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When I was a child, I distinctly remember my mother asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. With all the faith a child whose dreams had yet to be stifled could muster, I excitedly told my mother I wanted to be a teacher, a writer, an actor, director, a journalist, a lawyer, a dancer, an athlete—the list went on and on. Finally, my mother, who was all too familiar with the limitations with which life can burden one’s soul, threw up her hands and declared, “You don’t know what you want to be!” Those words stayed with me for a very long time.
For a long time, I thought that I didn’t know what I wanted to be because I couldn’t narrow it down to just one thing. I couldn’t say I just wanted to teach because I loved writing just as much. I couldn’t say I just wanted to write because I loved acting and directing just as much. I couldn’t say I just wanted to be a journalist because I wanted to be a lawyer just as much. So, for a long time I thought I was “flighty,” as my mother put it, because I couldn’t settle on just one thing to pursue. What I know now that I didn’t know then is that, yes, God had placed all those things within me. And what my mother couldn’t understand or foresee is that, yes, over the course of my life, I would teach, write, act, direct, report, narrate, advocate, stand, demand, choreograph, leap, run, jump, soar, and so much more, all to the glory of God and for the advancement of His kingdom.
Matthew 25:14-30 records the parable of the talents. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a wealthy
man who is about to take a long journey. Before the man sets off on his travels, he divides his estate among three servants. The first servant is entrusted with five talents, the next with two talents, and the third servant is made steward over one talent. The man then goes away for a long time. When he finally returns, the master calls each of his servants and demands that they give an account for what had been placed in their care. The first steward reports that he took the five talents which had been entrusted to him and with them, gained five more talents. His master is pleased. The second servant reports that he took the two talents with which he had been entrusted and with them he had gained two more talents. His master is pleased. Then there is the servant who had received one talent.
When called to give an account, the servant who had received the one talent begins by maligning his master’s character. He accuses his master of being “a hard man” who “reap[s] where he has not sown, and gather[s] where [he has] not scattered seed.” After disparaging his master’s character, the servant who had received the one talent goes on to use this misrepresentation of his master as the basis for his own cowardice, explaining, “I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground.” When it’s all said and done, the master is not pleased. He is not pleased at all. Not only is he not pleased, he’s also not buying the servant’s lame excuses. After chiding the servant for not even doing the bare minimum, the master cuts to the chase and calls the servant’s neglect of his stewardship what it truly is—wickedness and laziness. Because this servant failed to do the bare minimum with that which his master had entrusted to him, the servant is stripped of what he had received, labeled worthless, and cast into the outer darkness. End of story.
In Matthew 13:10, the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the people in parables. Jesus explained that the point of parables is to illustrate profound truths. They are meant to teach us. What profound truth is Jesus illustrating in the parable of the talents? The parable of the talents teaches us that we all have a responsibility—a duty, if you will—to use what has been entrusted to us to advance God’s kingdom.
At his master’s return, the servant who buried the one talent, dug it up and presented it to his master, saying, “There you have what is yours.” You would think, “Well, at least the servant didn’t lose the talent.” But that wasn’t good enough. We must always remember that God’s ways are not like our ways (Isaiah 55:9). I believe the master in the parable could have dealt with a legitimate loss had it been coupled with a wholehearted, well-calculated try. The master was a wealthy man. He understood how investments work. He understood not all investments have the same rate of return and that all investments involve risk of loss. He got that. He understood that. But what he didn’t understand was a failure to try steeped in fear and blame casting. That’s what the master found intolerable.
We don’t get to bury our talents for any reason—whether those reasons be real or contrived. We just don’t. Whatever God has entrusted us with—be it five talents or one—He expects us to invest it wisely for the advancement of His kingdom. One day all of us will be called to give an account, and if this parable teaches us nothing, it teaches us that we do not want to stand before God on that day, having no more to say than, “There You have what is Yours.” The parable of the talent teaches us that we don’t get to bury our talent and think that if will fare well with us. That’s just not how it works.
So, what should we do? Here are a few suggestions:
Recognize what you have. Take inventory of all that has been entrusted to you. If you are a believer, God has entrusted you with something. You’ve been given some type of spiritual gift. Ask God to help you to identify what that gift or gifts is. This is not a time for false humility. Scripture tells us that the Proverbs 31 woman perceived that her merchandise was good (Prov. 31:18). She didn’t bother with false humility, and neither should you.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t compare what you have or what you do to that which someone else has or does. This is such a destructive waste of time. Scripture tells us that it is foolish for us to compare ourselves to other people (2 Cor. 10:12).
Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Start where you are with what you have. Don’t say, “If only I had five talents, I could do some things!” No! Start where you are now and use what you have in your hands now. That’s all God is going to hold you accountable for.
Expect increase. Scripture promises that if we’re faithful over a little, God will make us ruler over much (Matt. 25:23). Use what you have and watch it grow!
Resist fear. Fear is a common tactic employed by our adversary to keep us from doing and being all that God has called us to. Don’t allow the enemy to cause you to bury your talent out of fear. God has commanded you to be strong and courageous (Josh. 1:9). He would never tell you to do something you were incapable of doing, so be strong and courageous!
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