“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
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.’
“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!’
“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.’
“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!’
“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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“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? 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.
“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
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. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’"
Matthew 25:14-30 NIV
It's funny in our world how there are those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ and to be knowledgeable of Scripture then try to co-opt Christ into a Social Justice movement focused on the redistribution of wealth and say that that is what Jesus Christ was doing. Now don't get me wrong I do believe that we are called to care for the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the poor which he does speak of as you read through Matthew 25, but this parable leads into the next in speaking of caring for the needy and here he gives to the one who has much from the one that has little which would be contrary to those who say that Jesus was for the redistribution of those who have little.
We live in a world that is so focused on getting what "they deserve" that they miss out on the blessing of what it is that they are receiving instead of what they deserve. We are called to care for one another and we are called to invest of what God has entrusted to us in the gifts that he has given us to help the other. It is not about doing things just for our sole benefit or gain or maintaining what we have just so we may appear faithful. One of the greatest excuses I hear from people about why they do not give or why the churches are doing poorly is "Well, the economy is bad." When did the economic situation become the sole factor of our faith. Financially it is true that we may not have as much to share, but that should not preclude us from sharing with one another. The fact remains that we are still in one of the most economically wealthy times in history, we have more wealth even amongst the poor (though the economic divide is increasing between the rich and the poor), and we are the least generous in our sharing of those gifts because we are more fearful of losing what we have then helping others who have less and possibly finding ourselves much richer in the end. When times are tough opportunities abound because needs become more visible. When we are satisfied and content we become blind to possibilities.
The Church has been satisfied and content for a long time and opportunities have been lost, but God is active and busy within His creation and the fields are ripe for the harvest. We are called to step out unafraid of losing what God has entrusted to us and reach out for the possibilities that abound. We may find that some things will not work out, but as we discern the work which God is calling us to we will find that he has prepared for us great things which we will benefit from that others have prepared for us. It is by his hands we are healed and it is in him we find our hope and our salvation. What has God been placing on your spirit to do for him? Don't be afraid, invest and see the rich rewards ahead!
Father, we thank you for the great trust that you put on our hearts. Let us not be fearful of failure, but seek to do your good work to which you call us to. Guide us with your Spirit and lead us in faith. In your name Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
