Use It Or Lose It: Biblical Stewardship and the Parable of the Talents

It was 2 days before Jesus' crucifixion when He spoke this parable. Consequently, He used this opportunity to drive home the truths He most wanted His disciples to remember. On His list of top-priority issues was stewardship. More than half of Christ's 30 plus parables deal with the subject of stewardship, emphasizing the eternal implications of our present service for the Lord.

What we have is not ours (25:14). A steward's primary goal is to be found faithful by his master in the usage of those entrusted resources to accomplish the tasks delegated to him (1 Corinthians 4:2). Verse 14 says he “entrusted his possessions to them” (slaves). Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” James 1:17 reminds us that “Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”

What authority does God have to say that I am His steward? Well, the Lord made us, He sustains us, He saved us, He sanctifies us, and He will judge us.

We're given what we can handle (25:15). Each servant received talents (a large sum of money). The word used in verse 18, agryrio, indicated that these talents were silver. Each servant received talents “according to his ability.” Your responsibility is tied to your ability. The master does not give each servant the same amount of talents. Not everyone is gifted in the same way, and that needs to be okay with us.

We must invest what we've been given (25:16-18). There are 3 things you can do with your life. You can waste it, spend it, or invest it. Jesus teaches us that the greatest use of your life is to invest it in something that will outlast us. “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

Jesus makes it clear that the size of the gift is not the important variable. What each servant does with what he's been given is the variable that matters. While the first servant is given more than double what the second servant is given, they are both commended with the exact same words: “Well done, good and faithful slave, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (25:21, 23). The one talent guy was a slacker who went off and buried his blessing (25:18). God judges the third servant not for doing bad things, but for doing nothing. Realize that we have great freedom to spend our gifts of time, energy, and money any way we want.

A day of accountability is coming (25:19). Jesus is coming again, and there will be a day of reckoning. While most of us believe that in our heads, we don't always live with eternity in our hearts. If we thought more about His return, we'd be more focused on making investments that outlive us. “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:10b, 12). Wouldn't it be terrible to be ashamed and unprepared when Jesus comes back? “Now little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming” (1 John 2:28).

What we do with what we have reveals our view of God (25:20-25). The third slave thought of his master as one who expected us to gain a profit where he made no provisions. But God is not a cruel master. He deals with us in grace and with joy, and gives us the means to do that which He expects. The master took away the talent from the wicked slave and gave it to the one who had 10 talents (25:29).

The abundance for the good and faithful slaves included the pleasure of hearing Jesus say, “Well done” (25:21. 23), the honor of ruling with Christ (25:21, 23, 29), and the invitation of entering into Christ's joy (25:21, 23). The worthless slave will be thrown “into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30). This last phrase is used 7 times in the New Testament, always in the context of the final judgment and describing those who are cast into hell. Those who don't know God don't serve Him. A lack of serving may indicate that a person has never been truly converted. The wicked slave lived in the house of the master but didn't know and love the owner.

What talents and abilities do you have? How can you use the unique combination of talents, abilities, and opportunities that God has given you to honor Him and help others? The choices we make now will determine what is waiting for us later.