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.
Matthew 25: 14 (NLT)
We have been talking about the parables that Jesus taught in the end of Matthew 24 into Matthew 25. The devotion today looks at the master and the three servants who were given money. We see how we are to work while we wait for Jesus’ return.
Nuggets
- God has given each of us gifts to use to expand His kingdom, but those gifts have differing abilities.
- God gave the servants something and expected them to invest in growing it.
- The master asked for an accounting from the three servants.
- The money was taken away from the servant who didn’t increase his pile of money, and the one who did not increase his money was cast into darkness.
To read devotions in the Stories About the End Times series, click the appropriate button below.
All three of the parables that Jesus told at the end of Matthew 24/beginning of Matthew 25 addressed professing Christians. He was speaking to believers here — not unbelievers.
In the first parable about the faithful and unfaithful servant, Jesus tells us not to be complacent. The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids tells us that we have to watch and be prepared for His return.
This parable, about the three servants, tells us we aren’t just supposed to sit around waiting for Jesus’ return. We need to work while we wait. Let’s break it down.
Unequal Gifts
“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” (Mt. 25: 14 NLT).
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 master had a road trip planned. He knew he was going to be away for a long time. Because of this, he gave three of his servants similar but personalized responsibilities.
Each servant got bags of money. That was the similar.
The personalized part was the number of bags each servant got. One servant got five bags of silver; another got two bags; and the last, one.
We can assume that there is only reason the servants got a different number. The master “… [divided] it in proportion to their abilities …” (Mt. 25: 15 NLT).
It doesn’t say age was a factor. It doesn’t say the master was playing favorites. It really doesn’t say if this was going to be a permanent distribution, or if this is just for this trip.
In today’s society, some people would be screaming for equality for the servants. They would be jumping up and down because each of the servants didn’t get five bags of money.
Do the math, people. Three is not going to divide evenly into eight. If each got two bags, there would still be two left over.
So, the master did it on merit. (Have you heard of merit raises?). He divvied the eight bags out by abilities.
Oh, yes. We all have differing abilities.
Will you all sing this song for me? What? You can’t sing. Well, good thing I’ll sing it for you.
But don’t ask me to build a bridge. Or do a complicated math problem. It would not end pretty.
And no, people do not have the skill level. My sister and I both play the piano and sing. She is the far better piano player, but I can sing better than she can.
But you know what? It really doesn’t matter. What matters is God gave each of us abilities to use for Him. We have to do what the Master calls us to do.
Whatever abilities we have — God gave them to us. We didn’t just go out an learn them on our own.
God, like any good employer, knows His people. He is not going to set them up for failure. He is going to know what has to be done, what resources are needed and on hand to do it, and what He can expect His people to do.
Remember, God is the God of little things as well as big things. He is as interested in the one-money-bag guy as He is with five-money-bags guy.
Servants at Work
“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” (Mt. 25: 16-18 NLT).
This is really interesting to think about. God gave the servants something and expected them to invest in growing it. He didn’t just give them top of the line.
God expected them to work. He expected them to be faithful, diligent, and obedient. He expected them to be good. He expected their abilities — and themselves — to grow.
Notice the two servants who were successful got right to work. They started learning the things they needed to right away. They kept at it until the master got back.
The servant who was not successful made excuses. Unfortunately, he would have buried whatever amount he was given.
To me, it looks like he really doesn’t care. He didn’t use the ability God gave him, so he didn’t invest the money.
Accountability Time
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money” (Mt. 25: 22 NLT).
The day finally arrived. The master was home. He asked for an accounting from the three servants.
Five-money-bags guy gave his accounting. So did two-money-bags guy.
Both got a good report card. “The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant …’” (Mt. 25: 21 and 23 NLT).
One-money-bag guy was probably shaking in his sandals at this point. He knew he had messed up.
Listen to what one-money-bag guy had to say. “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’” (Mt. 25: 24-25 NLT).
Ooo, baby. What one-money-bag guy is saying is that he thought He was a meany. So, he did nothing.
He really doesn’t know God, does he?
Reward/Punishment Time
“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver” (Mt. 25: 22 NLT).
The money was taken away from the servant who didn’t increase his pile of money. Instead, it was given to the servant who did.
We have to be sure that we use the talents that God gives them. It can be a use it or lose it situation.
I had one of those yesterday. I am starting to work with Pastor Chris on recording a song I sang years ago. I have been singing it a cappella, so I put it in a lower key.
I used to could hit even higher ones than the ones in this song. But I haven’t sang first soprano in a long time. This was a case of I didn’t use the high notes, so I lost the ability to hit them.
We have to use what God gives us or He will take it away. “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” (Mt. 25: 29 NLT).
One-money-bag guy had another surprise. He was thrown into darkness.
Making the Connections
Oh, five-money-bags guy will be given a greater reward than one-money-bags guy? Wrong! The Master rewarded both servants with the same wording. The only difference between their rewards was what they started out with.
The King James Version called them talents. God has given each one of us talents — except we call them gifts. James 1: 27 says, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (ESV).
We are charged to use our gifts or lose them. We need to make sure we use them go further God’s kingdom.
How Do We Apply This?
We all are given spiritual gifts. Don’t know what yours are?
A couple of years ago, my ladies and I studied gifts. There was a Spiritual Gifts Inventory that we could complete. I found it online (check down below in the Related Links section for the link).
Comparing ourselves to others usually doesn’t help us. What if the one-money-bag guy buried his bag because he was jealous the other two hot more bags than he did? He was punished because wasn’t content with what he had.
The only person we should compare us to is the person God is calling us to be.
We have to start out content. Then we have to work on growing our gifts. We need to invest in our doing what God calls us to do.
One thing we really need to make sure of what God is calling us to do with our gifts. We need to make sure we are reaching the people God wants us to be reaching.
Disciples of Jesus need to make sure we are seeking God’s Will and using the gifts He has given us to further His kingdom. We don’t want to be found unprepared when Jesus returns.
Loving Father. We patiently wait Jesus’ return. Help us to prepare ourselves for that time by seeking You and Your Will. Amen.
Don’t know what your spiritual gifts are?
Take this Spiritual Gifts Inventory
What do you think?
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