Sunday, January 21, 1996
The Coming Day of Reckoning
Matthew 25:14-30
(see also Luke 19:11-27)
By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.
Copyright © 1996 by P. G. Mathew
The parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30 teaches
us about the coming day of reckoning for all people. Jesus told
this parable to his disciples right before he went to the cross
to die for the sins of the world. He knew that on the third day
he would rise from the dead, later ascend into heaven, and be
seated on the right hand of God. He knew he would return to the
earth a second time in glory and power to usher in the kingdom of
God in its full manifestation and exercise his kingship. At that
time everyone will submit to him and his disciples will be judged
by him according to the service they have rendered to him.
A similar parable, the parable of the minas, is found in Luke
19:11-27. Both parables teach the responsibility of Christ's
disciples to serve him during the time of his absence from the
world, before he comes again. There are three points I would like
discuss from this parable: first, trust, meaning entrustment;
secondly, trade; and thirdly, the test.
The Master's Trust
In the parable of the talents we are told about a master who was
going on a long journey and who would return only after a long
time. In Luke 19:11 we read about some disciples who thought that
the kingdom of God was going to come in its full manifestation
immediately. Jesus told them the parable of the minas to teach
that it would not happen right away. Similarly, the parable of
the talents tells us there is going to be a long period when
Christ is absent from this world before he comes again.
The master entrusted his property to his servants so they could
do business with it in his absence and thus increase it for him.
He did not make his distribution arbitrarily, but based it upon
his understanding of each servant's abilities. One servant
received five talents; another, two; and another, one.
In Bible times a talent was a unit of weight, weighing between
fifty and eighty pounds, depending on the country. It could be
the highest unit of money, depending on whether it was made of
copper, silver or gold. Some talents were valued at about six
thousand denarii, worth twenty years' of one's labor. A mina, on
the other hand, was only worth about one hundred denarii, three
months' labor. In Matthew 18:23 we read about a master who
forgave a debt of ten thousand talents, which was a very huge sum
of money, which symbolizes the cost of our salvation.
These slaves, like all slaves of the time, understood that their
master's will was for them to trade and make profit for him. Wall
Street loves this parable because it promotes capitalism and
doing business for profit. However, the essential teaching of
this parable has nothing to do with making money, but rather,
with doing the will of God diligently during Christ's absence.
What Is the Trust?
What did the master, Christ, entrust to his servants? First, if
we are Christ's servants, he entrusted us especially with the
gospel of salvation. Christ's death on the cross in behalf of
sinners produced this gospel. Paul referred to this entrustment
in 1 Timothy 6:20, "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted
to your care," and 2 Timothy 1:14, "Guard the good
deposit that was entrusted to you. Guard it with the help of the
Holy Spirit who lives in us." The gospel of salvation saves
us, and the moment we are saved, we are entrusted with the gospel
to do business with it.
What else does God entrust us with? We are entrusted with the
Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 we read, "Now to each one
a manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."
We are given grace as an entrustment, as we read in Ephesians
4:7, "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ
apportioned it." We are given gifts. In Romans 12:6 Paul
says, "We have different gifts according to the grace given
us." In 1 Peter 4:10 Peter says, "Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms."
Why does God give us this entrustment? We are to serve God by
serving others with the gospel and with the various spiritual
gifts God has entrusted to us. The purpose of the Christian's
life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Many
misunderstand this and think the purpose of the Christian life is
to serve and please ourselves. But self-serving servants will not
bring profit to Christ when he comes. Such servants, by their
self-serving, will prove themselves false Christians.
God saved us so that we could serve him as Lord and Master. That
is what "Jesus is Lord" means. He has entrusted us with
the glorious gospel; given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, who
has distributed to each one of us spiritual gifts; and given us
natural talents, time, money, and property. We are to serve him
with all of these.
Trading for the Master
How do we serve? We must trade with our entrustment to increase
it and make a profit for our Master. That is what an entrustment
is--it does not belong to you, but to the one who entrusted you
with it. So we must evangelize the world. We must serve the
people of God's church. Paul said, "Woe to me if I do not
preach the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16) He said, "I am under
obligation both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and
the foolish." (Rom. 1:16) All must hear the gospel of
salvation because it alone is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone who believes.
This was the entrustment Jesus Christ gave before his ascension
into heaven: "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." He also said, "You will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth." We are the salt of the earth, and we are to
shine as light in the world, that those who dwell in darkness may
come to see light. Are angels entrusted with this precious talent
of the gospel? No, we are. Cornelius the Gentile was directed to
send for St. Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his
household, that they may hear, believe and be saved. The moment a
person is saved by Christ, he or she is entrusted with the gospel
to do business with it. This is the sole purpose of our lives!
We have to be very diligent in our business for our master. Both
the one entrusted with five talents and the one entrusted with
two talents began to trade with their talents immediately. They
did not say to themselves, "Our master is gone. Let's relax
a little; then we can do business. What's the hurry? He went on a
long journey. He won't be back for a long time. We have time to
do business later." No, these servants set out immediately
to do business for their master. They were diligent, untiring and
hardworking.
Paul is an example of such servants. In the books of Acts and 2
Corinthians you see how he worked diligently so that he could
produce great profit for the one who entrusted him with the
gospel. He said in 2 Corinthians 6:3-10: "Rather, as
servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great
endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings,
imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and
hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the
Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the
power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and
in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good
report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded
as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not
killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many
rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." And in
2 Corinthians 11:23 Paul says, "Are they servants of Christ?
(I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked
much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more
severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I
received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I
was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have
been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers,
in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in
danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the
country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I
have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. .
." and so on.
Paul understood the importance of trading for the Master. In 2
Corinthians 5:10 he said, "For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due
him for the things done while in the body, whether good or
bad." Like Paul, these servants knew their master would
return and settle accounts with them. They knew they had to give
an account to him of their actions. They also knew they were not
their own. They were bought with a price, and therefore they must
serve their master. So they made it their goal to please him.
What was their attitude as they served their master? They served
joyfully. They were grateful for their salvation and loved Jesus
Christ. Their service was not tedious drudgery. In 2 Corinthians
5:14 St. Paul says, "For Christ's love compels us, because
we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
And he died for all that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised
again." When we love someone who died for our salvation, we
labor for that person with great joy and delight. Love is the
engine that makes our works possible. So Paul says, "And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (v. 19)
That is the gospel entrustment. And what does Paul do with that
entrustment? He continues, "We are therefore Christ's
ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We
implore you in Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." This
was his joyous service.
Greater Delay Means Greater Profit
The master was gone a long time, and two of his servants doubled
their entrustments. Investment requires time, and these servants
used this time for greater profit. In Luke 19:13, the master gave
each servant a mina and charged them to occupy, to do business,
until he came back. In the same way, we need to be engaged in the
business of the gospel until Christ comes again. So these
servants were not bored, waiting for their master's return. They
worked earnestly, knowing that the greater the time spent doing
business, the greater the profit.
Paul understood this. As he waited in chains in the Philippian
jail, not knowing whether he would be released or killed, he
wrote, "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean
fruitful labor for me." (Phil. 1:22) He knew he could trade
more for his master while he was alive.
Trading Profits the Servants
This profit from the gospel trading does not just benefit the
Master. The more business we do with this entrustment of the
gospel, the more we ourselves enjoy the blessings of it here and
now. This is a mystery to some people, but the truth is, the
person who is engaged in the serving of Christ is the happiest
person on earth. Why? Enjoyment and service go together. We are
refreshed every time we witness and every time we live for God.
In John 7:37-38 Jesus said, "Whoever is thirsty, let him
come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture
has said, streams of living water will flow from within
him," and these streams are for other people's benefit.
Those who are busy in the work of the Lord also enjoy the
manifestation of God's presence in their souls. They may be in
prison, they may even be about to be killed, but God the Father
and God the Son come into those people's souls, granting them a
manifestation of heaven and an abundance of grace. Jesus said,
"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching." That
means serving God and doing his will. "My Father will love
him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
(John 14:23) That is enjoyment even in the midst of trouble.
The busy servant enjoys life to the fullest in the service of
God. Those who serve themselves with God's resources are the most
miserable people on the face of the earth. Their prayer is,
"Bless us four and no more. Amen" But the busy and
diligent servants are producing great profits for the Lord as
they serve God and witness to the world.
Look at Acts 6:7: "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." You read the same
thing in Acts 12:24 ("But the word of God continued to
increase and spread") and Acts 19:20 ("In this way the
word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.") In the
midst of great opposition, the word of God, which is the gospel,
increased and spread. Over the centuries countless multitudes
have become believers in Jesus Christ because individuals have
traded in the gospel, witnessed to the world, and lived Christian
lives. This is what our master wants us to do in his absence.
The Test Day Comes
There will be a day of reckoning. The long delay of the master
will not only cause true disciples to work hard for the greater
profit of their master, but it will also demonstrate the
falseness of wicked servants. The diligent servants were
motivated to work hard because they believed that the master
would surely come one day. Anticipation of the second coming of
Christ and the settling of accounts on that day should cause us
to be very diligent in our service to God. Additionally, we do
not know when our own departure from this world will come. This
should also motivate us to be diligent in our service to God.
Those who are false believers, those who do not believe in the
second coming of Christ, will not be ready when he comes. They
will also be busy, but they are not busy trading with the gospel.
They are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
planting and harvesting, buying and selling. They are completely
engrossed in the affairs of this world. But the diligent will be
ready. They desire Christ to come so they can show him what his
entrustment has produced by means of their diligent activity.
After a long time the master came to settle the accounts. The man
with five talents came, saying, "Master, you entrusted me
with five talents. See, I have gained five more." This gain
of five more proves that he was a true disciple. Gain reveals the
good works of a believer. If a person confesses Jesus is Lord and
refuses to obey him, his faith is false, and he will have no
gain. His faith will be like the faith of the devil, who believes
and trembles, but never submits to, never obeys, never serves and
never loves God.
The Test Question: Was There Gain?
James said, "Faith without works is dead." (James
2:26). Where there is justification, there will be
sanctification; thus, a person without sanctification is not
justified. The proof of salvation is good works, and
antinomianism, lawlessness, proves the falseness of a person. He
who loves God will keep his commandments. He who is united with
the vine of Christ will produce fruit, more fruit, and much fruit
for the glory of God the Father. The fruitless branch will be cut
off, gathered and burned.
In Romans 2:7 Paul speaks about this day of reckoning: "To
those who by persistence in doing good"--that is, who do
good works, who obey--"seek glory, honor and immortality, he
will give eternal life." And in verses 9 and 10 he says,
"There will be trouble and distress for every human being
who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but
glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the
Jew, then for the Gentile."
God desires our good works. What was God's purpose in
regenerating us and raising us from the dead? "For we are
God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph. 2:10)
God's eternal plan is not that we live for ourselves, but that we
do good works as we serve, love and submit to God. A person who
claims to be a servant of Christ and lives for himself is like
the foolish virgin (Matt. 25:1-13) He is false, and will be
condemned by the Master. The servants who gained for their master
were bold, confident, and rejoicing. They wanted Christ to come!
As we read in 1 John 2:28, "And now, dear children, continue
in him so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed
before him at his coming." We love his coming! We want to
show him what the gospel has accomplished.
The Master's Approbation
When the servants brought the talents they had gained from
trading, the master was pleased and said, "Well done."
That is the benediction from the lips of Jesus Christ. Then he
said, "Good and faithful servant." He was speaking
about the character of these servants. If you are of a certain
character you will do certain things. A wicked person does wicked
things while a good person does good things. The bad tree brings
forth bad fruits; the good tree brings forth good fruits.
Faithfulness is a basis for promotion, so the master said,
"You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things." Who is this master? He was coming as
King of kings and Lord of lords. He had received his kingdom! So
he told his servants that because of their faithfulness in little
things while he was away, he was now appointing them rulers over
many things. Then these servants were told, "Come and share
your master's happiness." The Bible says, "If we endure
with him, we will reign with him. . ." (2 Tim. 2:12) Matthew
25:34 says, "Then the King will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the
world." There is a kingdom prepared for you--the kingdom of
God--which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Servants are promoted to share rulership with the King of kings
and Lord of lords, and to share in the joy of the master. Christ,
we are told, endured the shame of the cross for the joy that was
set before him, and now he shares this joy with his faithful
servants. It is the sharing of his glory to be allowed to be in
his presence, to commune with him. There is no greater joy than
the joy of being in the presence of God.
The Master's Condemnation
On the day of reckoning, the man who received one talent showed
up too, but he did not have any gain. He had hidden his talent in
a hole in the ground and never served his master. He always
professed "Jesus is Lord," but he did not obey Christ
or surrender himself to him. He did not enjoy the gospel. He
never experienced the forgiveness of sin. He was never given
eternal life. He did not enjoy the talent by trading with it. He
hated his master and accused him of being a loan shark, one who
would squeeze blood out of a turnip, an austere, hard man like
the Pharaoh who demanded the same production of bricks without
providing straw (Exodus 5).
His speech revealed the heart of this false Christian. He was
unregenerate. Like Judas, he had no vital relationship with
Christ. He did not love Christ or believe in him. He did not hope
in Christ or in his coming. And he blamed the master for his own
lack of productivity, just as Adam and Eve blamed God for their
sin in the garden of Eden after the Fall. Every false person will
blame God and other people.
This man knew the will of his master, yet he refused to perform
it. He was a foolish servant. His master called him wicked, lazy
and useless. To such people Jesus would say, "I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matt. 7:23)
That is the test, and this Master, Jesus Christ, is coming to
test. His eyes are like flaming fire. He is able to test. He
knows the deep heart of each person. He knows who is false and
who is real. He knows who has vital relationship with him. He
knows who serves and loves him.
The man said he was afraid of this hard taskmaster, Jesus Christ,
but the Bible says in 1 John 4:18 perfect love casts out fear.
Fear is of the devil, and Jesus Christ came to destroy fear by
destroying death and the devil. The truth was that this wicked
professor did not love Jesus, and so he was afraid on the day of
judgment. His talent was taken away and given to the one who had
gained the most. In Proverbs 11:24-25 we read: "One man
gives freely yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but
comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes
others will himself be refreshed," meaning refreshed by the
master when he comes. This is the refreshment of hearing from the
lips of the master, "Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your master! You were faithful in little
but I appoint you ruler over many things." That is
refreshment.
This one was not so refreshed. He is called a wicked, lazy, and
useless servant. He was a nominal Christian. Now let me be very
clear about this: many who say they are Christians are simply
nominal Christians. This man had a form of religion but no real
godliness. He lived for himself and came to poverty. The words he
heard from the lips of Jesus were those of condemnation, not
approbation. What were they? "Throw that worthless servant
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth"!
This man had tried to justify himself to the master, but the
righteous judge, Jesus Christ, condemned him to hell. Read
Matthew 25:41: "Then he [the King] will say to those on his
left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.'" The wicked servant
was serving the devil, and he joined him in hell. Read verse 46,
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the
righteous to eternal life." Eternal punishment! That meant
away from the banquet, away from eternal life, away from the
presence and pleasure of God. "But the righteous to eternal
life."
The wicked servant had served his master, the hard taskmaster,
who is Satan! This man had said that Christ was the hard
taskmaster, but the truly hard master is Satan. He served him all
his life, and he was sent where Satan will be sent, to hell.
Are We Serving Our Master?
Let me ask you: Have you truly repented of your sins, or are you
an antinomian, one who confesses Jesus is Lord but lives like a
devil? Antinomian means to be against the law, a lawless one. If
you have truly repented, you will love God. Ask yourself these
questions: Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your
salvation? Are you faithful with the trust of the gospel? Are you
a witness for Christ? Do you live by his Spirit? Are you trading
the word of his salvation so that others may come to experience
the rich forgiveness of sins found only in Christ? Is the word of
God increasing and multiplying through you? Do people come to
know Christ through you? Are you redeeming the time, not for your
own enjoyment, but for the increase of the gospel?
Soon you will either die or the master will come. Are you looking
forward to his coming with confidence? Do you have an increase, a
gain, to show him? Will he say to you, "Well done, good and
faithful servant! I will promote you and appoint you ruler over
many things. I will give you greater responsibility in my
kingdom"? Will he say to you, "Come, enter into the
eternal happiness of communion with me"? Or will he say
words of condemnation: "You lived all your life for
yourself. You did not love me or serve me; you served yourself!
You are wicked, lazy and useless to me. Out of my sight! Go away
from me--away from heaven, away from eternal life, away from joy,
away from peace, away from the kingdom of God and glory!"
This is serious business. Do you think the Bible is telling the
truth? Throughout world history God has been producing a people
who love him, and he is coming again for those people. When he
comes they will rule and reign with him. But there also will be a
judgment, a day of reckoning, in which we must answer to this
Master, Jesus Christ. Will we pass the test?
Let us never think that the purpose of the Christian life is to
live a "good" life and accumulate wealth. When we
confess Jesus is Lord, we are declaring that we have been bought
with a price, and we must serve Christ all the days of our lives.
God has richly forgiven our sins and entrusted his gospel with
us. He has given us grace and the Holy Spirit to carry out his
command to be witnesses in our lives and words. May God help us
to shine as light in our homes and be witnesses to our children,
our neighbors, our city, our country and the world. May God help
us to desire an increase and to faithfully engage in the business
of the proclamation of the gospel. May we have that increase so
that when he comes again we will be confident and say,
"Come, Lord Jesus!" Amen.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
"NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.
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