|
Chapter 75 The Parable of the Talents "For the
kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and
delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went
and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had
received two, he
also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the
earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants
cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents
came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me
five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord
said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy
of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents
beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the
one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said
unto him, Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but
from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast
ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:14-30) This parable, like so many of our Lord's parables, clearly
teaches us that in this world the church and kingdom of God is a mixed
multitude. There are many among the professed people of God, many who have
been baptized in the name of Christ, many who are very confident that they
have a saving interest in Christ who do not know Christ at all. In the
parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and five foolish. Here, among
those who claim to be the people of God and the servants of Christ, two are
represented as being faithful; the other is described as wicked and slothful.
Both parables are intended to remind us that among all the multitudes who
profess to be the people of God, there are but few who shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven. The warnings of Scripture in this regard are abundant both
in number and in clarity (Matt.7:21-23; 13:18-23; 22:14; Luke 13:23-25;
17:32-33; 2 Cor. 13:5). Applicable to All Without question, the parable is applicable to those who
are pastors, preachers and teachers, in the church of God. Some have greater
talents and greater spheres of usefulness than others, according to the
decree of God and by the gift of Christ. Yet, all who are God's servants are
faithful in the place of their calling and in the use of the talents trusted
to them. Be sure you do not miss this: The servant who was faithful over two
talents received the same reward and entered into the same joy as the servant
who was faithful over five (vv. 20-23). The man to whom two talents were
given was not expected to do the same thing as the man to whom five were
given; but both were expected to do what they could with what they had. All
who do what they can with the gifts of grace bestowed upon them are rewarded
as good and faithful servants (Mark 14:8). However,
it would be a great mistake to apply the parable to none but those who are
responsible to teach and preach the gospel of Christ. This parable speaks to
us all. In the day of judgment we shall be held accountable to God for every
blessing, benefit, and privilege he has given us in this world. Talents and Rewards The lord in this parable portrays
the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who gives different talents to his
servants and shall in the day of judgment justly reward each for his use or
abuse of the things committed to his charge. The two servants to whom great
charges were entrusted are represented as making good use of their time and
talents. They were at the coming of their lord approved of and rewarded. The
one to whom less was committed proved himself an unprofitable servant, and was
condemned to utter darkness at his lord's coming. And the talent with which
he was trusted was taken from him and given to the servant who had best used
that which was trusted to him. Robert
Hawker very properly warns, "The rewards given to the faithful servant, must
not be considered in a light contrary to the whole tenor of the gospel, as if
any man merited divine favor." When we have done all, we are still
unprofitable servants. We do not make God a debtor to us by anything we do for
his honor. The Lord God is not moved, or in any way compelled, to bestow his
blessings because of anything a man does that might be called good. And his
blessings of grace can never be restrained by, or withheld from, any because
they are undeserving. — "The gifts and callings of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). The
talents given to the two faithful servants portray the gifts of grace bestowed upon God's elect, by
which they are made faithful. Being gifts of grace, they do not become
meritorious! Both the original gifts (talents) of grace bestowed upon us, and
the increase of grace are God's. — "LORD,
thou also hast wrought all our works in us"
(Isa. 26:12). The
one talent the unprofitable servant received cannot represent anything except
the gift a man has from God's hand by creation, nature, and providence. Grace
is that "good part" which
cannot be taken away (Luke 10:42). But every good thing of nature, both
created and providential, that men enjoy in this world, shall be taken away
from the ungodly when Christ comes again. And all good shall be given to God's
elect. It is written, "All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or
Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to
come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's" (1 Cor. 1:21-23). Seven Obvious Lessons Seven lessons are clearly set before us in this parable.
Certainly there are more; but the following lessons should be obvious to all
who read this parable. 1.
First, this parable shows us how
readily religious men and women wrest the Scriptures to their own
destruction. "Then he
which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou
art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou
hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth:
lo, there thou
hast that is
thine." (vv. 24-25). The
wicked servant described in this parable twisted the Master's sovereignty
into a doctrine that represented him as an unjust tyrant, and sought to excuse
his disobedience and sin by blaming God for it. That is exactly what Adam did
in the garden. He said to God, the real problem here is "the woman thou
gavest me." Many,
attempting to justify doctrines that are clearly contrary to the message of
Holy Scripture, turn to this very passage and wrest the Scriptures to their
own destruction. They would have us to believe that this parable teaches that
God's grace and salvation may be taken away from one who truly has been
saved. Others point to this parable and assert that believers, by diligently
improving God's gifts of grace, earn for themselves a greater degree of
acceptance with God and a greater reward and eternal happiness in heaven. We
do not build our doctrine upon parables. Our doctrine must be built upon the
plain statements of Holy Scripture, not upon parables, illustrations, and
obscure texts. Any honest man will build his doctrine not by piecing verses
and phrases together, but by the plain statements of Holy Scripture. The
clear, obvious message of Holy Scripture is this: "Salvation is of the
Lord" (Jonah
2:9), by grace alone (Eph. 2:8; Tit. 3:5), through faith alone (Rom. 3:28,
31; 4:16), and in Christ alone (Rom. 3:24-26; I Cor. 1:30-31) Wherever
there appears to be a conflict between the obvious and the obscure, we must
always interpret the obscure by the obvious. Only
dishonest men will ignore the obvious, plain statements of Holy Scripture,
and interpret the Scriptures by pointing to imaginary proof texts, found by
diligently searching a concordance, or digging out a minute rule of grammar
in the Hebrew or Greek text to validate their doctrine. Such self-serving
teachers are not to be followed or even heard. They cannot be reasoned with,
because they will not bow to the authority of the Word of God. Their
authority is the traditions of men, held forth in creeds, confessions,
catechisms, liturgies, and historic church dogmas. Our only authority is the
Word of God (Isa. 8:20; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). And you do not need to know Hebrew
and Greek to understand God's Word. He has providentially given it to you in
your own language, and has done so in simple, easily understood words. 2.
Second, we are here taught that the Lord
Jesus Christ is the sovereign Master of all things; and that all men are his
servants. — "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a
far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods" (v. 14). Here
our Lord Jesus calmly speaks of his death and all the sorrow and suffering he
must endure to save us as a well planned long journey, a journey which he was
determined to take. And he describes himself as the sovereign Lord, Master,
Owner, and Possessor of all things. The servants are his, the bad as well as
the good (2 Pet. 2:4). The goods are his. And the kingdom is his. 3.
Third, this parable teaches us that all
men have received certain talents from the Lord, with which to serve him. —
"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to
every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey" (v. 15). Anything
given to us by which we may glorify God is a talent given to us to use for
him. The word "talent," as it is used here, does not refer to special abilities, but to any
ability or opportunity by which we may glorify our God. Our gifts, our money,
our health, our strength, our time, our knowledge, our senses, our memory,
our affections, our privileges, even our families, all are talents loaned to
us by God. And we are responsible to use them all for God. All
these talents are given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, not according to our
ability, but according to his ability. The words, "according to his
several ability,"
do not refer to the servants' ability, but to the Master's ability. The
talents he gives determine our ability (Psa. 68:18-19; Eph. 4:8-11). 4.
Fourth, our Lord shows us that many who
profess to be his servants terribly abuse the talents he gives them. — "But
he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's
money" (v. 18). This
man represents many in the visible church. They do not use their talents for
evil. They are not adulterers, murderers, or riotous people. They simply hide
their talents. Rather than using the opportunities God has given them to
know, worship, serve, and glorify him, they neglect them. Does this man
represent you? He represents anyone who has a Bible, but does not read it. He
represents anyone who has opportunity to hear the Word of God, but chooses
not to hear it. He represents anyone who uses his powers, abilities, and
talents for sensual pleasure, rather than the glory of God. If
this man's behavior is representative of you, then Daniel's words to
Belshazzar must be addressed to you, too. "The God in whose hand thy
breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified" (Dan. 5:23). Daily you rob God,
using what he has given you to honor him for yourself. 5.
Fifth, we are again taught that, when
our Lord comes again, there will be a great day of reckoning with God. —
"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with
them" (v. 19. Soon
we must meet God before the Great White Throne in judgment. We shall all give
account before him of every privilege that was granted to us, and of every
ray of light that we enjoyed. In that great day we will be dealt with as
accountable and responsible men and women. And to whomsoever much is given,
of them much will be required. Be wise and remember this. Live every day in
the prospect of that great day. Let us "judge ourselves that we be not
condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11:31-32). "After
this the judgment"
(Heb. 9:27). What solemn words those are! There is a day coming in which God
shall judge all men. Every man will be judged according to exact truth,
righteousness, and justice. The standard by which we shall be judged is the
holy law of God himself. We shall be judged according to the books of God, in
which are recorded all our earthly thoughts, words, and deeds (2 Cor.
5:10-11; Rev. 20:11-12; Matt. 25:31-46). In that great and terrible day of
the Lord everyone will receive exactly what is justly due to him. None will
be punished who do not deserve to be punished. And none will be received into
heaven's eternal glory who do not deserve to enter in. Those who are found
guilty of any sin, or infraction of God's holy law, shall be cast into hell.
Those who are perfectly holy, holy as God himself, shall enter into heaven
(Ps. 24:3-4; Rev. 21:27; 22:11). In
that day the Judge of all the earth, who must do right, will do right. He who
sits upon the Great White Throne will not show any lenience, partiality, or
favoritism. He will not bend his law. At the bar of God there will be no
mercy and no grace. The judgment seat is not a place of mercy. It is a place
of strict, unbending, unwavering, immutable justice. Only the facts will be
considered when we stand before God. Guilty or not guilty, righteous or
unrighteous, holy or unholy, these will be the only matters of consideration
in that day. — "Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good
shall be repayed"
(Pro. 13:21). — "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:20). He that "hath
done that which is lawful and right shall surely live" (Ezek. 33:16). God will by no
means clear the guilty. And he will not punish the righteous. In
the light of these facts, most plainly set forth in the Word of God, it is
obvious that the only hope any sinner has of eternal salvation and acceptance
with God is that he might be saved by the infinite merits of an able,
all-sufficient Substitute. And that substitute is the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of God! Christ, by his precious blood, has completely washed away the
sins of his people, so that they are no longer recorded in the book of God's
law and justice against us (Isa. 43:25; 44:22; Jer. 50:20). And his righteous
obedience to God is imputed to all who believe on him, making us worthy of
eternal life (Rom. 5:19; Col. 1:12). Again, I say, let us "judge ourselves
that we be not condemned with the world" (1 Cor. 11:31-32). 6.
Sixth, this parable shows us that in
the day of judgment all true believers receive the same joyful, abundant
reward from their Master. "His lord
said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter
thou into the joy of thy lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents
beside them. His lord said unto
him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of
thy lord" (vv. 21-23). Every
faithful servant of Christ, that is to say, every believer, every sinner
saved by his grace, washed in his blood and robed in his righteousness shall
hear the Savior say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Perhaps
you think, "How can that be?" The answer is as simple as it is glorious.
Christ's obedience to God is our obedience. Just as he was rewarded for our
sins, when our sins were made his at Calvary, so we shall be rewarded for his
righteousness, which has been made ours by his grace. The glory he earned by
his obedience unto death for us (John 17:5), our Savior has given to us by
his grace (John 17:22). And we shall possess it with him. In that great day
he will say to every saved sinner, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" 7.
Seventh, our Lord once more shows us that
in that great and terrible day of reckoning every unprofitable servant will
be cast away and condemned by the Son of God. "His lord
answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest
that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my
coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent
from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be
given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken
away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vv. 26-30). In
that great and terrible day every condemned soul will acknowledge that his
damnation is fully deserved. Each will be judged by the things that he now
knows, but will not obey. As he casts the wicked into everlasting hell, the Judge
will say, — "Thou knewest!" You
and I are the stewards of God. Let us be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:2), using
what he has put in our hands for the glory of his name. |
|