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Author: Stephen Weller
676 words, 4 minutes read time

Reward for Investment

Scripture: Matthew 25:19-25

In the previous lesson a man entrusted his property into the care of his servants and gave them talents to invest and then went on a journey. The first two servants invested their talents and doubled them, but the third took his and hid it in the ground. In this lesson the man returns from his journey and calls his servants to settle accounts with them.

^{Mt 25:19} Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And 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.’

Just as it has been a long time since Jesus ascended from earth, it had been a long time that the master of the servants was gone, but he did return, and Jesus will return one day. And just as the master evaluated their accounts when he returned, so will our accounts be evaluated before the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10 – 15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11).

The servant who was given five talents came forward with ten, for he had doubled his investment.

^{Mt 25:21} His 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.’

In the eyes of the master, the servant was seen as a good and faithful servant and was told that he had done well, and as a result of his faithfulness he would be entrusted with more as he was invited into the joy of the master.

^{Mt 25:22} And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’

It was time for the next servant to report and he brings four talents with him; twice what he was given.

^{Mt 25:23} His 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.’

Notice that the master’s response was exactly the same as that given to the servant who doubled his five yielding ten talents. Jesus is making it clear that what was important was not the total amount earned but his faithfulness in making the investment.

^{Mt 25:24} He 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, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’

The servant who was given the one talent comes forward with only one talent and gives it back to the master with an expression of fear. What the servant said to his master is very similar to what the servant said in Luke 19:20 – 21 ESV: ²⁰ “Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’”

In both responses, here and in Luke 19, the question comes up as to how this evaluation of the master applies to Jesus. For the answer to that question please use the link to go to lesson H547 where you will find the answer.

Conclusion

What the master said to the servant who did not invest his talent will be covered in the next lesson where we will have some space to apply it to our lives. Until that time, be thinking about the core message of this parable of the talents, and how you can best use the spiritual gifts God has blessed you with to advance his kingdom.