Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30 (Sermon)

INTRODUCTION

Thank you, worship team. As we focus on the Bible this morning, let’s discuss Etymology. Edamame? I am not talking about the Japanese soybean dish. Etymology is the study of word origin. I bring this up because our text mentions the multiplication of “Talents.” The word “talent” is derived from Matthew chapter 25. According to Merriam-Webster, “talent” came “from Old English talente, from Latin talenta… from Greek talanton.” The Bible uses it as a measure of money. The first known use of “talent” in English was in the 12th century, when Wycliffe translated the Bible into English. By the mid-15th century, it meant a gift committed to one for use and improvement. In the 16th century, the word “talent” began to carry our current meaning. Many of our words are loan words like this. I bring this up because if we assume our contemporary understanding of “talent,” we might miss out on the broader purpose of the passage and think it is only about our skills.

TEXT

Let’s dive into Matthew chapter 25, starting at verse 14. I am going to have J. M./.. read for us. We are continuing our series in Matthew, working verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Please stand with me in honor of God’s word if you are able.

For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, “Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, “Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:14–30, ESV)

PRAYER

Thank you. Will you pray with me? Dear God, we need you. I need you. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to you. You are our rock and redeemer, amen. You may be seated.

CONTEXT

Jesus was giving his last message in the book of Matthew. It was the week of Passover, a holy week in the Jewish calendar. Jesus was on the Mount of Olives teaching his disciples two days before his death. The disciples asked him three questions: when would the temple be destroyed, when would he return, and when would the end come? Jesus let them know the temple would fall in their lifetime and persecution, natural disaster, and false teachers would arise. As far as his return, neither he nor the angels knew when that would be. Jesus couldn’t answer their question with a definitive day or hour. They had to be ready, no matter what. Jesus then gave three examples to drive home his answer.

SLAVES AND LORD

The first involved two slaves, one faithful and the other wicked. The owner came back after being away and caught one doing the work he or she was supposed to do and the other he caught beating his subordinates and partying. The lord of the house rewarded the one and punished the other.

TEN YOUNG WOMEN

The next illustration was of ten young women getting ready for a wedding. Half wisely prepared to wait for the groom, and the other half foolishly didn’t. The groom came and took the prepared ladies with him. They enjoyed the wedding feast while those who weren’t ready didn’t get in.

STRUCTURE

Now, we come to Jesus’s final parable. The passage begins with familiar characters and plot. A wealthy man going on a long journey and his servants. Some were wise; some were not. When the owner returned, he offered rewards and punishment. Here is the structure:

14 – 15 Leaving and Entrusting

16 – 18 Investing

19 Returning

20 – 28 Accounting

29 – 30 Summarizing

As we wait for Jesus’s return, the main idea for us to take away is:

Multiply your gifts for God’s commendation, not bury them and face condemnation

Let me say that again:

Multiply your gifts for God’s commendation, not bury them and face condemnation

LEAVING & ENTRUSTING

Let’s look closer. If you have a Bible, turn to Matthew chapter 25, starting at verse 14. The words will be on the screen(s) behind me.

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property” (Matthew 25:14, ESV).

What is “It” in verse 14? Jesus is talking about the return of the Son of Man. He is talking about himself. The Lucan parallel shows the disciples thought he would return immediately. The reality was that Jesus would return to Jerusalem with the disciples in the next few days, but that was not the return he was talking about. He would die. They would mourn. Three days later, he returned to Jerusalem and visited them in the upper room. But that was not the return either. After 40 days, he would ascend to heaven, and they would witness it. His return from heaven was what they were waiting for. And they would die waiting. Mathew’s first readers would die waiting. And two thousand years later, we are still waiting. We must remember the point Jesus was making. As we wait:

Multiply your gifts for God’s commendation, not bury them and face condemnation.

Go to verse 15 to see what he entrusted them with.

VERSE 15

“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away” (Matthew 25:15, ESV).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

What happened after leaving and entrusting?

Leaving and Entrusting

Investing

We come to a time of investment. Look at verses 16 through 18:

He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. (Matthew 25:16–18, ESV)

Two slaves doubled the money. They made a 100% return. That is unbelievable. I have never done that. What about the third? He hid his portion. That is what we see in verses 16 through 18.

VERSE 19

After investing came the master’s return.

Leaving and Entrusting

Investing

Returning

Then the master came back. Look at verse 19.

“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (Matthew 25:19, ESV).

The Lord returned. What would happen? This is the tension in the story. You would think that those who multiplied the wealth would find a reward, and those who didn’t wouldn’t. That happened, but not exactly how we might expect.

20 THROUGH 23

From the 20th through the 23rd, we see the master’s accounting.

Leaving and Entrusting

Investing

Returning

Accounting

Jump to verse 20.

And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, “Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, “Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:20–23, ESV)

Notice several things. The first two servants had the

SAME COMMENDATION

SAME COMMISSION

SAME CELEBRATION

SAME COMMENDATION - They got the same proportional commendation. The master called them both “Good” and “Faithful”. We have seen the word faithful before, haven’t we? That was the word in the first story of the servant whose job was to cook. The master was delayed in coming back from his long journey. When he returned and caught the cook caring for his household, the servant did his job. He or She was faithful. So, the master commended him or her.

REFLECTION

At the end of your life, wouldn’t that be nice? I think we all know some saints, and God will also say that to them. I picture the saintly grandmother and sage grandfather finishing the race of life and the Lord speaking to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We walk among saints. But can you see God saying that to you? I think there are times when our sin can cloud our ability to receive encouragement. Many of us don’t view ourselves on that level. That could be humility. But that could be a misunderstanding of God and ourselves. His grace is available for us because we are not good enough. The gospel’s good news is that he was good enough when we weren’t. He had to die to forgive us our sins. Our job is to turn over a new leaf and turn to Jesus regularly. We need to reject selfishness and pride and live for him. He is worthy. And the crazy thing is, in humility, brokenness, and dependency on him, he pronounces over us the same commendation, “Well done, faithful servant.”

SAME COMMISSION - Secondly, we see they enjoyed the same commission. They weren’t set free from service. They continued their relationship with their master and worked. They enjoyed greater responsibilities. The reality is God calls us to work, too, each according to one’s ability. Even in the Garden of Eden, at the beginning of time, God made humans to work. Work is good, not a curse. These servants have a common commission.

SAME CELEBRATION - Finally, they have the same celebration. He invited them to enter into the joy of their master. The word for master is lord, and Jesus is the Lord. Can you envision him sharing his joy with you? We know our failures, and that can make Jesus’s celebration difficult. God invites us into his joy, not because of how well we did in school, being nice to our brother, paying our taxes, or giving a little extra at checkout. He delights in his children. Jesus wants us to cling to him and the Father. Grab hold of him like a toddler in a pool hugging his dad or mom. We are to fall in love with Jesus because he is madly in love with his children.

Zephaniah 3:17 says,

The LORD your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV)

What would it look like to have God, the King of the Universe, Creator, and sustainer of everything, invite you to be with him? Imagine he wants to go on a road trip and vacation with you. He wants to hear all about your day and dreams. He wants to share with you what he loves. He also rejoices with gladness and exults over you with loud singing. He is happier than a parent at a ballgame when the kid hits the winning run. Why? Because the beatitude disciple is humble, broken, and open to listening to and obeying Jesus and receiving the grace he offers. How can we multiply our talents? What are our talents? If our talents are our circumstances, privileges, power, and opportunity, as well as our skills, finances, and material goods, what might that be like to multiply them for God?

STORY

We might think we don’t have much. We may feel like we have little, as Jesus says in his illustration. Let me give you a radical example from someone who had several challenges. She was,

1. Single
2. Female
3. Young
4. Had a nerve disorder
5. And she was not wealthy

She came from a family of nine. The family started a church. Her dad died when she was eighteen. Two years later, she began an outreach to young women working in a factory for the church. The group grew to several hundred. A year later, she met a man named Hudson Taylor. He was a missionary who founded the organization called China Inland Mission. She applied to go to China with his organization. They rejected her because of her health. That disappointment didn’t deter her from exploring what using her resources for Jesus meant. She went to Japan but had to return home because of her poor health. Then she left a third time for Sri Lanka, and that didn’t work. You would think three strikes, and you’re out. She persevered. She went to India, and God allowed her health to be good enough for her to stay. In 1901, she founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, rescuing girls and boys from temple prostitution. She adopted them into her orphanage and shared the love of Jesus with them. Many came to Christ. She wrote thirty-five devotionals. She stuck around as a single woman learning the culture, sharing Jesus, and saving kids from sex trafficking. Fifty years later, in 1951, Amy Charmichael passed away at 83. She didn’t want people to idolize her, so she gave instructions to bury her in an unmarked grave after she passed. She finished well. My favorite prayer of hers has stuck in my mind and captures a heart that is fixed on serving Jesus:

Give me the Love that leads the way
The Faith that nothing can dismay
The Hope no disappointments tire
The Passion that’ll burn like fire
Let me not sink to be a clod
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God

― Amy Carmichael

She was an example of a wise and faithful servant. However, she was not the only or last one. Look around you right now. In this room, there are saints who are filled with the Spirit of Jesus. They use God’s grace to serve, give, encourage, be kind and self-controlled, patient, faithful, and loving. Let me encourage you to get to know each other. Come early to church. Stay late. Hang out. Get to know these saints. Hear each other’s story. Be like on a treasure hunt looking for God. He is in our midst, in his children.

VERSE 24 & 25

Jesus went on.

Leaving and Entrusting

Investing

Returning

Accounting

What about the other servant? Let’s look at Accounting Part 2.
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.”(Matthew 25:24–25, ESV)

What did this slave do? He hid his talent. But notice that he blamed his lack of return on the master’s character. It was the master’s fault. He was a hard boss. Why? Afraid of what? Loss or being reprimanded? Did he genuinely fear him? Investing and stewarding God’s resources involved risk, a risk that this steward was not willing to endure. This servant was wrong, and his miscalculation would cost him more than he could imagine. Now, he should be afraid. Look at the master’s reaction.

VERSE 26

But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 26–30, ESV)

I want to highlight three things about this accounting the servant was:

CALLED - OUT

CUT - OUT

CAST - OUT

Called - Out - The master called out the slave, giving him three bad names: wicked, slothful, and worthless. Let’s look at each.

WICKED

Where have we seen the word wicked before? That was what Jesus’s first story said of the slave in charge of, much less a household. He beat the staff and partied. He was derelict in his duties. Why is this one wicked? Well, look at the following title.

SLOTHFUL

He called him or her slothful, another term for lazy. That was precisely what five young ladies did when they didn’t have enough oil in their lamps in the previous story. The master responded that the servant had one talent, and if he genuinely was afraid, he could have taken it to a banker and made a little interest. But he didn’t even do that. He was justifying his laziness, a hypocrite, liar, and lazy.

WORTHLESS

Finally, the master called him worthless. In Greek, this word means useless and not worthy of praise.

SUMMARY - CALLED - OUT

The weight of these names makes sense in the context. This servant didn’t use privilege to do God’s work. What is this work actually about? Jesus modeled it. He cared for the hurting, hungry, and marginalized. God called us to love him and his people. That is our work, too. So Jesus called him out for not doing the work God called him to do.

Cut - Out - Secondly, we also see in this section what they had would be taken out, or their talent would be cut out and given to those who have. We have already seen Jesus teach this principle in other parts of Matthew. We are stewards of God’s resources and opportunities.

Cast - Out - Third, Jesus ended on a familiar refrain - casting out the lazy, wicked, and worthless slave into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Not everyone had a happy ending.

WARNING

These words of judgment are a warning. Beware. If you feel like you have squandered God’s gifts, don’t waste any more time. Repent. Turn to God. Now is the time to make your adjustments. Change before it is too late. Start investing and storing up treasure in heaven today.
Multiply your gifts for God’s commendation, not bury them and face condemnation.

God may call you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” You can still enter into the joy of your master. Earn a little interest while you can. Don’t just sit there and do nothing. Don’t go home and forget this message from God. He is calling you.

COMFORT

This story is not just a warning; it is also a comfort. We have focused on the warning aspect. This is also a comfort for those who have suffered abuse of leadership’s power. God is no fool. He is tougher than Jack Reacher, Mr. T., Wonder Woman, and Ms. Marvel combined. He won’t be anyone’s lackey. In the end, there will be justice. That is good news. He is the Lord of lords and King of kings.
Multiply your gifts for God’s commendation, not bury them and face condemnation.

CONCLUSION

As we conclude, let’s ask what we are doing with the opportunity God has given us. Are we seeking to love God and others? How? Do we tend to sit back, take it easy, and let others do the hard lifting? Are we content with having a “do nothing Christianity”? How can we adjust to make an ROI on God’s resources? What does it look like for us to move in that direction? The story is not over. God isn’t finished. There will come a day of accounting. Tax Day, April 15th, is beyond us. But judgment day is coming. How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to a deeper relationship with your heavenly Father and the joy of Jesus this week? How might you be called to steward your opportunity for God this week? Let’s take some time to think about that.

PRAY

Let’s pray.

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