One, Two, or Five, Use Your Talents Wisel

Lesson from Matthew 25: 14-30

            Jesus told the story of a certain man was going away and left a certain amount of his wealth to three of his servants. The man must have been wealthy because of the amount he disbursed. He gave to each man according to his ability. To one servant he gave five to another 2 and the third one talent. The talent is $1,200 in modern currency or wages for about 15 years. That man was truly wealthy.

 Remember, in those days, men lived from day to day so, to have accumulated wealth amounting to 15 year’s wages, was no trifling matter.  The talents that the man gave did not belong to the servants. It belonged to the man to do whatever he pleased. A man so rich should have many servants, so I wonder why in the story Jesus chose three characters, Usually, Jesus always spoke of pairs- Pharisees and Publicans, , foolish and wise. Jesus is the storyteller and he has His reason for selecting three instead of two. Whatever it was, the men should consider it a chance of a lifetime, not to be taken lightly.

To the 1st man he gave 5 talents, about $60,000 or more. The second servant received about $2, 400. Here Jesus is simply demonstrating life as it is. Some people are gifted in ways that are visible and celebrated in this world while others are gifted in ways that remain quiet and unseen.

At once, the first and second man began trading what they were given. They did not want to lose that chance of a lifetime. They realized that another chance like this one may never come to them again or that the master could change his mind. They made up their minds that they would not allow anything to interfere with their seizing the opportunity. They put their talents to good use.

Probably the first one opened a restaurant, employed other workers and made good profit. The second man may have planted crops, short-term to begin, and made a good profit as well. When the master returned, the men gave him what he had given them plus the profit for the time allotted, another 5 and 2 talents. Let us say if they had opened a restaurant or barber shop or planted a farm; they still had the restaurant, the shop and the farm to continue making more money and profit.

This is how we should grasp what God offers us. He has entrusted His property to you and me. Each one of us receives a gift. We are all called by God. We are all equipped and are expected to contribute. Every gift is chosen by God, and we cannot choose our own gift just as we cannot choose our genes or our family. We are planted here by God. Our mind, our talent, our spiritual gift, our body, our money, our will, are all given by God. The opportunity to use whatever gift we have in the service of God is the chance of a lifetime. The time to respond to Him is now.

The men may have found partners to accomplish their success, but God Himself offers to partner with us in our life. He offers to guide us when we need wisdom, encourage us when we falter, pick us up when we sink, and forgive us when we stray. He offers Himself as the best gift of all.

The third servant fails to play his part, effectively. He takes the gift given him and buries it in a field. This servant forgets a very important fact of life. He forgot that the lord of the gift, the master who gave him the talent was coming back. He forgot that he had to stand before the giver of the gift. There is One before whom we all will stand. One who is loving, gracious, holy and just, but He wants us to understand and remember that we have to give an account of our lives to Him.

The man who buried his talent is the one who received only one talent. Did he feel inadequate, or even envious, that he had only one talent while the others had more? Was he angry at the others or at the master who had so much? In life we realize that some people are gifted in many ways; some may be gifted in ways that are quiet and unseen. Some may feel intimidated by others when they use their talent to the best of their ability and are moving up the ladder of success. Some may have had only one talent and used it so elaborately that it multiplied right before our eyes. They were not afraid to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to improve that talent till it multiplied to the max.

One person’s smile may light up someone’s day but because that person is looking and comparing himself with the one with a good singing voice, he stops smiling. His face becomes hard and distorted. He loses his talent while the singer realizes that he is making people happy by his singing and begins to sing and smile more intentionally. Guess what? The smiling talent has gone to the singer. The smiling individual has buried his talent.

In the story, Jesus wants to make it clear that the size of the gift is not the most important or crucial factor or the issue at all. Whether we have 5, 2 or1 talent is not what counts in the long run. We should not try to compare our talent with anyone else. Comparing will lead to pride and a false sense of superiority. Or even worse, we will discount and bury the irreplaceable treasure that the Lord of the Gift has given to us, personally. We must try not to compare ourselves with others but identify, cultivate, invest, appreciate, and make the most of the gifts we have been given.

The Lord of the Gift is very wise and knows exactly what He was doing when He created each one of us. He has entrusted us with everything we need to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. Let us not hide our talent under the bed. Instead, let us put it on a lampstand to light the path of others.

At the end, Jesus will not ask us why we didn’t lead someone else’s life or invest someone else’s gift. He will not ask what we did with what we did not have. He will ask what did we did with what we had?

The third servant gave a rationale for his passive behavior. “I know you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look there you have what is yours. (Verse 24-25). The master did not comment on the servant’s assessment of him. He did not remind the servant that he had given him a chance of a lifetime. Jesus says this man was wicked and lazy and came down hard on him because of his inactivity.

Can or will the same be said of each of us with the gift we are given? Keep in mind that the Lord of the Gift is the Lord of the Reward. He has wonderful things in store for all who steward his treasure wisely. There is coming that day when we expect to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the Master’s happiness. You have been trusted worthy in a few things. Now I will put you in charge of many things.”

It is a privilege to be entrusted with talents, resources, gifts and opportunities to serve God’s purposes in the world. We should take our place among the faithful and trustworthy servants of God, no matter how big or small our accomplishments. God wants us to use the resources He gives to us for the building and advancement of His kingdom.