#1313 Matthew 25 Part 2 Return On Investment

 

13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 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.’ 21 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.’ 22 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.’ 23 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.’ 24 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, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 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? 27 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. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 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. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25: 13-30 ESV

Matthew 25: 13-30 With Interest

For it will be like a man going on a journey - Our Lord is getting ready to depart soon. He will finish His business with the cross, beat down death and sin, rise from the grave and make Himself known to His followers, but that is only a short time and coming soon. After that He will ascend to heaven which will usher in the church age, the time of the Holy Spirit, the time before Christ's second coming. It is a long time and the disciples do not realize just how long, in every age we anticipate Christ's return. He doesn't just leave them without expectation though, but rather commissions them to carry on His work, to spread the gospel, which is the good news, the story of God's redemptive history and extended grace. They are to do this with the guidance and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1: 9-12

15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.… John 14: 15-17

…18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”… Matthew 28: 18-20

To one He gave 5 talents - So a talent is a unit of measure, it is used with metals, and He doesn't say which metal in this case, but to each was given a significant sum based upon their ability. He hasn't given anyone more than they can rightfully handle, and so He expects a return on His investment from everyone. It should be noted that from the perspective of God, this is life, breath, mental capacity, physical ability, your money and even your aptitude for acquiring it all come from Him. Everything you have is borrowed. 

“The talent was not a coin, it was a weight; and therefore its value obviously depended on whether the coinage involved was copper, gold, or silver.” (Barclay)

ii. “The English use of ‘talent’ for a natural (or supernatural) aptitude derives from this parable…But of course the Greek talanton is simply a sum of money…it was generally regarded as equal to 6,000 denarii.” (France) “If a talent were worth six thousand denarii, then it would take a day laborer twenty years to earn so much.” (Carson)

Went at once and traded with them - This is the proper response, and the difference between the virgins with oil and without. The greater servant is the one that doesn't need his Master standing over him to do the right thing. The five virgins without oil also waited till it was too late to acquire it. It took 120 years of hard work and diligence, but once the ark was sealed it kept Noah and his family through the flood, but in all that time no one else came to enter.

…15As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” 16For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?… Hebrews 3: 15-17

Hid his Master's money - He did nothing with it, and in so many of the parables there is a lesson about being fruitful, not clinging to what doesn't ultimately belong to you. "A tree is known by it's fruit", the head or fruit of the grain distinguishes wheat from tares. 

Now after a long time - This is consistent with the parables and this latter end of the time of the gentiles, it has been a long time. He comes to settle accounts, to judge. Remember the wicked servant from before, he thought well my master tarries, so then he proved himself unfaithful, greedy, a tyrant. The virgins did not know the day that the bridegroom was coming, only that He was coming. Don't be foolish with things that carry eternal weight. 

45But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.… Luke 12: 45-46

Well done good and faithful servant - Both the man with the five and two talents hear the same praise. It is interesting that both were considered faithful over "little" regardless of the difference, and both were put over much. It does not matter whether you have the same talent, if we use the word in that sense, or the same amount of possessions, capital, as someone else, it matters that you are faithful with what God has put in your trust. 

“It is better to be faithful in the infant-school than to be unfaithful in a noble class of young men. Better to be faithful in a hamlet over two or three score of people, than to be unfaithful in a great-city parish, with thousands perishing in consequence. Better to be faithful in a cottage meeting, speaking of Christ crucified to half-a hundred villagers, than to be unfaithful in a great building where thousands congregate.” (Spurgeon)

…9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?… Luke 16: 9-11

Master, I knew you to be a hard man - His assessment is more accusatory in nature, and it won't help his case. It's as though he sets the stage, after hearing the triumphs of his fellow servants, he would like to lower the bar and place the blame upon his master. If you weren't such a mean boss, if you didn't expect so much, then I wouldn't have been so afraid to try. 

Here, you have what is yours - Wow, this is arrogant, and the Master could have left it with the other two, with money changers, and received some return. Of course it's His, but the servant was supposed to do something with it. It was a talent worth of opportunity and he instead buried the opportunity.

You wicked and slothful servant - He now gives His assessment, and He destroys the argument, "you admitted that you know that I reap where I do not sew", so the servant knew the expectation. "You come blaming me though the truth is that you are lazy." He even told him something the servant should have easily know to do. The others doubled the investment, but the Master would have been satisfied with what is apparently somewhat less, interest earned in savings. Why didn't he at least do that? 

“It is the genius of wicked men to lay the blame of their miscarriages upon others, oftentimes upon God himself.” (Poole)

“If we cannot trade directly and personally on our Lord’s account, if we have not the skill nor the tact to manage a society or an enterprise for him, we may at least contribute to what others are doing, and join our capital to theirs, so that, by some means, our Master may have the interest to which he is entitled.” (Spurgeon)

But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away - Well, the Master is no socialist, the man does not get to share in the other's reward. His talent is taken and entrusted to the one who will work with it. What good is a lamp without oil?

…34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. 35A king delights in a wise servant, but his anger falls on the shameful. Proverbs 14: 34-35