Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴ “Because it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with 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 appoint 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 appoint 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 sinful and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed 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 Because 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 throw the useless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

investing grace

It is very hard not to get works oriented when thinking about the parables in this chapter. Each of them compares some who will be ready for the Lord’s return with some who will not. Each of them compares what the prepared do with what the unprepared fail to do. So, is there no grace in this message?

Yes, there is grace, and it is best seen right here in the parable of the talents. The master endowed each servant with a gift before he left. When he returned, each was accountable for what he had done with the gift.

All we have or ever hope to have is a gift from the God of grace. This includes our disciples and descendants as well. Those original eight talents represent God’s investment in us, which he expects us to use in investing in others, loving them as our Father does, bringing them into his coming kingdom, showing them how to do the same. Since the Master showed grace to us, we are to invest that grace in the lives of others.

LORD, thank you for your grace – your investment in us. Show us how to invest ourselves in the lives of others in order to gain them for your eternal kingdom.