No Time to Waste

Matthew 25:14–30 NLT

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Jesus used this parable to speak of His return at the end of time. It shows us that God has trusted us to use what He has given and multiply it. He is asking a questions we all need to ask ourselves regularly.

What am I doing with the time God has given me?

Remember that generosity is more about our heart than our resources.

In this story the master gave 3 servants a large sum of money. How much does a talent equate in money today? No one really knows. A talent is a measure of weight, not currency. Some scholars believe it equated about 20 years salary, others say a talent would be valued between $1000 and $30,000. No matter how you look at it, its a significant amount of money.

By the end He praises the first 2 and condemns the 3rd. Why? The first 2 multiplied what he gave them.

So what?

God knows our abilities

God will not ask us to do something we are not able to do.

He does not set us up to fail

God blesses risk

a. The master was frustrated not because he didn’t multiple the investment. It was because he didn’t even try

b. Fear should not rule us

God rewards faithfulness

The first 2 doubled because they knew the master. The 3rd knew of the master.

Ultimately, this parable is about Jesus return one day. Just like the master in this story, we have no idea when He will return. The parable of the virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 talks about being ready when Jesus comes back. Vs 31-46 speak more plainly.

Matthew 25:34–40 NLT

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Love God, love others. That is where we need to spend our time, talents, and treasure. After this the wicked are told the same thing and respond in a similar way…

Matthew 25:41–45 NLT

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

Jesus tells us plainly what He expects. He expects a positive ROI. He blesses us so we can be a blessing.