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.” (Matthew 25:24-27)

Matthew 25:14-30

Today, we get to the sad but serious part of Jesus’ parable – the part full of caution and forewarning. 

Remember that Jesus was addressing the religious people of Israel, the Pharisees and Scribes. God had given them the invaluable gifts of the Law through Moses, the Temple as a sign of the presence of God among them, and the beautiful promises of how God would bless them and the whole world through the Messiah. But, they had ‘buried these gifts in the ground’, hiding them from the people of God and the world. God’s message of love and generosity was not proclaimed and shared with the people. It was kept only for themselves – the religious leaders. They were not being the ‘light to the nations’ that God wanted them to be. They were not furthering and building his Kingdom but rather their own. They buried their heads in the sand, refusing to accept God’s greatest gift of his Son.

Notice that in the story, this last servant had been given the same type of gift as the first two, but less of it. It was, however, still a fortune – 15 years’ worth of pay. He has something to work with!

The master had the same expectation of this servant as the others: he was to put it to work, somehow use it and produce results. Sadly, this servant dug a hole in the ground and hid his fortune. Then, he idly, worthlessly, and lazily waited for the master’s return. At least he could return the gift when his master got back.

Notice how this wicked servant admits to knowing the master’s nature and expectations. He may have felt overwhelmed and fearful of his master or misunderstood the purpose of his master’s generosity. Still, he had good examples of the other servants’ conscientious, hard work to follow. The Master pointed out that even if he was naturally lazy and wicked, he could still have invested the fortune with bankers who would have made it work on his behalf and produced a return. 

What are you doing with it, even if you regard yourself as having little talent?

God wants you to use what he has given you for the business of his Kingdom. Do you see God as a ‘hard man’ who wants results or a generously giving God who wishes you to help establish and promote his ‘business’ here on earth?

Do you accept Jesus as God’s greatest and invaluable gift to you and follow his example and those of his saints in promoting the kingdom?  How does he wish you to do this today?

Reflections by Reginald Venter

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