Master,’ he
said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
See
what I gained for you. Here is what I did for you! My joy is in
pleasing you! I love being your servant and bringing you this good
report.
The
third servant knew that the money belonged to his master, but he never moved
beyond fear to realize that he was also a trusted servant.
He
only had one talent. How can he be considered a trusted servant?
One
talent equaled the daily wage for a worker for 20 years. That’s big-time
money even when you are only trusted with one talent. Today, what does
the typical worker make? If it’s on the low end, maybe $25,000 per
year. On the high end, perhaps $50,000 per year. I’m not talking about supervisors and executives or oilfield wages, but workers.
So,
one talent in today’s equivalent is between half a million and a million
dollars. That’s no chump change.
Other
estimates put a talent at $100,000 to half a million, but still: That’s no
chump change.
OK, so
we get this is a big trust even for the third servant, but why take what little
he has?
Think
to Proverbs 13:22.
A good
person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s
wealth is stored up for the righteous.
You
may have heard the second part of that as the wealth of the wicked is laid up
for the just or the righteous.
What
else could the master do if he subscribed to biblical wisdom? The
wicked and lazy don’t get to keep what they have if they have anything at all.
This
morning I want us to look at the wealth of the wicked being stored up for the
righteous in the context of this parable.
The
first servant had done very well. We know this from the beginning of the
parable. He was trusted with more than the other two. He produced
more than the other two. He put what the Master gave him and put it to
work right away and produced a great return.
Today,
it would take 10 years to double your money if you invested in something with a
7% interest or return. The master was gone a long time, but I doubt it
was 10 years, so this first servant surely made some aggressive investments
that required much attention.
He had
to be diligent. He had to be wise. He had to be decisive but not
impulsive. His master trusted him in accordance with his ability.
He produced a fantastic return.
“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!’
The
second servant did likewise and received the same commendation from his master,
but at the close of this parable, we see the first servant rewarded beyond all
others.
So
take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. For
to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough.
The
wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous.
This
first servant took the money with which his master had trusted him and produced
a good return. He knew what he started with and what he produced.
But when the full accounting of these servants was finished, this first servant
was given more.
The
talent first trusted to the third servant was put in the first servant’s
trust. He was given more. He had more and was given more. He
had more than enough.
Now
both the first and second servant were also invited to share their master’s
happiness. They got a promotion and they were invited to be a part of
their master’s happiness.
But
the first servant got something extra. So, the moral of the story is it
pays to be number one! That’s the ticket! It’s dog-eat-dog even in
the parables of Jesus.
Or
not.
All of
the money still belonged to the master. Even the 11th talent
received by the first servant still belonged to the master. It’s not
about how much you have. It’s about what you do with it.
The
first servant was now trusted with even more.
In
this parable, it has to do with money. Money is something that we get—we
can wrap our minds around it easily. It’s not conceptual or
reflective. We can count and measure money.
Well,
I used to be able to count and measure.
Now I just count out. I have
grandkids.
But we
are trusted with so much more than money. We lead and we serve. We
parent and look after parents. We proclaim the good news and we are a
light unto the world.
We are
generous. We are people of truth. We are people of love and mercy.
We are
disciples. God has trusted us with following Jesus, taking the gospel to
the world, and doing our best to live the right standing with God that we have
received as a gift.
We can
look at this parable and if we are not careful, we might think it’s about what
we do that puts us in right standing with God, but it has nothing to do with
what we have done.
God
alone made us right with him. He did all that was required. We
are receivers of his blessings.
Look
at the religions of the world. They require their followers to do good, or
follow certain rules, or a combination of both to get to heaven, or get to a
state of Nirvana or reach a plane of consciousness or become nonexistent.
Everyone
else is working their way to heaven. Heaven has been given to us freely
in the blood of Jesus. We are receivers of this gift.
The
world that believes in something else but thinks it can earn its way to
heaven spends time doing things that get them there or so they believe.
We
spend our time receiving what has been so freely given. We want to
receive more and more of the Kingdom of Heaven into our lives now. Yes,
there is more in store, but we are to receive God’s kingdom now.
Every
time that we receive God’s kingdom and live in his kingdom, he gives us more of
his kingdom. God wants to add to what we have already received and put to
work and refined and produced.
God
wants to add to what we have.
When
we receive the gift of salvation and decide to follow Jesus and put
his words into practice, we should expect not only to please God but to be
further blessed by him.
Sometimes
this is with money.
Sometimes
it is with Spiritual Gifts.
Sometimes
it is with opportunities.
Sometimes
it is with peace that is more than we can understand.
Sometimes
it is wisdom that God grants generously.
Sometimes
it is eyes to see and ears to hear in the midst of a chaotic world.
God
wants us to live an abundant life.
Some
might be thinking that he is going to preach name it, claim it.
No, I am preaching about the abundant
generosity of God. God is looking for a reason to bless us. God
wants to give us good gifts, fantastic blessings, and this thing called
abundant life.
I am
talking about the abundant nature of
our Master as he blesses those who follow him!
If
God is for us, who can be against us? Make no mistake that God is for
us. He has opened his kingdom to us. He has saved us from wrath and
punishment in the blood of Jesus and he is looking to bless us beyond what we
might expect.
God
wants to add to what we have for we are his trusted servants, his children, and
his friends.
When
we live every day God’s way, we should expect God’s blessings to continue even
in our trials and tribulations. We will have trouble in this world but
take heart—take courage—Christ Jesus has overcome the world
for us.
For
those who consistently reject God’s way, even what they have will be taken and
given to those living in right standing with God. Are we talking about
salvation here? I don’t think so. All three were trusted
servants.
This
parable deals with three trusted servants some random guys just off the street.
What
about the wicked and lazy part? I think we are talking about someone
getting through this life as one escaping a burning house with
only the scorched clothes on his back and having missed a few payments on his
fire insurance.
Are we
talking about rewards for the righteous? Yes, to an extent. But we
are also talking about awards. Rewards come in return for what is
done. Something awarded is an honor bestowed upon someone beyond the
customary reward. Awards consider what has been accomplished but is more
about bestowing a greater blessing upon someone who is already enjoying the
rewards of doing things right.
What
do we take home here?
God
made you right with him by the blood of Jesus. That’s the biggest gift
and blessing ever.
God
wants you to do things his way and rewards those who do.
God
wants to give over and beyond what might be expected.
God
wants to give you more.
We
often look at what we are to do when we examine this parable. That’s
good. We should—we should be faithful in a few things. We should
take what our Master gave us and be faithful to put it to work to produce a
good return for the body of Christ and bring glory to God’s name.
This
morning, however, I want us to focus on the generosity of God. God wants
to give you more.
It’s
not like I want to earn God’s favor. God
has poured out his favor upon you!!!
The
sun shines and the rains fall on the wicked as well as the righteous, but there
are some things that God gives only to those seeking him and his
righteousness. God wants to give you more.
The
question is, “Will we receive it?”
The
Kingdom of Heaven has been opened to us. We may live in this kingdom
now. We are not on our way there. God’s kingdom has come to us.
God
wants to give us more. The wealth of the wicked is stored up for the
righteous. The wicked don’t want to live in God’s kingdom.
They want the benefits but are afraid to give up what they have in the world
thinking it to be better than what God has in store for us.
There
is nothing better than what God has in
store for us!
I
believe that we want to receive this kingdom now, but we must first stop
believing the lies of the enemy, of the world, and of our own selfish
nature. God’s way is better than the way of the world.
The
world has a great advertising campaign going but God gives us truth. And
the truth is that God loves you. He has called us to love one
another. He wants to bless us more and more. He wants us living in
his kingdom now where he is our only Master. You cannot
serve two masters.
You
may look around at those in the world getting away with all sorts of scandalous
things and wonder, will God let them get away with it, or how much longer will
the wicked live the rich life?
Don’t
worry. What the wicked have, they don’t get to keep. In fact, they
are only holding it until it is given to us. The wealth of the wicked is
stored up for the righteous.
Take
the talent from him and give it to the one with ten talents.
Take
the trust given to the wicked and entrust it to the righteous.
God
wants to give you more than he has already. Be ready to receive it.
Amen.
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