Day 20. (Matthew 25:14-30)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22 "The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'

23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24 "Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 "'So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

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You may remember that Southern had a fundraiser last year based on the Parable of the Talents.  As a church community we prayed and asked God to help us:
·         multiply our finances
·         multiply our faith, and help us discover more about our gifts and talents
·         multiply our connections within our community and neighbourhood

This parable speaks to me about multiplication.  But God's mathematical framework is not the same as ours.  We would assume the man who returns 5 talents is more 'successful' that the man who returns 2.   But It is fascinating to see that the man with 5 talents and the man with 2 talents received exactly the same reward from the Master.  This indicates that the reward is based on faithfulness, more than the actual results achieved.  This parable shows that God is interested in our faithful response to what He has given us.

From the time of the creation of mankind, each individual has been entrusted with resources of time and material wealth.  The modern meaning of the word "talent" refers to our natural, or God-given, gifts and abilities.  God has entrusted each individual with unique gifts and abilities..  Everything we have comes from God and belongs to Him. We are responsible for using those resources so that they multiply in value.  As Christians, we are accountable to the Lord for the use of His resources.

Today, think about the gifts and talents God has given you and spend some time expressing your gratitude.  What will you do today with the resources He has entrusted to you?  Let's not waste opportunities. Remember that God is interested in our faithfulness in these things.

(Sue Dean)