Stewardship
Lesson 5
Matthew 25:14-30
Introduction
Last week we turned to consider the stewardship of our lives. The rich fool (as the parable is known) built-up treasures for himself on earth, but no treasures in heaven. So, when his life was required of him, his possessions were of no good. 2 Peter helps us to understand the growth that we must have as Christians so that we might be good stewards of our lives for that day when we must give account of our lives. Tonight, we will continue to consider the stewardship of our lives.
I. What is a talent?
a) A talent is a type of money. This is supported both by the whole context of the story, and by the master’s response in v. 27 where he tells the lazy servant he should have deposited the money where the master could have gained interest. NIV translates this as bags of gold; this implies a large sum of money. It is called a talent because a talent (talanta in Greek) was a type of Roman weight of a large value.
b) It is incorrect to associate the Roman talent with our English word today. How often have we heard someone say that God gives each person a certain talent; this is an incorrect interpretation of the parable. Whether it be singing or playing the piano (or some other ability), these are human abilities. Human abilities should not be confused with gifts which God gives by grace. The similarities of the word talanta (the Greek and the English) often leads to an unfortunate misinterpretation of this parable.
c) The focus on the meaning of a talent draws attention away from the meaning of the parable. This is a parable about accountable stewardship. As we will see as we continue with this lesson, when the master returns, each slave is called to give an account of what he has done with what has been given. Being accountable is stewardship: what have you done with that which you have been given?
II. What is the danger of being lazy?
a) All 3 slaves are given talents, each according to their ability (v. 15); in this, the master took into consideration what each was capable of and did not give to one more than he was capable of handling. When the master returns, he wishes to settle accounts with each slave (v. 19). To settle accounts is to answer for what each has done with that which they were given (the phrase “settled accounts” also helps us to understand that talents were monetary).
b) While the first 2 slaves each doubled what they had been given, the third slave, acting out of fear, buried his talent in the ground; “…I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours (v. 25).” For this, the master calls him both wicked and lazy (v. 26).
c) While the slave thought he was acting in a safe manner, the master said if he had just deposited the money in the bank, he would have at least drawn interest (v. 27). The master expected a return and because he did not receive one, the master responded harshly. The slave was called wicked and lazy; he was lazy because he had done nothing with what was given to him. The slave had what was his taken from him, and he was thrown into outer darkness (vs. 28-30).
III. What does this parable teach us about the stewardship of our lives?
a) The first thing we should understand about this parable is that it is a parable of Christ’s return. The hint to this is in v. 13 where we are told to be alert/awoke because we won’t know the day or the hour. Also notice this is a parable about a master who goes away; and when he returns, he calls his slaves to give an account of their stewardship. The master going on a long journey then returning signifies the return of Christ. Finally, this parable is the second of three in this chapter, all about Christ’s return.
b) Talents in this parable signify not money, but our lives; what will we do with them? Not everyone has the same ability, but what is rewarded is faithfulness. The first 2 slaves took what they had and were faithful with it, producing a return (harvest) for the master. The third slave buried his talent; this is equated with hiding your light under a basket (5:15 – notice the relationship between hiding his light and being thrown into darkness). Being faithful in our lives – to the best of our ability – is what is expected in our lives; and faithfulness is richly rewarded (vs. 21, 23). However, unfaithfulness – being wicked and lazy – will be punished severely. One will be thrown into darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (v. 30).
c) We often say that we want to hear God say, “Well done….” To hear God say that, we will have to be good stewards of your lives now; we will have to be faithful in living for God. If we are not good stewards (not even wicked, just not good stewards), we will be cast into outer darkness.
Next Week: New Pastor