Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 303, Matthew 25:24-28 — Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:24-28 (NASB1995) “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’” Context Chapter 25 contains Jesus’ final teachings before His arrest and crucifixion. Like the parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13), this one continues the theme from the end times discourse of being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. It also expounds on a principle from the parable about the faithful and wicked servants regarding how people are to live (24:45-51). Review Yesterday, we continued the parable of the talents. Upon the master’s return, he came to the three servants to settle their accounts. The language of ‘settling accounts’ implies that the master expected them to make a profit. The first servant reveals he doubled the wealth that was given to him. He was active with the masters’ talents and successfully used them according to his abilities. Likewise, the second servants did the same. Because of their faithfulness, the master applauds these servants with a shared joy, like a parent cheering on their children. He then reveals the confidence that he has in them by rewarding them with more responsibility. This responsibility likely includes management over more than just his possessions and wealth but his entire estate. The reward also includes having a closer relationship with the master. Notably, the rewards for each of these servants are the same. This is significant because it shows that the master does not have partiality. Even though the first servant had more responsibility, each received the same level of reward for their faithfulness. Jesus uses this parable to reveal that those who faithfully use their God-given skills and abilities for the kingdom will receive greater responsibility when He returns. Thus, believers should remain faithful and have confidence in the abilities God has given them to expand and build the kingdom before His return. Discussion Today, we continue the parable of the talents and read about the passive servant. Remember, the image is of a master who gathers three of his servants together to hand each a portion of his wealth to manage while he is gone. The master does not give further instruction about what to do with the respective talents, giving each servant the free will to do with it according to their own abilities. However, this money was not given to them to use as they please. He entrusted them with the responsibility to steward this wealth. Following the accounting of the first two servants’ active faith and obedience, the master turns to the third servant to settle his account. What is notable from the start is the third servant’s acknowledgment of the master. In its application, this third servant is like those who profess Christ. However, the servant has a wrong view of the master’s character that he uses as an excuse for his disobedient inactivity.[1] Jesus says, “24 And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’” The servant calls the master a ‘hard’ man, suggesting he has an unloving and violent character. This explains the sowing and gathering without scattering seed comment. This image of harvesting where one does not sow implies that the master does not care about who is in his way as long as he wins in the end.[2] It is as if the servant thinks, ‘If I obey, the master reaps the rewards, and if I disobey, the master will mistreat me.’[3] Clearly, this is a misreading of the master’s character employed simply to justify the servants’ inactive disobedience. The servant adds, “25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.” The fear employed here is not a proper fear but an improper fear.[4] It represents the passive mindset of ‘playing it safe’, which correlates with one who finds more concern with not doing anything wrong rather than attempting to obey and do what is right.[5] He cares not about obeying the master, regardless of his character, and then blames the master for his selfish apathy.[6] Questioning the master’s character is ironic really when it is the servants’ very own character that needs to be called into question. Notably, the phrase “you have what is yours” was common among ancient Jewish transactions.[7] It essentially translates to ‘I am not responsible for this any further.’[8] But the third servant did not steward and take responsibility in the first place. He cowered from the responsibility given to him and hid it away to avoid the consequence of failure. However, his failure was not in minimal or unsuccessful effort compared to the other servants, but the lack thereof. He did not even try. Thus, he did not live prepared for the master’s return. In the same way, Jesus seeks for His followers to live with an active faith that is prepared for His coming. It is not a competition dependent on one’s results, but one’s simple obedience. The reward is the same for all. However, some think of God as cruel and unloving and then blame Him for their sin and fruitlessness.[9] This is a challenge even for those who proclaim Christ, which results in one ignoring the call to action for Him. Many professing Christians live passively, forgetting that Jesus saved them not only from their sins but unto His kingdom service.[10] In response to the servant’s inactivity, the master says, “26 You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.” In this reply, the master calls the servant wicked and lazy and suggests that even if he was cruel; it does not excuse the servant’s lack of effort. The sin of the servant is interesting because it is not from his actions against the master but his overall lack of action. In reality, it seems that one may proclaim Christ, or simply live ‘rightly’, and still fail through their passive living.[11] However, one’s refusal to serve reveals a lack of love for the one who employs the service. Someone who has truly been transformed by the love and grace of Christ will seek to share that love and will actively serve Him in whatever way they can, not shrink away in fear or passivity. In the end, the master tells the servant he could have succeeded by doing the very least. He says, “27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.” Jesus reveals it did not matter how successful the servant was in his service, but just that he was active instead of passive. The master would have been pleased with the third servant the same as the first two—and the reward would have been the same as well. Even though the result would have been ‘less’ than the other two, it was active obedience that mattered most to the master, not the amount of return. Thus, the master takes away the talent from the third servant and gives it to the first. The principle is that people lose gifts they do not use—and the same goes in the kingdom of God. We will conclude this parable and discuss the third servant’s consequence tomorrow. Application The theme of this passage continues with a heavy reality about obedience to Christ. One who truly loves Jesus will yearn to obey Him and heed the leading of the Spirit. They will remain active in their faith, not passive. While it is easy to get caught up in the idea of competition and comparison, that is not what matters. It does not matter if you have an online platform reaching millions or a lil’ ole blog reaching hundreds. A ministry reaching millions does not equate to more rewards over another reaching dozens. The eternal rewards are the same. In the end, God simply seeks for us to have an active faith. This active faith results from a revelation of Christ’s love for us, as we naturally respond to His love with love for others through self-sacrificial service. While it can be intimidating to obey the LORD, we must not make excuses to avoid doing what He calls us to do. If Jesus is our LORD, then we must obey Him. All we have is His, not ours. If we respond like the third servant and live in passivity, then we reveal our wicked character. A character that cowers in the face of service rather than responding in faith will be punished, as revealed in this parable. May we remain faithful to Christ and live with an active faith. May we live with boldness against the tide of the world rather than shrinking back into passivity through fear of judgment. May we carry out the duties entrusted to us by our LORD and use them to further the kingdom. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 25:29-30. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] John Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [2] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [3] Knox Chamblin, “Mentor Commentary.” [4] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [5] R. T. France, “Tyndale Commentaries.” [6] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [7] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [8] Ibid. [9] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.” [10] Nolland, “Preaching the Word Commentary.” [11] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.”
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