24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
The unfaithful servant offered an excuse as to why he did not make money with his lord’s money.
25:24
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
The third slave did not make his lord profit but offered an excuse for not producing money with his resources. His excuse was to transfer blame to the master! What unabashed impudence! He even charged his master with being a hard-nosed, harsh businessman. This slave even accused this businessman of earning money on the backs of others; that is, he accused his lord of exploiting others! He was blind to the fact that his lord wanted him to experience wonderful joys. This is a picture of the non-believer’s view of the Lord.
There are many people who will blame God for their own lack of faith. This servant was like many today who blame those who produce capital.
25:25
And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
The third servant operated on fear. Fear always distorts and destroys the work of God. Attempt nothing and it will lead to nothing. It is nothing ventured, nothing gained.
25:26
“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
The lord’s scathing reply falls into three categories corresponding to the two faithful servants:
Stern characterization of the faithless servant—“wicked” and “lazy.”
The lord charged the unfaithful servant with timidity—should have reaped and deposited the lord’s money.
The fate of the lazy servant (faithless) has a double pain—loss and suffering.
The master pronounced his verdict on this faithless servant. The servant was “wicked” in that he twisted the master’s character. The master characterized this servant as “lazy,” indicating lack of faith in him. Fear and laziness go hand-in-hand.
25:27
So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
The lazy servant did not use the opportunity that his master presented him. No wonder he did not anticipate the master’s return. His business was more important that his master’s business.
This servant represents those who do not look for Jesus at the Second Coming; they are unbelievers.
PRINCIPLE:
There is satisfaction in a life lived for the Lord, a life free from fear.
APPLICATION:
Many Christians live useless lives that do not count for eternity. They are more concerned about me, myself, and mine. This kind of thinking goes to what they think of their Lord. He and His program are irrelevant to them. They have little regard for His person or work. Our excuse becomes our reason for not serving Him.
Fear paralyses our service. It will cut the nerve of dynamic service for the Lord. There is no excuse in saying, “God’s challenges are too great for me.” God always makes a way for those who are willing to trust Him.
Fear is the reason many do not embrace the finished work of Christ on their behalf as well. They cannot bring themselves to trust the Lord as their Savior.
Dr. Richison,
In your comments of 25:27 You state "This servant represents those servants who do not look for Jesus at the Second Coming; they are unbelievers." In Application you begin with "Many Christians…" and your last line "They cannot bring themselves to trust the Lord as their Savior" is a reference to unbelievers, and the sentence before that applies to unbelievers however I think it also applies to believers. For how can I as a believer trusting Jesus as my Lord and Savior truly embrace Christ's finished work if I don't do what he has called me to do, that being His will, not mine. Don't I then become the lazy servant, and never experience the Joy?
By my understanding this lazy servant could represent both believers and unbelievers.
I am more inclined to believe Jesus was talking about believers and their use of what He has given us and as we use what He has given more will be given to us, Matthew 13:12. For those who truly desire will ask, seek & knock; Luke 11:9,10.
The lazy servant I believe is a believer who is as you have commented in the Application portion narcissistic, self seeking, they may even be believers who have walked with God so long they forgot there was a race or have lost heart. For in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." This verse seems to me to elude to the fact that a believer who loses heart will not reap and has therefore become a lazy servant. This servant would then be cast into outer darkness as is the judgement in 25:30 and therefore seperation from God.
So while we do not gain salvation by works but by faith and belief in Jesus having died on the cross and conquering death and taking our sins away. It surely does appear that we can lose our salvation by not investing our "Ministry Capital" as the lazy servant did and was therefor cast out.
I appreciate you taking your time in reading and responding to this. I therefore thank you in advance Dr. Richison
Sincerely, thirsty for knowledge, Chris McILroy, your brother and servant in Christ
Chris, with you I believe that a passage like this can be applied to a Christian but we must distinguish between interpretation and application. As they say in hermeneutics, interpretation is one but application is many. In the argument of Matthew the Lord gives 5 public discourses. The Olivet Discourse (24-25) has to do with the future. In this particular passage the argument is about the coming judgment of the national Israel when the Lord returns. Israel is depicted as the 10 virgins in the earlier part of the chapter (vv.1-13). The judgment on Gentiles deals with the sheep and goats which will occur when the Lord returns (25:31-46). Thus, the argument of chapter 25 is about separation, true Israel from false Israel, true Gentiles from unbelieving Gentiles. The unbelieving are cast out in utter darkness.