True disciples are faithful managers of their kingdom responsibilities
The parable of the talents
The parable of the talents, which we read in Matthew 25:14–30, is shocking. Our challenge is to do it full justice and not explain it away.
It only makes sense when we understand what Jesus teaches overall about his true disciples: the result of true, living faith is ongoing growth as a true disciple.
The following parable of Jesus reveals another facet of the kind of ongoing growth that Jesus says is the necessary and inevitable result of being a true disciple of his: true disciples are faithful managers of their kingdom responsibilities.
The parable
In the previous verses, Jesus has been teaching about his Second Coming. Then Matthew 25:14–30 says, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. [15] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
[16] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. [17] So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. [18] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
[19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [20] And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’
[21] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
[22] And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
[23] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
[24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, [25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
[26] But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? [27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
[28] So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. [29] For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
[30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
That severe ending
First, do not let that ending be lost on you. Do true Christians end up in a place described as “outer darkness”? Is heaven a place where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth”? Of course not. So, this can only be hell. And the person called “the worthless servant” can only be someone who falsely believed he was a follower of Jesus, only to discover on Judgment Day he is rejected.
Why the rejection?
He is rejected because his faith was not a living and true faith. True faith in Jesus results in growing obedience to him, and this parable shows that one area of growing obedience will always include the faithful managing of one’s responsibilities received from Jesus.
Those responsibilities are symbolized by the “talents.” In this parable, talents are not human abilities like playing music or excelling in sports, but rather a talent “was a monetary unit worth about 20 years’ wages for a laborer,” according to the notes in my ESV Bible.
Therefore, the three servants in the parable were given huge responsibilities. The worthless servant who did nothing profitable with his single talent squandered what could have been gained by investing $1.2 million (based on an average annual salary of $60,000).
Six responsibilities
What kind of kingdom responsibilities does Jesus give his followers?
In general, the New Testament presents six areas of responsibility.
1. Spiritual gifts and abilities. See Romans 12:5-8.
2. Time. See Ephesians 5:15–17 and Exodus 20:9–10.
3. Money. See Luke 16:10–13.
4. People, such as family, fellow church members, neighbors. See 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Corinthians 12:25.
5. The work of the Lord through his church. See 1 Corinthians 15:58; Colossians 3:23–24; Ephesians 4:11–16.
6. The gospel. See Philippians 4:3 and Mark 13:10.
Wicked? Really?
Another element of this parable that can shock us is the adjectives the master uses to describe the servant who failed: “You wicked and slothful servant!” (ESV) “You wicked, lazy servant” (NIV). My guess is that many Christians would not be ready to describe someone who seriously drops the ball as wicked.
But many verses elsewhere in the Bible agree with this assessment. When asked what the most important commandment is, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This is a commandment, and it tops the list. Ignoring God’s commandments is wicked.
Here are a number of other Scriptures that teach the seriousness of the sin of laziness, negligence, omission, and irresponsibility.
In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
In Luke 12:48, Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”
In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” That is strong language that raises high the standard of a Christian worker. He does not say that they are unfit to do kingdom work; he says they are unfit for the kingdom—period.
In Matthew 12:30 (ESV) Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, if you are not picking the corn and throwing it in the cart, it is as though you are taking handfuls of corn that has already been harvested and scattering it on the ground.
The harmfulness of a slack hand
How can this be? If someone does not pitch in and help, how is it that they are hindering the work of Jesus? Proverbs 18:9 says, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” (ESV)
For example, on a soccer team, if a defenseman is lazy, their opponent will notice that and attack that defenseman at every opportunity, and as a result get quality shots on the goal again and again. The team with one lazy defenseman will lose.
In a car manufacturing company, if one worker on the assembly line is careless, the cars produced could be unsafe, cause accidents and deaths, and require a recall that would cost the company tens of millions of dollars. The company could become uncompetitive as a result and eventually go out of business, resulting in all the employees losing their jobs.
Indeed, “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” (Proverbs 18:9 ESV)
Good stewards
The apostle Paul clearly understood the seriousness of being a steward and manager in God’s sight. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:1–5: “{1} This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. {2} Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. {3} But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. {4} For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”
1 Peter 4:10 commands true believers, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
And finally, probably the most shocking verse of all is Jeremiah 48:10: “Cursed is the one who does the LORD’S work negligently” (NASB20). That is exactly what happened in the parable told by Jesus in Matthew 25.
The error of trusting in our works
How does this harmonize with the gospel of justification by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone? It would be a grave error for people to read this article and conclude they need to work hard to earn their salvation, piling up good works and religious activity to merit heaven. No one can earn God’s acceptance by faithful stewardship and management of God’s gifts.
Ephesians 2:8–10 shows us the relationship between the free gift of salvation and our responsibility to be faithful stewards. It says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
So, God created us for good works, but they result from justification rather than being the grounds of justification. Our only righteousness and merit before God is that which comes to us from Christ. But when God regenerates us, he recreates us for the purpose of good works and faithful management of the many resources he bestows on us.
Paul writes in his letter to his protégé Titus: Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works…. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people…. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” (Titus 2:14; 3:8, 14)
What should a negligent believer do?
If you have been failing at your responsibilities before God, what should you do?
It is possible that you have never truly been converted. A true conversion to God includes repentance, surrender, and the full embrace of Jesus as your Lord, so that you abide in his words and follow them.
Then you need to repent of the wickedness of unfaithfulness just as you would repent of any other kind of sin. Do not simply try to do more; rather, confess your sin and trust that Jesus died on the cross for your failure. Then turn away from the sin of laziness and negligence. Commit yourself to be a devoted follower of Jesus. Become a true disciple in every respect. Learn from him daily and weekly by devoted reading of Scripture. Let your faith come alive by doing what Jesus commands. Start loving God with all your might.
This will be a life of greater joy and significance than you have ever known.
