The Wicked, Lazy Slave
Matthew 25:14-30
December 9, 2012
As you know we are still studying through this portion of Scripture
Commonly known as “The Olivet Discourse”
The disciples wanted to know from Jesus what the end would be like
And when it would come, this discourse is the answer to those questions.
We have already seen the EXPLANATION portion of the answer.
• The events will start with a great abomination
• Followed by great devastation
• And then great tribulation
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”
It will be the great coronation of the king.
And Jesus assured us that when we see those events
Those alive in that day can be certain that He will return soon.
In fact, He is near, right at the door.
However:
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
So Jesus quickly stressed two things.
It is coming
You don’t know when
The reality of that forces us then to make sure we are presently prepared.
If we don’t know when, but we know it is going to happen,
Then we are fools not to prepare ourselves ahead of time.
And that was the point that Jesus most recently made.
Last week we actually got a good peek at some fools.
(5 of them to be exact)
5 virgins were fools because in their going out to meet the bridegroom,
They took their torch, but they didn’t take oil.
And we learned that they represent those who outwardly profess Christ,
But inwardly have no relationship with Him.
They have religious activity, but they do not have the Holy Spirit.
And so while they are busy making torches,
Those torches will never actually burn.
Well, this morning we get another parable,
And this one is quite similar to the parable of the ten virgins.
We commonly call this one, “The Parable of the Talents”
But, like the previous parable, this issue here isn’t the talents,
So much as it is the wicked, lazy slave that wasted them.
Here, however is the difference.
In the parable of the 10 virgins we have people who are revealed to be either genuine or phony based on their inward dedication.
In this parable of the talents we have slaves who are revealed to be either genuine or phony based on their outward service.
One parable illustrates the importance of loving the Lord,
The other illustrates the importance of serving Him faithfully.
NOW
While we never overlook the necessity of attributes like
faith, love, or hope, we must also never forget that
Christianity is also very practical.
SCRIPTURE EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF BOTH
“BEING” AND “DOING”
• The foolish Virgins tried to “do” without “being”
• The wicked slave tried to “be” without “doing”
A true believer is a union of both.
“He is” and “He does”
So last week we focused on not just going through the motions
Without having the inward reality of oil (Holy Spirit)
This week we focus on not just claiming to have a relationship
With no outward fruit.
Christians are to be both internally genuine and externally evident.
IN SHORT:
Outward service and obedience matters
Outward service isn’t enough if you don’t know Christ,
But you’ll have a tough time proving you know Christ
If you don’t have outward service.
The Christian life is all about serving God.
Take the men of Scripture.
Have you ever noticed what they called themselves?
Romans 1:1 “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus…”
1 Corinthians 4:1 “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”
Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus…”
Paul saw himself as a servant.
In fact, notice what he said about his ministry:
1 Timothy 1:12 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,”
And it wasn’t just Paul:
James 1:1 “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…”
2 Peter 1:1 “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…”
Jude 1 “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ…”
As true believers they saw themselves
First and foremost as servants, slaves of Christ.
They knew their life was all about doing the will of Christ, not themselves.
That is what Christians do.
THEY SERVE CHRIST
WHY?
Service is the most natural response of genuine gratitude.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Remember the woman of ill repute that came to Jesus?
Luke 7:44-47 “Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Service to Jesus is the most natural response of a heart that loves Jesus
And is grateful to Him for what He has done.
Now this service certainly includes what we would call “Kingdom work”
Things like evangelism.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Or things like benevolence.
Proverbs 19:17 “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.”
Or things like hospitality
Romans 12:10-11 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”
But in reality it isn’t just those things.
A true Christian serves Christ in everything he does.
Ephesians 6:5-8 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
The Christian life is the life of service to Christ.
You can’t just make Christianity all about some inward relationship
That never makes itself evident on the outside.
We are here to love Christ,
And that love is to be expressed in our service for Him.
So while the person who involves himself in all sorts of religious activity without knowing Christ (like the virgins) is a sham,
So also is a person who claims to know Christ while involving himself in nothing (like the wicked lazy slave).
There are four things we see in this story.
#1 THE MOMENT OF ASSIGMENT
Matthew 25:14-15
Now it is important that you catch the parameters of this parable.
Of course it is in reference to the kingdom of heaven, like the previous.
But here it is compared to “a man about to go on a journey”
And notice he “called his own slaves”
Now that is important.
• This parable isn’t about the world.
• This parable isn’t about the godless, or the atheist, or the muslim, etc.
This parable is in reference to those
Who have sworn allegiance to the master.
The word there “slaves” translates DOULOS
It is the same word Paul, Peter, James, and Jude used – “bond-servant”
It comes from the Old Testament:
Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”
That is what these guys were.
They were guys that made a decision to stay with the master
And serve him permanently.
These would picture professing Christians.
And so, as the master prepares to leave,
He calls these slaves to give them their assignments.
Here he “entrusted his possessions to them.”
This is that period of assignment.
Now don’t confuse this with the giving of spiritual gifts,
That is not what we are here talking about.
Only genuine believers get spiritual gifts,
And as we’ll see later they aren’t all genuine believers.
This is the assigning of service.
This is in reference to the “church work”
That everyone who desires to be a part of the church must do.
Things like evangelism, benevolence, hospitality, etc.
The master is leaving and he expects his servants to do his work.
Now it is important to note that not all
Were expected to do the same quantity.
(15) “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.”
What we notice is that they were each entrusted with different levels.
And by the way, we have no idea how much money this was. A talent was a weight. If it was gold it was a lot, silver was less, bronze less, etc.
But they were given different amounts,
“each according to his own ability;”
The master knew the slaves, he knew what they were capable of,
And he gave them what he thought they could handle.
You take a guy with a voice like Adrian Rogers…
Or a guy with a mind like John MacArthur…
We see in them as “five talent” type of guys.
Most of us are far more limited than guys like that.
But the point is that regardless of ability,
Each one was entrusted with responsibility.
EVERYONE WAS EXPECTED TO SERVE
• You may not pastor a mega church.
• You may not be president of the Southern Baptist Convention
• You may not be expected to write a commentary series
But, that doesn’t mean you aren’t expected to serve.
The Moment of Assignment
#2 THE PERIOD OF SERVICE
Matthew 25:16-18
Now you noticed in verse 15 that the master “went on his journey”.
Well, obviously the master is Jesus, and the journey refers to
The time period between His ascension and His second coming.
Two did well right off the bat.
(16) “Immediately the one who had received five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.”
The key word there is “immediately”
This man was eager.
Sure he was capable, sure he had ability,
But the main point is that he was glad to do it in service of his master.
And that is also true for the second man.
(17) “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.”
He was also eager to serve.
Now, there is really no issue here
That one made a profit of 5 and the other a profit of two.
The issue is that they were eager, and productive,
And faithful to do what they were intended to do.
That cannot be said for this last guy.
(18) “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
This guy wasn’t enthused.
This guy wasn’t excited.
This guy only wanted to go about his own thing
And forget about his responsibility.
People in that day would bury their treasures to keep them safe
(remember the treasure in the field)
Well this guy just buried the treasure and went on about his life.
He had other things to do, he wasn’t interested in service.
Obviously, that cannot be our attitude.
Christ expects you to be faithful in service while He is gone.
Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Listen to what John said:
1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
The implication there is doing what you are supposed to do
So you can look forward to His return.
And this is how Paul lived.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul couldn’t wait for Jesus to return, he longed for it.
Why? Because he had done what was asked of him
And he knew he would be rewarded.
That is why Paul told his young protégé Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Paul told Timothy to also serve with a view to the return of the master.
That is what we have to do.
I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TALENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO YOU.
The issue is that you serve Christ with everything you’ve got
So that when He returns you will be found faithful.
The Moment of Assignment, The Period of Service
#3 THE SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS
Matthew 25:19-27
And once again we get the return.
(19) “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.”
By saying it took “a long time”, Jesus is implying
That these slaves could have fallen into that same apathetic mentality
Of those 5 foolish virgins.
They had no reason to assume it would happen today,
After all it had been 2,000 years.
But, He did return, just like He said He would.
And He began to settle the accounts.
And first, we have to make sure and see the COMMENDATION
That was given to the two faithful slaves.
(20-23) “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”
Notice their reward had nothing to do with the amount of success,
But rather with the degree of their faithfulness.
He didn’t expect five talents from the second slave,
He only expected the second slave to be faithful.
And that is all He expects now.
He may not be expecting you to write a series of commentaries,
Or be president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
He has those “5 talent” guys for that.
But He does expect you to be faithful with what you do have,
And to serve Him with the best of your ability.
This is a thought I always try to keep in my head,
And something God really impressed upon me one day.
1 Peter 5:1-2 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”
I read that and it hits me that
• God never said I had to pastor a mega-church.
• God never said he would judge me based on the size of my flock.
He said He would judge me based on my faithfulness
To the flock He gave me.
And that I am to serve that flock
Voluntarily, according to His will, and with eagerness.
I just have to be faithful where I am, and with what I have, and SO DO YOU
You may not be a pastor
You may not be a music leader
You may not be a teacher or singer or instrumentalist
But whatever you do have, serve God faithfully with it.
And for those who were faithful, regardless of their results,
Notice what they received.
1) The commendation of the master
“Well done, good and faithful slave.”
That is the desire of every true believer, to hear Jesus say, “Well done!”
2) Greater responsibility
“You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things”
3) More intimacy with the master
“enter into the joy of your master”
But there is a flip side to this story as well,
And that is that lazy slave.
(24-25) “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’”
I hope you picked up on what this guy said.
Not only did he not serve the master faithfully,
But he actually blamed his lack of service on the master.
“I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.”
WHAT WAS HE SAYING?
He was calling his master a thief.
His master gave him a talent to use to gain more talents,
And instead of using it, the slave said,
“This might be stolen, I’d better not do anything with it.”
The reality is he didn’t serve at all.
And the reason is because he didn’t care about the master.
He had claimed to be a servant.
He had claimed to be submissive to the master,
But his actions proved otherwise.
And the master was none too happy.
(26-27) “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.”
The master is not admitting to being a thief, he is merely saying, “If that is what you really thought than you should have at least invested it where I could get interest.”
The reality is that this slave did nothing,
Because he did not care about the master.
Luke 19 gives the parable of the Minas.
They are not the same parable, that one was given before the triumphal entry, but they are similar enough we certainly get the same picture.
Luke 19:23-27 “Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ “Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ “And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’ “I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”
There we get a little more understanding.
The slave didn’t do anything with the money because deep down
He didn’t want to be in submission to the master.
He was actually rooting for the master to fail, or go bankrupt.
That is probably why he buried the money instead of putting it in a bank.
That way when the master failed,
He could go dig it up and keep it for himself.
This man didn’t serve because, despite his claims,
He didn’t really love the master.
And that is a key point.
Those who truly love the master, truly serve the master.
The Moment of Assignment, The Period of Service, The Settling of Accounts
#4 THE RENDERING OF JUDGMENT
Matthew 25:28-30
The first thing Jesus does is totally strip him of all responsibility.
He wasn’t faithful, so he loses opportunity to serve me.
(28-29) “Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
Now, you’ve heard that statement before.
Remember the parables of the kingdom back in chapter 13.
Matthew 13:10-12 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
If you do something with what He gives you, you get more.
If you refuse to do something with what He gives you, then you even lose that.
Jesus was happy to give this man a chance to prove His devotion.
Jesus was happy to give this man a chance to prove His love.
But this man threw His opportunity back in the master’s face,
And the master wasn’t going to give him another one.
Instead this slave received judgment.
(30) “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
That slave got put in the same place as those foolish virgins.
He was thrown out with the hypocrites.
And that is what they both where.
One was busy in service without an internal love for the master.
The other claimed to have love, but had no service.
WHAT IS THE POINT?
Be ready.
HOW?
By not only loving Christ in your heart,
But also by serving Christ with your life.
Service without love profits nothing.
Love without service is fake.
Amy Carmichael said, “You can give without loving, you can’t love without giving”
That is what this man tried, and the master destroyed him.
So last week we talked about the inward reality of your life.
• And I asked you to evaluate yourself.
• Look and see if Christ is in you.
• Look and see if you have the Holy Spirit.
Well this morning I ask you to evaluate yourself once again.
(This time in regard to your service)
Now again, I can’t evaluate you, and you can’t evaluate me.
WHY?
Because neither of us knows
How many talents the Lord gave to each other.
• I can’t judge you based on my scale, because I may have been entrusted with more talents than you.
• You can’t judge me based on your scale, because you may have been entrusted with more talents than me.
All we can do is ask, “Am I serving Jesus with all I have and to the best of my ability?”
• Do I seek to serve?
• Do I seek to share Christ?
• Do I seek to help the poor?
• Am I doing all I can with what I have?
• Am I being faithful to use all my talents, time, abilities, possessions, for the glory of my master?
A true and genuine believer does those things
Because he loves the master more than anything
And he wants to hear well done at the end.
So this morning check yourself again.
• Make sure Christ is in you.
• Make sure you are serving to the best of your ability.
Don’t take a lamp without oil,
But don’t claim to have oil if you refuse to carry a lamp.
Don’t be a wicked, lazy slave, who claims to love the master,
But has no service to prove it.
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
