When the Master's away...

Matthew 25:14–30 HCSB

“For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. In the same way the man with two earned two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ “Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ “Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’ “But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, then you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money back with interest. “ ‘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. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

PRAY...

Have you ever watched the cartoon Tom & Jerry about the cat and the mouse? I used to laugh so hard at that cartoon. I just loved the way the cat seemed to always get in trouble as we went after the cute little mouse. And the old adage that while the cat was away the mice will play held true in the cartoons at least. And didn't we find it true when we were kids? Did we not do things when mom and dad weren't home that we knew we weren't supposed to do? Is the stereo-typical picture of a teenager frantically cleaning the house before his parents get home that far from the truth? I'll be honest, I never threw wild parties when mom and dad were away, but I did do other things I shouldn't have done. And for fear of giving any of the kids here today some bad ideas, I'll refrain from giving the details. It is just the idea of trying to get away with something in the absence of authority that I want to get across. It seems almost human nature to push the boundaries of our authorities. Yet, if we would live within those bounds, we would find our lives much easier. But I daresay we are always pushing it when we think no one is watching.

In the parable before us today, we will see one servant who is trying to get away with something while the master is gone. This parable has 4 people in it. One of them the master and 3 servants. 2 of those servants are obedient, the third is less than obedient. As we look at the parable this morning, we are going simply look at the servants and the master and see what they have to teach us today.

Reminding you of the context. It is Holy Week, the week leading up to Jesus' death on the cross. He has taken His followers out of the city of Jerusalem and into an olive grove on the mountain to the east of the city. From there they could look down at Jerusalem. The city was in view, but the hustle and the bustle would have been hard to hear. Jesus is delivering what is usually referred to as the Olivet Discourse where He is sharing with the Disciples what they should expect once He is gone. He has already made the point that He will be coming back, but it will probably be a long time until He does. In the 1st 13 verses of the chapter, we see two people preparing for a great day in the parable of the virgins and the lamps. We see the foolish people who give up too early or try to coast on someone else's work. And we see the prudent people that must remember that their prudence cannot work for anyone else. Both types of people fell asleep waiting for the bridegroom to come, but when it was time to wake up, only the prudent were prepared. In our passage today, we are going to look at the servants and the master and see what is expected of us and how we will be held accountable to those expectations.

The servants

1.1. Vv 16-18;20;22;24-25

Matthew 25:16–18 HCSB

the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. In the same way the man with two earned two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

Matthew 25:20 HCSB

The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’

Matthew 25:22 HCSB

“Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’

Mt 25:20

Matthew 25:24–25 HCSB

“Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’

1.2. Let's begin by talking about a talent. What exactly is a talent? Is it a skill? Is it a natural ability? Is it a spiritual gift? Is it the Gospel itself? Is it an ancient measure of money? What exactly is a talent? All of the above. In modern language, the word talent usually refers to a natural ability or a skill at something. But in the ancient world, it was a monetary thing. It was a measure of money. But how much money? Well, some of the ancient manuscripts we have say that a talent is worth about 6,000 denarii. A denarius is what one day-laborer was paid for one day's labor. You remember when Jesus gave the parable of the vineyard owner who hired people throughout the day and paid them all a denarius at the end of the day. It is what one day's work was worth. So, a talent can mean 6,000 days of work. What does that look like? When I first read that I thought it was a big number, but then I did some math and found that it was not just big, it was enormous. If they were good Jews and obeyed the Sabbath and worked 6 days per week, they would average 312 days of work per year. To get to 6,000 denarii, or 1 talent, they would have to work roughly 20 years to earn 1 talent. But let's bring it closer to home and consider the average American work week. To be full time, you are considered to work 40 hours per week. With vacations and holidays and weekends, the usual figure for a full-time year is 2000 hours which equates to about 50 weeks or 250 days of work in the year. If we were to get paid in ancient money, we would get about 250 denarii per year. So, to get to 6,000 denarii, we would have to work 24 years. So, the smallest thing given in the parable before us today is 20 - 24 years’ worth of work. Then it goes up for the second servant who got 2 talents or 40 - 48 years of work. And just to really blow your mind, the first servant was given 5 talents or the equivalent of 100 - 120 years of labor. So, when we talk about what is a talent, I think it is best to think of it in terms of a gift from the master that could not be earned in a short amount of time. It was, and is, very valuable.

1.3. The recounting of the first two servants is identical except for the number of talents each is given. In both cases they immediately got to work using what the master had given them and doubled what the master had given them. They are both commended for doing the right thing with what they had been given. There is no indication from the parable that there was more demand placed on either servant. They were both just entrusted with the master's resource and they did the best they could with what they had, and the master was pleased.

1.4. The third servant, however, was not terribly bright. He claims that he knew the master was harsh and that he was afraid that if he squandered what the master had given him, he would be punished severely. In this little self-defense speech, the servant reveals that he really doesn't know the master at all. After all, didn't the master just commend the other 2 servants for doing all they could with what they had been given? And yet, this servant did nothing with what he had been given because he was afraid of what the master might do. He seems to think he is smart, but, in reality, he understands very little. The third servant didn't know his master. The other two didn't fret over what the master would, or would not, do, they simply got to work with what they had. The third servant buried the talent and preserved it so well that he accomplished absolutely nothing.

1.5. To bring it home to us today, God has entrusted us with many things. In America, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we have many resources. We have money, we have things, we have gifts, we have abilities. We have all the things that a talent could represent in this parable. How are we using them? Are we getting to work with what we have to please the master, or are we worried that something might happen and so we just bury it for our worry and get nothing done? That is the real problem with the third servant. It wasn't that he didn't accomplish anything, but rather that he let worry absolutely paralyze him. So, today, if you are paralyzed with worry, get to work. Use what God has given you. I believe this parable teaches that if we will just step out in faith and try, God will take care of the results. We are not told what either of the two obedient servants did exactly, only that they got to work. So, instead of being paralyzed with what might happen like the third servant, let's get to work.

1.6. Of course, the greatest gift we have been given is the Gospel. It didn’t cost merely years of labor, but the full penalty of death for Jesus. Now, do we bury the Gospel under the dirt of concern that others will be offended? Do we bury the Gospel under the ground of fear of what others might think? Do we bury the Gospel under the ground of complacency? Folks, God has given us a great and incredible gift to be shared and invested, not buried in doubt! Let’s take a lesson from the first 2 servants and invest what we have been given. Let’s learn the lesson of the 3rd servant and not bury the greatest gift ever given. That is the message from the servants in this parable.

2. Second, we will focus on the master.

2.1. Vv 14-15;19;21;23;26-30

Matthew 25:14–15 HCSB

“For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately

Matthew 25:19 HCSB

“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

Matthew 25:21 HCSB

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

Matthew 25:23 HCSB

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

Matthew 25:26–30 HCSB

“But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, then you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money back with interest. “ ‘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. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

2.2. Let's notice, first of all, that the master entrusts to each of them what he feels they can handle according to their abilities. Who is the determiner of how much each one gets? It is the master. So, that takes out any thoughts of what is fair or what is right in our eyes. According to the parable, the master knows how much responsibility each one can handle.

2.3. Then, when he comes back, he goes to each of the servants to settle up. His words to the first two servants are identical including the entering into the joy of the master. This has the idea of continuous reward for an unspecified time. They were commended and were to enjoy their master's favor.

2.4. The third servant comes with his squandered talent and his meager excuse. The master is hard on him, why? Well, if the master was the harsh taskmaster that the third servant thought he was, then the servant should have worked all the more diligently to do something with what the master had given him. In other words, his excuse didn't even hold water. It was obvious that he was scrambling to try and justify his lack of obedience. The master looks right through his flimsy excuse and exposes the servant for what he really is, an impostor. This wicked servant had been hiding in the master's house, pretending to be the master's loyal one. But when it comes right down to the day of reckoning, all good intentions become worthless; all thoughts of how well we know the master become void; all hiding of the master's resources becomes open. And those who have been obedient will hear the marvelous blessings of entering into the master's joy, but those who have hidden or squandered what the master has given them, will be stripped of what little they had and then thrown out of the master's presence to a place of suffering. That place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Absolute anguish. In our terms, hell.

2.5. Just as the servants had implications for us today, so does the master. We must remember that it is the master who gives the resources. It is not us. When we work for the furtherance of his kingdom we can expect him to be well pleased. But the same loving master who rewards obedience has no tolerance for flimsy excuses. What does that mean? Well, which talk from the master do you want to hear? Do you want to hear how he is pleased? Or do you want to get chewed out?

Yes, I believe the master in this parable represents our heavenly Father. And I believe the slaves represent human beings. I would even go so far as to say church members. In verse 14, the master call of HIS servants to give them the talents before He leaves. So, I think that those who belong to Christian churches can be called the servants. But it is clear from the end of the parable that church-members are not necessarily saved. The third servant didn't really know his master at all, did he. And, likewise, there are those who are in the church who don't really know the savior. They know that the people are nice to be around, but they have no relationship with the savior.

What are we to do? If we know the Master, then we need to get to work and quit sitting on His resources. We need to be busy building His kingdom. The third slave is condemned because he did absolutely nothing to grow his master's kingdom. What are you doing to grow the Master's kingdom? Are you actively witnessing? Are you praying? Are you so busy trying to get out of the world that you are not doing anything for our Lord in the world? I appreciate all the work that is accomplished at this building and with each other all the time, but I would gladly give it all up if we saw one new person come to Christ through the efforts of the members of Immanuel. And if one comes, why not 2? or 5? or 10? Let's stop burying what God has given us and start working to see it increase. That is the call of the parable. That is the call of our Master. That is the call to every believer. Oh, that we all would hear, “…Enter into the joy of your master.”

If you are here today and you feel you have more in common with that third slave than the other two, is it because you do not know the master? Who is he to you? Just some mean God that watches to see who He can hammer next for stepping out of line? That is a false view of God. He loves you so much that He sent His son to die on a cross. Why? Because your sins require the death penalty. And Jesus paid that penalty for you. And He did it as a free gift to you. Would you like to receive that gift? That is how you will know the Master.

- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

- But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Christian, we are not called to take inventory of what others have been given. The servant with the 5 talents just went to work. The servant with the 2 talents just went to work. There is nothing that says they compared with one another. Rather, they knew the master had given them what He thought they could handle. And they got to work. So, let's not wallow in how little we have been given. Let's not focus on how others seem to have more from God than what we have. Let's take what we have been given and work to grow our master's kingdom. Let's start today. Don't put it off till tomorrow.

Let's pray........

When the Master's away...

PRAY...

The Servants

WE ARE THE SERVANTS

The Master

THE MASTER IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

What kind of servant are you?

Give your life to Jesus, do it today!