“Well Done” (The Last Days, part 6)

In this devotional series, we’re taking a look at Matthew 24 & 25 to see what Jesus teaches us about his return and the end of the current age of history. Today, we’ll consider Matthew 25:14-30.

Matthew 25 records Jesus telling three parables about his return. The first in 25:1-13 reiterates the truths at the end of chapter 24–we don’t know when Jesus is going to return, but we should live each day prepared, seeking to do his will while we still have breath on this earth.

Then in 25:14-30, we come across what is often called “the parable of the talents,” which tends to be quite familiar to followers of Jesus. Jesus told the story of a rich and powerful man who had three servants. To each he gave various talents, a measure of money in which one talent was worth about 20 years wages of the common laborer. The man then went on a journey to return at a later time.

Two servants took what they were given and earned more back for the master. The last servant, however, hid the talent in a hole in the ground and did nothing with it. When the master returned he called the servants to himself and found out what they had done.

The first two received high praise: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!” (25:21, 23).

The third servant did not fare well. He was called evil and lazy and he was stripped of all he had and tossed into the “outer darkness.”

The point of the story expands on the idea that Jesus will return and we won’t know when. The emphasis here, however, is the faithfulness we show in the meantime.

God gives a variety of “talents” to each of us. These may include our experiences, education, money, influence, time, etc. These are resources that God has given us to use in the world to love him supremely and love others deeply. The question is: What do we do with them?

A follower of Jesus will see his or her life and the things of life as an opportunity. This opportunity isn’t to make a name for ourselves but to magnify the fame of Jesus. It is an opportunity to tell the story of the great love he showed us in dying for our sins, and to tell the story of the great hope and joy we can have trusting in his return. It is also an opportunity to look around at the various needs others around us have and figure out ways to meet them as tangible demonstrations of God’s love.

Living our lives in such a way, trusting in Jesus and loving others as he has loved us, will lead us to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

All scripture references taken from the Christian Standard Bible. For the previous part of this series, click here: https://fbcadrian.com/2018/07/26/no-one-knows-the-day-or-hour-the-last-days-part-5/