The Motley Crew Bible Group
April 20, 2011
Matthew 25:19-30
The Questions
Read Matthew 25:19-30
1. Is there a hint to the 12 and to us as to when the Lord will come to settle His accounts?
2. How do we handle the interim?
3. Who initiates this whole transaction?
4. Can there be more sweet Words from our Lord's lips than verse 21 and 23?
5. Why does one man earn more but still get the same reward?
6. Can there be any more painful Words than verse 26?
7. What about the fact that at least this man did not lose the Master's money?
8. What does this section teach us about Hades?
All citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, used with permission.
The Motley Crew Bible Group
April 20, 2011
Matthew 25:19-30
Some Suggested Answers
We opened with prayer.
We've gotten a bit out of order when last week we looked at the last part of this chapter. But we're back on track now, completing our look at the Parable of the Talents, which we first looked at two weeks ago.
Read Matthew 25:19-30
Note: I've included the complete parable to make it easier to keep everything in perspective.
The Parable of the Talents
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.
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.’
Footnotes:
Matthew 25:15 Greek five talents … two talents … one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage.
1. Is there a hint to the 12 and to us as to when the Lord will come to settle His accounts?
Not really. We know that His return will be apparent to all, and that all the peoples of the earth will “see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” (Matt. 24:1-35) We know that “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36). We know that His return will be sudden and without warning, and that we are each personally responsible to keep watch and be prepared. (Matt. 25:1-13) Here, we are told “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” Dr. Lenski writes that this is “a picture of Jesus who is about to leave his disciples to enter the glory of heaven, to be gone a long while, and then at last to return.” Lenski, p. 972. The purpose is to alert the Disciples that His return may not be as soon as they might hope. Dr. Lenski also observed:
“'After a long time' seems almost like a hint to the Twelve that the Parousia would not come as soon as they might expect. . . . But this long time surely implies two things: the delay thoroughly tests out the faithful, and at the same time it gives the unfaithful a long period to repent and to amend.”
In addition, we will be given time to perform those tasks that our Lord would have us perform in order to further the Kingdom, using the talents that He has given to us.
There is a problem, however, with how the third servant characterized the Master, who is Jesus. The servant said that the Master is “a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”
Can this really be true about Jesus? Have we ever seen this kind of behavior from our Lord? No. This was only that servant's opinion, but the servant can't possibly know. He can't read His heart. Worse, the servant is a liar, who mis-characterized the character of the Lord in order to cover his failings. Dr. Lenski wrote:
Instead of defending himself against this treacherous slave's slanders his master turns the tables on him and convicts him out of his own mouth and shows him that he is basely lying and is pronouncing his own condemnation.” Lenski, p. 986.
More on this fellow a little later.
2. How do we handle the interim?
Use the gifts we've been given. Don't bury them in a hole! Especially because there will be a lengthy amount of time before the Lord returns, there is time to strengthen our faith. Where we are weak, He is strong. This length of time, further, shows us His forbearance and His patience. We are being given the time to use the talents that He has given us in order to build the Kingdom.
Beth shared some great information with us from the book titled The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, by Alfred Edersheim (March 7, 1825 – March 16, 1889), a well-educated Jewish convert to Christianity, who became an ordained minister and respected Biblical scholar.
In this parable, He gives to each according to the capacity of that person, in proportion as He deemed that person qualified for larger or smaller administration. Upon His return, He will claim His own. He will require us to give an accounting. All that we have – our time, our money, opportunities, talents or learning (and not only the Word) – all of these are Christ's, and He has entrusted these talents to us, not for our custody, but to use during the absence of the Master to further progress His Kingdom.
What each of us has is not ours, and we will receive no credit or reward. What we have has been given to us by Christ, and He will require an accounting. Any increase is not our increase, but Christ's increase.
Dr. Buls wrote:
“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.”
We see this same thought in 1 Corinthians 12: 11: "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (NKJV).
3. Who initiates this whole transaction?
Jesus. So, as Edersheim noted, since these gifts were originally from God, therefore even the increase is His.
When we look at this parable, the first thing to note is:
He gave, He gave, He gave.
4. Can there be more sweet Words from our Lord's lips than verse 21 and 23?
‘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!’
We cannot imagine a greater praise. Note that He said, “good and faithful” servant, not perfect servant or successful servant or rich servant. The issue here is faithfulness! Revelation 2:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2.
And what joy we will have, sharing with the Master in His happiness. Dr. Buls observed that “Lenski rightly calls attention to 1 Thessalonians 2:19 at this point. There Paul says: 'For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?' (NKJV) Yes. The day of accounting for the faithful child of God will be a day of joy and rejoicing.”
And note that the same exact language is used by our Lord in recognizing the faithfulness of both the first servant and the second servant, even though the results that were obtained were different, which leads us to our next question:
5. Why does one man earn more but still get the same reward?
Both used what they were given. The measure is faithfulness, not the amount returned. Dr. Edersheim observed: “As each had received according to his ability, so each worked according to his power, as good and faithful servants of their Lord. If the outward result was different, their labour, devotion, and faithfulness were equal.” Dr. Edersheim had these additional notes concerning the second servant:
And we can understand, how the Master welcomed and owned that servant, and assigned to him meet reward. The latter was twofold. Having proved his faithfulness and capacity in a comparatively limited sphere, one much greater would be assigned to him. For, to do the work, and increase the wealth of his Master, had evidently been his joy and privilege, as well as his duty. Hence also the second part of his reward, that of entering into the joy of his Lord, must not be confined to sharing in the festive meal at His return, still less to advancement from the position of a servant to that of a friend who shares his Master's lordship. It implies far more than this: even satisfied heart-sympathy with the aims and gains of his Master, and participation in them, with all that thus conveys.
6. Can there be any more painful Words than verse 26?
“You wicked, lazy servant!”
No. From this, O Lord, deliver us!
We were reminded of the words from Ephesians 2:8-10:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We Protestants like to quote verses 8 & 9 – yes, we are saved by grace – but are often shy about quoting verse 10, for fear that some might think that we are boasting about our good works. This is a misreading of the verse. The phrase “ for we are God's handiwork” can also be translated as “for we are God's artwork.” And the last portion of that verse means that Christ Jesus created us to do good works that He prepared in advance for us to do. So, the good works that we do are those that Christ bids us to perform. And the goodness is not ours, in the same way that the talents are not ours, but Christ's alone!
There are many tasks that need to be performed to create and maintain the Kingdom. We are the ones called as the workers in this vineyard. In order to successfully accomplish those tasks, He has given each of us certain talents, some more and some less. It is our job to use the talents that Christ has given to us in order to successfully complete the tasks that He has prepared for us in advance. If we do so, we will receive that ultimate application of “good and faithful servant” and we will be invited to “Come and share your master’s happiness!” Or not.
Helen Keller is quoted as saying “True happiness is not attained through self gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
The Lutheran Study Bible noted:
Our relationship to God and the world is one of stewardship. We are to use everything entrusted to us in such a way that it benefits God's kingdom. Though modern people often have far more material and technological means than any previous generation, they often use these tools selfishly. An unfailing promise attaches to faithful stewardship: if we use the things entrusted to us for God and His purposes, we will be blessed here and in heaven. LSB, note 25:14-30, p. 1639.
The same computer can be used to teach and preach the Word of God, or it can be used as a tool for many varieties of sin and hatred.
7. What about the fact that at least this man did not lose the Master's money?
There is no virtue in a sin of omission. Dr. Buls observed: “He is not accused of sins of commission but sins of omission, not of evil works but of dead works, not of wrongs committed against God and neighbor but of right things which he failed to do.” The Apostle James noted “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17).
And as our Lord pointed out, the servant could have deposited the money with a banker and at least earned some interest on the deposit.
Dr. Edersheim wrote:
The prominent fact here is, that he did not employ it for the Master, as a good servant, but shunned alike the labour and the responsibility, and acted as if it had been some stranger's, and not his Lord's property. In so doing he was not only unfaithful to his trust, but practically disowned that he was a servant who had received much, two others are introduced in the Parable, who had both received comparatively little, one of whom was faithful, while the other in idle selfishness hid the money, not heeding that it as 'his Lord's.'
This servant – and he is a member of our community, not an outsider – is demonstrating that kind of hollow faith that “talks the talk,” but does not “walk the walk.” He comes within the understanding of this additional observation from the Apostle James: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17)
We recognise here those who, although His servants, yet, from self-indulgence and wordliness, will not do work for Christ with the one talent entrusted to them, that is, even though the responsibility and claim upon them be the smallest; and who deem it sufficient to hide it in the ground, not to lose it, or to preserve it, as they imagine, from being used for evil, without using it to trade for Christ. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
Several agreed that it would have been better to have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all. Jeanne noted that the third sinner was just using this as an excuse not to do anything. Another noted that failure often gives insights that lead to future success.
It's insane to light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Matt. 5:14-15. Our Lord wants us to light that candle and put it on a lamp stand for the whole world to see.
Edersheim distinguished this parable from the preceding parable, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, where the reference was to the personal state of the believer. In this parable, the reference is to the personal work of the Disciples, who are called upon to give an account of their stewardship of the talents given to them by the Lord.
8. What does this section teach us about Hades?
It's real. It is spoken of frequently throughout the New Testament. We might not want it for others (at least for most others), and we surely don't want it for ourselves. The ball is in our court! And if we maintain our faithfulness, we won't be gods or angels, but, we will be heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ in heaven. Romans 8:17. As we shall see in the next parable, we will be counted among the sheep.
We closed with prayer.
Parallel Verses
None. However, there is this similar parable from the Gospel of Luke:
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.