November 19, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Matthew 25:14-30
Matthew 25:14-30
14 “You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents. 17 In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents. He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’
23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed? 27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest. 28 Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents. 29 Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Just who do you think you are? Well, there are lots of ways to find out the answer to this question. If our district president wants to know something about a pastor he can go to the WELS web site where the pastors have filled out a self-assessment about themselves. You could speak with my wife and she could probably tell you lots about who I am. When you’re in the hunt for a new job you probably fill out a resume in order to share with the prospective employer who you are. Knowing who are you are, what makes you tic, or what abilities you may or may not have, is beneficial. Jesus speaks these words to his disciples just days before his death wanting them to realize who they were, how they were blessed, and how they could use those blessings to serve God. Today the parable of the Talents also gives us all an opportunity to
Audit Your Talents
Generously Your Master Gives
The rich man in Jesus’ story wanted to give his servants an opportunity so he entrusted his possessions to them. We notice that he is not only a rich man, but also generous. The amounts he entrusts to his servants are not small, perhaps 5, 3, and 1 million dollars. And yet he also shows his wisdom alongside of his generosity. He gives to each according to his own ability. He is only going to give each servant what they are able to handle. He does his best to set them up for success. The man was even generous in his response to his servants after his return. He praises them, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” You did the best with what you I gave you! You were faithful, and now I will give you even greater things. You thought I was generous before! My joy is yours; “Come and share you master’s happiness!” They were gifted servants; how generously their master had given to them!
Jesus, your Lord and Master, is generous to you with his spiritual blessings! In Holy Baptism, he adopted you into his family. In his Word and at his table, he continues to assure you he has taken all of your sins away. He gives you called workers to preach and teach his Word. You can worship together freely with brothers and sisters in the faith. How generously your Master has given to you!
But there’s more! Each one of you has been given a unique set of physical gifts. It may be skill in working with your hands—ability in athletics, math, science or language, music or design (PMM). There are hard workers, caring friends, gifted leaders, and willing volunteers. But there’s more! Homes, cars, food, and the time and money you can spend on just having fun! How generously our Master has given to us! Now, in your calling as children of God, you have the privilege to use the generous gifts of your Master.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the personal assistant for a king or movie star? Can you imagine what the interviews would be like? You would be thinking, “How’s my résumé? How do I look? What should I say?” You know they will only take the perfect candidate: one who has the right skills, a compatible personality, and ultimately can get things done. What a privilege it would be to be chosen, but how many of us would really have a shot? Now, what if we were applying for that same position before Master of heaven and earth? We are not the perfect candidates. Sins fill our résumés. Our references can tell of the times we failed to do what we should have. Friends can tell about our lies, cursing, gossip and grumbling. Actually, we were an enemy of the one who is hiring for the position because our “sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7).
How can we expect Jesus, the perfect Master, to be generous toward us? Consider the greatest of his generous blessings! Jesus, the Master of all, “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). He put himself in our place. He replaces our résumé of sin with his perfect life. He washes the stains of sin with his blood. Go ahead and Audit Your Talents and you will realize how Generously Your Master has already Given to You. Once we realize this, then consider how we might faithfully use our talents to in service to Jesus. He teaches you how as you Audit your Talents and are motivated to
Generously Master Your Giving
It should follow that after we realize how truly blessed we are, that we put those blessings to work for him. In the parable, there are two very different responses to the master’s generosity. Two servants are very similar. “20 The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents….22 “The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’” These two sprang into action “at once.” They were faithful. They made the most of their gifts, both their abilities and the money entrusted to them. When the master returned, they considered it a joy to return the profit to their Lord, who says “Well done, good and faithful servant!” And notice what they are commended for! For their faithfulness, not for what they earned!
The third servant is a different story! He was unfaithful. He “went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” This action took more work than just putting it in the bank. For he also lectures his master, “24 “Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’” He has earned nothing because he did nothing with his abilities or the generous gift of his Master. He ought to be afraid!
So what about you? You are a gifted servant of the Master. Have you faithfully and perfectly used the gifts your Master has entrusted to you. I know, most of you do not see yourselves as the five-talent guy. You are just regular people. You have your gifts, but your gifts are small compared to others. That may be true. Most of us are not making millions, will not be on TV, will never fill a concert hall or be a pro athlete. But isn’t it interesting Jesus told the parable the way he did? Why wasn’t the five-talent guy the unfaithful one? He had all the gifts! If he didn’t use them, wouldn’t that have a bigger impact? Maybe, but then each of us could easily say, “What a shame, but I am not a five-talent person! So, I’m sure the Lord is not expecting quite so much of me. It is no real tragedy if I do not use my gifts. I’m sure he won’t notice anyway.
But, Jesus pictures the least-gifted servant as the unfaithful one. Why? Was it because he had fewer gifts to begin with? No. Was it because he used his gifts for some evil purpose? No! He was unfaithful because he did not use his gifts at all. So you may not have as many gifts as someone else, but each one of you is a truly gifted servant in God’s kingdom! Be faithful with what you do have and Generously Master Your Giving. This is what Jesus expects of us. Let our goal be using our gifts faithfully! Or indeed, what gifts we offer to the Lord do say something about our faith in the Lord.
We can’t help but consider the play on words in English. We all have talents, that is abilities—and we all have talents, that is an amount of money. Whether rich or poor the devil tempts us with thoughts like these: “I’ve got an excuse because I don’t have much. Let those with more money support the church’s ministry. My offering won’t make a difference anyway, so why should I bother giving anything to the Lord as a thankful gift for EVERYTHING he has given to me?” Or for those blessed with lots of money: “So what that I have so much money, I’m going to give something! You should really be talking to those who give nothing. I am doing my share to meet the budget and then some!” Don’t fall for these traps, rather remember God is mostly concerned with your heart when you give your offerings. It really turns our gifts to God up-side-down when we think of the “Widow’s Mite” compared to the Old Testament lesson in Isaiah where God was sick and tired of their heartless gifts. Let’s state the obvious: what you give to the Lord says something about your love and trust for the Lord. May we all use our talents/gifts from thankful hearts for all God has so graciously done for us.
Dear friends, whether rich or poor, the questions you need to ask yourself are these: Are you being faithful? What motivates you? Are you giving just meet a budget, to run a church? Or are you giving to your generous Master by returning a portion of the generous talents he has given to you? You know the answers Jesus is looking for: Audit your Gifts and be found Faithfully managing the gifts God has given you. Use your talents to serve the Lord first and enjoy the remaining for your other needs. Have the same priorities as the Master. Let the use of your talents flow from a generous heart, not a grudging one. Consider what a truly gifted servant you are and faithfully use your talents!
When the Master returns he will have a reaction to your use of your gifts. For those who are striving to use their talents faithfully as a response of their faith in Jesus there is an amazing reaction of the Master! Paul says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”(Romans 8:16-17). Cling to the promise, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”(Romans 8:1). For Jesus’ sake God accepts our lives of service as a living sacrifice. We can offer it in joy. Ultimately, he will welcome us into the joy of heaven, but this greatest gift does not come to us because of our faithful service. Rather, it is because of Jesus’ service to us. Scripture is clear, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). And when you have faithfully used your talents to the joy of the Lord, you can humble say with St Paul, “I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” (Acts 23:1).
Just who do you think you are? If you look at my life I’m afraid you’re going to find things like this, “What could have been” or “What I should have done.” But, today in the Parable of the Talents Jesus led me to take an Audit Of My Talents. Now I realize how Generously My Master Have Given to Me. And for Jesus’ sake, I am motivated to Faithfully and Generously Master my Giving. Yes, dear Christian Friends, let us faithfully serve our Lord God, thankful for the perfect audit credited to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.
