Matthew 25:26-27 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’”
Christ’s parable of “the talents” provides a perfect lesson for the new year.
Following the prophetic account of Matthew 24, Jesus illustrates the Kingdom’s establishment at the End of Time in chapter 25. In verses 14 – 28, the Second Advent of Christ is compared to a rich man who left his financial worth to the oversight of three servants. (v.14)
Based on their individual abilities, one man received five bags of silver, another received two bags of silver, and the last individual only received one bag of silver. (v.15) Regardless of the number of bags, each man was possibly entrusted with hundreds of thousands of dollars by today’s standard. But how would they react to their master’s expectation?
The man who was first given five bags of silver, doubled the principle by earning five more bags. (v.16) His rate of return was 100%! Who among us would not like to receive that rate of return on our certificates of deposit or stocks and bonds? Right! Now, you see what was at stake for each servant.
The second individual with two bags, earned two more bags, matching the 100% rate of return. (v.17) So, in spite of different investments based on ability, the two servants were performing at the same level of proficiency.
Enter the third servant… Rather than making an investment, this man buried his bag of silver in the ground. (v.18) Ironically, the fellow clearly understood that the master had very high expectations regarding his employees’ level of excellence. (v. 24) Despite this knowledge, he took several hundred thousand dollars worth of silver, and buried it in the ground after being told to manage his master’s wealth. Would you be satisfied if your stock broker or banker handled your money that way? Probably not! So, what makes us think God is pleased with our spiritual neglect or careless lifestyles?
The third servant’s excuse was the “fear of losing something.” (v.25) Although the man dug up the original bag of silver, with every coin accounted for, yet a HORRENDOUS LOSS had occurred!
But what was lost?
Well, obviously, there was absolutely no rate of return. While the other two servants realized 100% growth, the third individual gained absolutely nothing… ZERO… NIL…NIX… ZIP… ZILCH… NADA! But in spite of no profit, we still haven’t answered the question, “What did he lose?”
To understand what horrible loss occurred, we must look at two more verses… “After a long time their master returned from his trip,” (v.19) and “Why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.” (v.27)
Did you see the answer?
The great, irrecoverable loss was “time!” The longer the interval, the greater the expectation of return on investment!
Born with different abilities, each steward was entrusted with a different amount of wealth to invest. These factors were all variables dependent on nature and the lord of the estate, over which the servants had no control. However, the single “constant” in this story was TIME! What would these men do with the TIME they were allowed to serve the Master’s interests, “Use it wisely or squander it?”
Having finished 2016 and begun 2017, we need to ask ourselves the same question, “How am I doing with the TIME God has given me? Am I serving His interests, or am I wasting the most valuable commodity of all, by burying my life in a hole?” If the latter is true, then just remember the “hole” you’re hiding in might eventually become a “grave.”
Let us consider King David’s prayer, “Teach us to number our days (i.e., use our time wisely), that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalms 90:12
Happy New Year!
Edwin Woolsey’s family has lived in Shannon, Texas, and Howell counties since 1860. He taught 31 years at Missouri public schools and is currently the pastor of a small country congregation at Pilgrim Rest Community Church. Follow him on Twitter at @edwinwoolsey.
