Matthew 25:14–30

¹⁴"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰And 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.' ²¹His 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.' ²²And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' ²³His 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.' ²⁴He 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, ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' ²⁶But 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? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Mat 25:14 ESV)

"Explain the meaning of this parable," was often the question the disciples asked Jesus. This particular parable is not hard to understand. The master who went away for a time is Jesus. The servants he left in charge of his property are the church, you and I. That is, the visible church, those who call themselves Christians. The absence of the master is the time from the Ascension of Jesus until he returns at the end of the age. What the servants did with the property left by the master is what Christians do during the time from their baptism until Jesus returns. This parable is about our life as Christians in this world. Being a child of God is not just about where we go when we die. It is about how we live and what we do in the 10, 20 or 50, or 100 years we are living in this world.

The life of a Christian is a life of service to Jesus from our Baptism until his return. Faith in Christ is our way of life. You see, faith is not merely thinking, "I believe." Faith is not just agreeing with certain doctrines or believing a set of facts. Faith is being transformed to love and serve God and neighbor. Many confuse faith with knowledge of the facts. Well, Satan also believes in Jesus, and he trembles in fear of judgment. C. F. W. Walther says, "True faith is when your whole heart is seized by the gospel and comes to rest in it. When that happens you are transformed and cannot help but love and serve God."

That's exactly what we see in the lives of the first two servants. They knew the master as a good and generous man. They rejoiced when the master put them in charge of his property. To them, there was no greater honor; no greater glory than to be entrusted with the property and household of their wonderful, good and kind master. They knew that they were entirely unfit for the task, and that it was out of sheer grace and generosity of the master that he entrusted his property to them.

And so it is for us. Jesus has left us in charge of his property, his kingdom. We are not worthy of it. We have not earned it. In fact, we are unfit for the task. We often get if wrong and do the wrong things. But he so good and generous that he has given us the highest honor and greatest glory by allowing us to be stewards of his property. Again, Walther says, "God plants, manages, extends and sustains his kingdom, not directly, but by means of men who are altogether unfit for the task. What a huge thing, not only to marvel at, but also to rejoice in the fact that God wants to use you as tools of his grace." God plants, manages, extends and sustains his kingdom through the things he has left you in charge of.

He has given his church properties, finances, buildings, skills, talents, and time. All these he has entrusted to you for the purpose of extending and building his kingdom. You have been entrusted with the Word of God so you can proclaim his gospel to sinners and bring them into God's kingdom. You have been entrusted with God's forgiveness so you can forgive your neighbor who sins against you. You have been given love so you can give God's love to your spouse, your children, your neighbors, and even your enemies. God has entrusted you with children so you can raise them in the fear of God and the discipline of the Lord. You have been entrusted with employment so that through you God can answer the prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread," to sustain your family and help your neighbor in need. You have been given property and possessions so that through you God can help others and serve them when they are in need. This is stewardship; using what God has entrusted you with to serve others; to build his kingdom; to save the souls of sinners. To alleviate suffering, to lift up the poor, the weak, the defenseless. To befriend the orphan and widow, to rescue the oppressed and abused. To shelter the homeless. To feed the hungry.

St. Paul says, "Labor, doing honest work with your own hands, so that you may have something to share with anyone in need." That is the Christian work ethic. That is true stewardship. That is what the first two servants did. And by doing that, they demonstrated their faith in Christ.

And what a privilege it is! There is no greater honor! No greater joy. "What a marvel, what a huge thing! Rejoice in the fact that God wants to use you as tools of his grace."

Serving those in need is the treasure God gives you. The world considers treasure to be our possessions, our money, our jewels, our cars and homes and property. But the true treasure from God is serving others. It is sharing your faith in Christ with someone; forgiving the sins of someone who hurts you, bringing someone to church to hear God's word. Our treasure is the love we share with others. It is touching the lives of the homeless, the foster child, the elderly, the lonely, these are your treasures. Giving love to your wife or husband; disciplining your child; teaching him to know and love God, these are your treasures. Being a faithful and reliable employee; selling a product to a customer; putting food on someone's table and supplying his needs, these are your treasures. Our true treasure is not what we have, but what we give to those in need. That is stewardship of the master's property. This is vocation.

But the master had another servant. He buried the property of his master. He hid it so it would not be lost or stolen. He wanted to preserve it instead of using it for the good of others and to build the master's kingdom. He was self-focused. He was concerned only for himself. He did nothing with his master's property except hide it and keep it for himself.

He is us when we do not use the things of God for the service of our neighbor. He is us when we do not spread the gospel and bring others to the church so they can receive God's forgiveness and salvation. He is us when we fail to use the things that belong to God for the building of his kingdom, and instead preserve it, lock it up and keep it away from others. He is us when we refuse to forgive the one who sins against us. He is us when we fail to love our neighbor; fail to help one in need; fail to help an orphan or abandoned child. He is us when we fail to feed the hungry or shelter the homeless. That servant does not receive the treasure. That servant lacks honor. That servant does not have true faith in Christ, and his lack of faith is shown by not serving others. That servant sees the master was a hard man, demanding, judging. He does not know Christ's gracious love and mercy.

Then one day the master returned and he called his servants to give an accounting of what they had done with his property. He held them accountable for their stewardship of his household.

Yes, there will be a judgment. We will be held accountable to God. Today political correctness redefines God. The world imagines that God is not to be feared. The American god is all-loving. He would not do any harm to anyone. Instead of repentance, this god calls for tolerance. Instead of forgiveness, he offers acceptance. After all, nobody's perfect and God is love. People in our world imagine they can stand before God with all of their sins and will be accepted for who they are and tolerated for what they have done. But such a god is a figment of the imagination.

When the master returns there will be an accounting of all we have done. There will be judgment. For that last servant there was eternal darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth. He did not receive the treasure, rather it was taken away and given to others. Why? Because he failed to be a good steward? No! But because he did not have true faith. His failure as a steward merely shows his lack of faith. Our failure to love and serve our neighbor in need is in itself forgivable. There is forgiveness for the sin of not helping our neighbor, but there is no forgiveness for lack of faith. There is only eternal darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The other two servants were not perfect. No one is. But their master was a generous and gracious man. We know Jesus by faith. We know Jesus as a forgiving and loving God, and for that reason we strive all the more to serve. Not to get treasures, but because we have the treasure already. We have the treasure of Jesus Christ on the cross who did serve his Father perfectly. Of Jesus Christ on the cross who loved his neighbor perfectly and served him completely. We have the treasure that the love of Jesus counts for us as if it were our love.

So when our master returns, and we give account of all we did, in spite of our many failures the service of Jesus will count for us in our place. So to you who have faith in Jesus, he will reply, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master." Not because your service is perfect and complete, but because of your faith. Faith that is counted for righteousness. Faith that credits Jesus' good works and love to your account so that you will be judged on the basis of Jesus' good works and love for God and neighbor. On that day God will say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master."

Amen.