The Motley Crew Notes for April 6, 2011

The Motley Crew Bible Study

April 6, 2011

Matthew 25:14-18

The Questions

Read Matthew 25:14-18

1. Who is the Man going away?

2. Who are the servants?

3. One of the main points of the parable: Whose property is it?

4. Why did the Master give out different amounts?

5. If the master already has everything what must He really be after here?

6. Is this works righteousness?

7. Does this mean only those with the fewest gifts will be unfaithful?

8. So what's wrong with digging a hole in the ground – especially if the economy is bad?

9. What are you doing with the gifts the Lord has given you?

All citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, used with permission.

The Motley Crew Bible Study

April 6, 2011

Matthew 25:14-18

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Pastor Eddie and family will be in Texas next week. Doug will step in.

We had several excellent discussions before we began looking at today's text, including a discussion of the beliefs of some other Christian churches, including the different beliefs concerning baptism. It was also noticed that within the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, there is a wide diversity of teachings, as is also the case among our Roman Catholic friends.

We talked about the importance of Bible study as a means to learn more about our faith, and as a means of grace. Pastor Eddie gave a good “thumbnail” outline for Bible study. After reading a section of scripture, ask yourself these three questions:

What did you like?
What challenges you?
How can you apply it in your life?

We also discussed the possibility of a Wednesday noon service during Lent, as a supplement to the 7 PM service. The service might include a Bible reading, music, meditation, confession & absolution, and Holy Communion.

Someone mentioned that Pastor Chris has been posting some devotionals on his Facebook page.

We also talked about Paul as being a keystone in the early church, especially with his focus on the Resurrection. Had there been no Resurrection, there would have been no church. Someone observed that after the Crucifixion, the disciples were lost in their grief, but that after the Resurrection, they became strong and united in their preaching of the Good News. As Pastor Eddie has mentioned, no one is willing to die for a lie.

We also talked about the Grace of God and prayer. God reaches out to us in almost uncountable ways every day. And when we get into that tough spot, and there's no other way to go, people accept that invitation.

Read Matthew 25:14-18

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Note: The complete parable is reproduced below.

1. Who is The Man who is going away?

Jesus. His Ascension. He'll be back, but He's gone for now. In the meantime, spread the Word.

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

2. Who are the servants?

Us and all other believers.

3. One of the main points of the parable: Whose property is it?

It's all God's property. Whatever “my” talents are, they are a gift from God … I've just got them “on loan.” While we're using them, we need to remember whose talents they are, and give the credit appropriately.

Psalm 24:1-2:

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.

Jeanne commented that in his Psalms, David often prayed for the things that we are praying for today.

Genesis 1:1:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:26-31:

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Note that God did not transfer ownership.

4. Why did the Master give out different amounts?

Everyone gets different talents in different amounts. These different abilities permit us to uniquely work in the vineyard of the Lord. 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Dr. Buls observed:

The talent was a very large sum of money. The spiritual, mental, physical and psychological gifts which God apportions to the individual Christian are priceless and precious. Our Lord gives no one more than he can handle nor less than his ability requires. The distribution is truly manifold. One observes this everywhere in the Church. And one is amazed to find great and exceptional gifts even in small towns and so-called backward areas.

These different gifts mean that we must work together in order to fulfill God's will. Discipleship is a team sport; there are no “long rangers.” And concerning our gifts, we shouldn't “lord it” over others … these gifts are from God to His undeserving children, and we did nothing to earn them.

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth ...” Deuteronomy 8:18

There are many jobs to be performed in the establishment and maintenance of the Kingdom of God on earth. Each person has a job to do (or two or more), and is given the appropriate talents needed to accomplish that job.

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10.

“For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” 1 Corinthians 3:9

We must be careful to be respectful of others. We can't see their faith, we can't see what is in the hearts of others.

In the New Testament, “ordination” was more a function of passing on to others the job that needs to be done. The establishment of the deacons is an example of this.

The Choosing of the Seven, Acts 6:1-7

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Footnotes:

Acts 6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture

5. If the Master already has everything, what must He really be after here?

Our hearts and souls, and our faithfulness … or lack thereof. Let's recall the message contained in Mk. 12:30-31:

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

Footnotes:

Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18

6. Is this works righteousness?

Not hardly!

“But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

In this regard, Prof. Buls observed:

In Scripture only the "works" of Christians are called good, Ephesians 2:10, not their persons. They are righteous but only by imputation. The Bible does not require goodness of me. Christ is my goodness. But, the Bible does require me to be faithful. Revelation 2:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2.

Teachers and preachers, especially, will be held to a higher standard.

It is by faith through grace that we are saved. The good works that we do are a reflection of our faith, not it's cause.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” [emphasis added] Ephesians 2:8-9

Luther is often cited as the source for this quotation: “Faith alone saves, but faith is never alone.” However, I've been unable to locate the source for this quote, and a search of the CD version of Luther's Works did not find this phrase (although it found the phrases “faith alone saves” and “faith is never alone” – but in separate locations, never together.

“ … faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

It's helpful to look closely at verse 29: “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.” We can extend this verse for a better understanding:

For everyone who has [been using the gifts he has been given by God]
will be given more [by grace],
and he will have [note the past tense … passive … God's gift]
an abundance.

We recalled that Moses said:

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:18

7. Does this mean only those with the fewest gifts will be unfaithful?

No.

Doug's Comment: I sure hope not, otherwise, I'm in deep trouble here!

8. So what's wrong with digging a hole in the ground – especially if the economy is bad?

He wasted his gift. This becomes a sin of omission.

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:17

Another example of not doing the good that God wants us to do.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Romans 7:15

9. What are you doing with the gifts the Lord has given you?

Serving Him.

But there's plenty of room for improvement.

We closed with prayer.

The Complete Parable

The Parable of the Bags of Gold, Matt. 25:14-30

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

A Similar Parable from Luke's Gospel

Luke 19:11-27, The Parable of the Ten Minas

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’

18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Footnotes:

Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.

For Additional Study

The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.