On This Day: The Good, the Faithful, and the Wicked

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

“‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

“‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest… And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (condensed from Matthew 25:14-30)

 

   I’ve included the whole text of this parable at the end of my sharing below. The summarized version above is to show what stood out to me this morning.

   The first thing was realizing that this is a fascinating part of Jesus’ reply to his disciples about their question, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

   The reason I find this so intriguing is that Jesus is still telling his disciples what they need to know about his return and the end of the age beyond what they asked. Their question gave the stage for him to teach them central themes of what was ahead that still apply to us who are Jesus’ disciples today.

   And a really big theme is the adjectives Jesus uses to describe what his disciples ought to be like while awaiting his return. He is more concerned about WHAT we are like in our place in the church and the world than whether we recognize any signs that would nullify his words that “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

   So what’s the point? Jesus wants us to think of ourselves as “servants”. He wants us to be “faithful and wise” instead of “wicked”. He wants us to be “wise” instead of “foolish”. And now he adds “good and faithful” in contrast to “wicked and slothful”. Waiting for Jesus’ return is all about what we are like in Christlikeness! Everything to do with us being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” must be expressed by Jesus’ disciples in every generation through the rest of time.

   To emphasize: we do NOT need to connect the dots between specific prophecies and world events. It is enough that we know the way the world will deteriorate before our eyes (as it is doing), that the church will be under constant attack from false teachers and deceivers, and that there will be kazillions of stories of church folk turning away, betraying and hating one another, and all the hurts and disappointments and griefs that go along with such heartaches.

   But the simple focus is on being faithful, wise, and good instead of wicked, slothful, and worthless. The only sign of Jesus’ appearing will be his appearing. Everyone will know it happens when it happens. We must be the ones Jesus finds pursuing the agapè-love of the kingdom and earnestly desiring the spiritual gifts that will help us serve God’s people in love while we continue holding out the “good news of the kingdom of heaven” to a lost and dying world. And we do this no matter what anyone else is doing because it is “the one who endures to the end (who) will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

 

© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)

 

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25)