John 15:18-6:4 “WHAT CHRISTIANS CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR WORLD”

 

One of the ugliest emotions must surely be hate. Some of the ugliest words you may ever hear is, “I hate you”.  Some of the ugliest things that people do to each other is to let their hate turn into an ugly rage. Hitler and his cronies hated Jews, gypsies and handicapped people, and anyone that did not conform to the Nazi vision of a “master race”, was mercilessly exterminated. Jews and Palestinians find no political common ground, and so they hate and kill each other. The Chinese government and many governments in this world hate the Christian church or any faith based movement that does not conform to their political doctrine. The Islamist Boko Haram in Nigeria hates the Christian church. As we speak, we see hate and mockery poured out upon Christians who hold to the authority of Scripture, particularly in matters of creation, gender, marriage etc.

As we make our way to this passage we remember that Jesus was hated[1] for the gospel words that He spoke. Plans were constantly made to arrest Him and to kill Him. In the book of Acts   the early Christian church in Jerusalem was persecuted and dispersed because the Jews hated His followers. And now Jesus reminds us right here, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you…” (15:18 cf. 7:7).

Jesus speaks these words against the background of His earlier words concerning being a fruit-bearing vine (15:1-8). The supreme fruit on our Christian vine are love and joy (15:9 – 17). The Lord Jesus says in conclusion of that section, “These  things I command you, so that  you will love one another”  (15:17). Love is the greatest fruit of the Christian faith.  He has made this point before, in John 13: 34, 35: “A new command I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Jesus is saying here that the world can only understand Christianity, and therefore Christ, by the love which Christians have for one another. What an awesome responsibility. Pray daily that you will have the desire and ability to love God’s people here at Eastside, for that is where we must begin. Love these people with a Christ-like love i.e. by the standard of 1 Corinthians  13:4-7: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  We are not simply people that go to the same church.  We are called to be a visible, working, loving body of Christ!

Now this important question arises: Why on earth should this world hate people that are filled with love and joy? The Scriptures we have read this morning in 15:18 – 16:4 follow as an anti-climax to what has gone before. From love we come to the exact opposite: “hate“ (Greek:miseo).  In this 15^th chapter Jesus tells us something about  the distinguishing mark of the church (“love”) and the distinguishing mark of the world (“hate”). Let’s try to understand this.

This is not saying that the church always loves, and it is not saying that the world always hates. Sadly, the visible church has sometimes failed in imitating the love of Jesus, particularly when she has been too absorbed by this world. And non-Christians have sometimes shown remarkable capacity for Christ-like love and compassion. We see that the church is capable of failing and the world is able to show common grace. What then must we make of Jesus’ observation here? We have to understand John’s use of the word ‘world’. He describes the world system which is opposed to the gospel system. That world system is driven by hate, whereas the gospel system (which is not equivalent to the visible church) is driven by love.  

Let us try to understand the nature of the hate of the world. In which way exactly does this world system hate Jesus and the gospel way?  Let’s try to understand the ways in which the word hate is used in the Bible and also in everyday speech:

1. When I say, “I hate spinach or broccoli”, then that use of the word hate has no strong moral bearings.  Jesus uses the word  in that sense in  Luke 14:26:  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate (miseō) his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.  Jesus does not teach here that you must literally hate your family. What He says is that your love for Him ought to be stronger than that to your family, otherwise it becomes idolatry. It’s a relative use (excuse the pun!) of that word.   I love my family relatively less than Jesus.  Marcelle and I chose to leave our families in South Africa 32 years ago because we wanted to love and obey God in following His call to Namibia and to this church. We love our family, but we love God more. I cannot even begin to tell you how often our love for you has been challenged by our desire to be close to our families.  Here’s another example: In John 12:25 Jesus says, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates (miseō)  his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  Does Jesus teach that we must literally hate our own lives? No! He is making a relative distinction between people who love this world, and people who love Him. 

2. The second sense in which hate is used in the Bible is in terms of a right hate for something:  Paul, in Romans 7:15 speaks about hating  the sinful things that  he  does. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate (miseō) I do.”  It is morally right to hate wickedness. There is a right way to hate!

3. The third way in which the word “hate” is used relates to unreasonableness and evil. We find a number of these in John’s gospel   (i) John 3:20: For everyone who does wicked things hates (miseō) the light, and does not come to the light lest his works will be exposed. Why should you hate the light which is good? It is evil to love darkness more than light.  (ii) John 7:7:  “The world cannot hate you[2], but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil”.  Why does the world hate Jesus?  How can you hate someone who comes to love you and heal you and save you? This is irrational and evil.   The irrationality of this evil sense of hate   is found in 15:25:  “But the word that is written in their Law[3] must be fulfilled: They hated me without cause (reason)”. Jesus here says that their hate is  irrational. It does not make sense.  Now this is the predominant way in which ‘hate’ is used here   in John’s gospel. How do we explain this unreasonable hate? Let’s see Jesus’ response:

1.      15:18  Christians must know that they must expect  to be hated as Christ was hated.

2.      15:19a  The world  has no love for  gospel logic. The world loves  its own anti gospel logic and it loves those that endorse the same way of thinking.

3.      15:19b Christians, by virtue  of having been chosen by Christ  do not belong to the world; they belong to Christ. They no longer identify  with the world, and therefore they are hated.  

4.       15:20  A reference back to  13:16  and  a further  amplification of  15:18.

5.       15:21- 24.The real reason for the world’s hate given. The world hates Jesus and His followers because it does not know God the Father who sent Jesus (21). In fact, now that Jesus has come and explained the gospel system and gospel logic (which they have rejected) the world has become even more culpable of its sin (22). And in so doing they do not only reject Jesus, but they reject God the Father who sent Jesus.  

6.      15:25  Here Jesus exposes the  irrationality of hate:  It is in fulfilment of the law. He quotes Psalms 35:19 and 69:4.There is no logical reason, except a sinful stubbornness against God. Truly, sin makes the world irrational.

7.      15:26-7 Ultimately, only the Helper (Paraclete) the Holy Spirit can cure the world’s stubborn resistance/ unbelief and irrationality (cf. 14:16,17). He enables the believer   to believe and bear witness to the truth as it is in Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit can  dissolve  that natural hate/ unbelief  of the human heart- the world system.

Why these are important facts for us to remember?  (16:1 – 4)

1.      16:1 Having understood the root of hate  in this world, particularly against gospel believers, we will not  fall away when persecution  comes, but understand whence it comes from.

2.      16:2,3 So that  we may know that this hate  can  take on serious proportions. The world system which hate Christ and gospel churches  believes  that it offers a service to God. The Pharisees  who embodied this system in Jesus’ day thought that they offered a service to God by having Christ killed. We must understand however, that  this is no service to God , for they do not  truly know the Father  or Jesus.

3.   16:4  To be forewarned is to be forearmed

APPLICATION & CONCLUSION 

Just as the experience  of  the  love of God and of  joy in becoming  a Christian is  profound, so also  the discovery of the irrationality  of the  hate  of the  world  can  sobering experience. In fact, it is one of the most mystifying and disturbing experiences in becoming a Christian  when we experience the hate of the world. Many of us are naïve when it comes to understanding the world’s capacity for irrationality and evil. Jesus teaches us not to be naïve and not to be surprised when these things happen to us.  I have seen it and experienced it.  You start living the Christian life with joyful optimism. You have every intention to help the lost and the hurting of this world. You want to do them good.  You want to share the gospel with your family  and friends and strangers. Initially there may be some interest and  response, but as the truth  and gospel implications  settle upon their  hearts, and as the light of  God’s word begins to expose them, they turn against you with  a surprising  hate.

As a pastor and preacher I see and experience this all the time. I have been surprised  how in the act  bringing God’s healing Word and  His  healing  touch to broken  people, in love with this world system,  suddenly withdraw in an angry manner,  when the light of God’s Word demanded change and repentance. They withdraw when the Word of God demands of them to extend forgiveness to their enemies. They withdraw when the Word of God demands that they should lay aside their pride and be humble and gentle. And all of a sudden their hearts, so invaded by this world system,  explode  with  hate, and  I can do nothing right after that! 

Be aware of this irrational reaction to your loving   attempts in being faithful stewards of the gospel. Understand where this hate comes from, and it will save you from unnecessary discouragement.  I remind you, that often, like the  opponents of Jesus,  that  such  people  will claim to be church members and religious people. Keep that in mind, and do not be intimidated.  Remember that the true measure of a Christian is not that they name the Name of God. A true Christian is known by their fruit (see John 15:1-9). The Pharisees were religious  but they were far from God. Ultimately they do not know  God  and  Jesus.  

Remember above all things that Jesus has given you His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth (15:26). He alone can convict   people of sin and unrighteousness, and so, while  you  speak to  the people of this world in love, at the same time  you must pray and trust the Holy Spirit  for  effecting the  change  of heart. Take  risks to love wayward, stubborn  people anyway, because, amongst these many lost ones, there are Christ’s sheep also  (see John  10: 1 – 21) You have been given  the Great Commission to find them.

We will have to deal with the irrational hate of this world  by understanding where it comes from. It may be a very painful experience, but we gladly bear it, for in so doing we are following in the footsteps of Jesus. Thank God for His word.

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[1] See John  5:18; 7:1;8:59;10:31;11:53;

[2] Jesus is here speaking to His physical brothers who as yet did not believe in Him

[3] Psalms 35:19  and  69:4

Matthew 25:31-46 "The Final Judgment "

 

We have come to the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount of Olives, as contained in Matthew 24 & 25. It contains Jesus’ most succinct teaching on the end times. From here follows a further plot to kill Jesus, His anointing at Bethany, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the betrayal and arrest, the crucifixion and resurrection, ending with the Great Commission in Matthew 28.  

Today is Palm Sunday, the day on which the church remembers the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Normally we would focus on Matthew 21:1-11, but in the providence of God we can look to the greater fulfilment of that triumphal entry.  The ultimate triumphal entry will be the second coming of the Lord Jesus, and the ultimate event associated with that 2^nd coming is the final judgement, our focus for today.  We have seen the Lord Jesus speaking about His triumphal coming in 24:29ff. This was followed by 2 parables.  The parable of the 10 virgins (25:1-13) is an exhortation to be prepared for His second coming, and the parable of the talents (25:14-29) deals  with the matter of giving a personal account to  the Lord  for the  investment that He has made  in us. The closing words of the parable of the talents (25:28-30) lead us to the words on the final judgement (25:31-46). So, what we now read from v.31 onwards, builds on what Jesus has said before!  These are solemn and heart searching words.

Our text contains a description of

1.      His ultimate triumphal entry (v.31) “When the Son of Man comes in his glory…”

2.      The gathering of  all the nations (v.32a) “Before Him will be gathered all the nations”

3.      The great separation (vv.32b-46) “And he will separate people from one another…”

 

1.      THE ULTIMATE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY (v.31)

V. 31 The judgment of the whole world (all nations) begins when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with him…”. We will comment on the role of the angels later. This same Jesus who first came in the form of a little baby- supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary, born in humble circumstances, taking on the form of a servant, despised and rejected by men, nailed to a cross, suffering the punishment that was due to the worst of criminals - this same Jesus now comes in His true glory – the glory He had before the world existed (Jn.17:5).

“He will sit on His glorious throne”. God is on the throne of the Universe. This is the God whom Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6:1ff. The throne is a place of authority and judgement. God is the Supreme Judge.^[1] God the Father has submitted all judgment to Jesus (Jn. 5:22). He and the Father are one, and they are united in their judgement.

2.      THE GATHERING OF ALL THE NATIONS (v.32a)

“Before Him will be gathered all the nations…” – these are all people, created in his image, from all times, since the beginning of the creation of man, from Adam and Eve to the last one born before the coming of Christ. All will be gathered before Him who is seated on His glorious throne.

3.       THE GREAT SEPARATION  (vv.32b-46)

This is what constitutes the main part of our text. These are Jesus’ closing comments   of His teaching on the final things. The key word  is  separation[2]: “And he will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats“.

In the first place we need to ask, “What gives Him the right to separate the peoples of the world in this way?” The people of the world may now say, “but, I never belonged to this Christian religion! I was a Muslim, a Buddhist, or an Atheist. He has no right to judge me.” The Bible however maintains that this YAHWEH, the LORD, this JESUS  whom they have denied  and despised  is in fact  the sovereign ruler of the earth. The Bible steadfastly maintains that “the earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all those that dwell therein” (Ps.24:1). Since then He owns all people, He has the right to judge all people/ nations.

Secondly, we need to ask, “How will he judge all people, seeing that many have returned to dust?” Now we need to remember that the second coming of Christ will be associated with a general resurrection of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).  Note that the righteous dead will be resurrected first (1 Thess. 4:16,17). All this is in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel:  “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt“(Dan.12:2). The Bible insists that at the end of the ages there must be a righteous judgement, and we are glad, for there is so much unfairness and injustice   in this world now.  So, He must judge all! This teaching is strongly represented in the apostolic message. Peter, when called to speak to the household of Cornelius, said in Acts 10:42: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead”. To the Athenian philosophers Paul said, “he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). To the Corinthians  he wrote,  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”(2 Cor. 5:10) 

Associated with the coming of Christ will be the angels. They do not only accompany Him in an impressive dazzling splendor at His triumphal return, but we note that they have a specific job to do. Their work is to gather the evil doers. In Matt.13:41-42 (Parable of the weeds) we read  “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and  throw them into the fiery furnace.” But their work will also be to gather the elect (Matt.24:31). “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” So we see then that the world (the nations) – the just and the unjust, the wicked and the elect are both spoken to by the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole world is accountable before God (Rom 3:19).

Now follows the teaching on the great Separation:  “… and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”  (25:32b-33). The parable of the wheat and the weeds teaches us that sheep and goats, Christ’s people and non- Christians live together in this world, until that day when the Great Shepherd comes. On that day He will make an accurate distinction between the two.  But what will be the criteria by which He separate them?

25:34- 46  A  Commendation and a Condemnation

Here we find the basis of Jesus’ acquittal and judgment, respectively on the righteous (25:34-40) and the on the unrighteous  (25:41-46). 

1.  The commendation (25:34-40) with respect to the sheep comes first.  V.34 is a crucial text. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom  prepared for you from the  foundation of the world.  Why is this verse important? It forms the basis of a true believer’s justification before God. Now look at vv. 35 & 36. If you read this without first considering v.34,  you might come to the conclusion that  the  commendation of the righteous is primarily based on their good works! “I fed the hungry; I welcomed strangers; I clothed the naked; I visited the sick; I visited the prisoners….”. The tempting conclusion is that since I did these things,  therefore I will inherit the kingdom.  But NO! The justification of the righteous is established on the basis of their election in eternity… ”from the foundation of the world” (v.34). This matches Jesus own teaching in this sermon, here (see Matthew 24:22,24,31) and elsewhere. The basis of God’s salvation is rooted not in our works but in His mercy.  The Bible teaches that God’s sheep are justified before the beginning of time.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ; for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us …  (Eph.1:3-4)

“God … who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.“ (2 Tim. 1:9)  

Nobody is ever justified on the basis of their works before God. We are always justified on the basis of God’s sovereign  grace ALONE, which is based on the atoning death of Christ for sinners ALONE. He ALONE is the ROOT of our salvation. 

Having said that, what then about the strong emphasis on the good works (or the absence of them) that the Great Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ sees, (or fails to see) here?   They are the FRUIT, or the lack of FRUIT which demonstrate our salvation. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING – FRUIT BEARING CHRISTIANS

You will remember that throughout His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus had stressed the importance of showing mercy to the poor, the hungry and the naked and the sick and those that were imprisoned because of righteousness.^[3]  He commands each believer to do the same. What is of significance here is the fact that in each case, a little need is met in the lives of the least of my brothers (i.e. those of the Christian household- who should be always first à Gal. 6:10). Serving the members of Christ in this way honours and serves the Lord Jesus Christ (v.40). Jesus is most honoured in the daily, spontaneous, random little acts of Christian compassion. They are daily moved by the love of Jesus to do these things, and they are mostly not aware of the good that they do to their brothers. These are called the ‘blessed’ here. Wonderful!

By way of contrast we find the proof of absent works in vv.41-45.  Christ’s words to them begin with a condemnation (v.41):  “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels“.  Notice - their judgment rests on the proof of absence of love for the least of these members of his household.   Notice that not a single mention of the really bad sins, murder, idolatry, adultery, theft etc. is mentioned! The Bible is clear that these will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (Gal. 5:19-21). Jesus is here focusing on the subtle sins and signs of absence of grace in the heart.  Notice that the wicked express surprise at the fact  that they are  judged  for  their lack of caring  for these ‘ little things’ (v.44). But in truth their lack of care in these matters shows that they have an unbelieving heart. They have no ROOT and therefore no FRUIT. The result  product of unbelief is eternal punishment (24: 51; 25: 30 41, 46)

CONCLUSION

Jesus’ teaching on the end-times in Matt 24 & 25  does not only reveal  the destruction of the physical temple,  and  the deception  of  many by  the anti- Christ, and the subsequent  victorious  coming of Christ –  and the destruction  of the universe as we know it.  He draws attention  to our readiness to receive Him. He draws attention to the fruitfulness  of our lives in the parable of the talents, and in particular our daily  fruitfulness in the ordinary  things that flow out of our hearts in particular to our brothers and sisters in  Christ. He concludes His teaching by speaking of your and my commendation or condemnation  at the end of days! 

It begs us to take a good look at ourselves and  the great question therefore is this: WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?

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[1] Genesis  18:25; Isa 30:18 ;  Psalm 75:7

[2] Greek:  aphorizō  lit. to mark off by boundaries or  limits (apo- from; horizo –to determine /mark out)

[3] E.g.  Matt 5:7 ; 43-48; 8:17; 9:36; 11:28-30; 12:7,20-21; 14:16,24-36 ;  15:32; 18:1-6, 22,35 ;  19:13-15; 20:28; 22:9,37-39 ;  23:37)

Matthew 25: 14- 30 - The Parable of the Talents

 

The parable of the talents follows the parable of the 10 virgins. The 2  parables  are connected  by  a conjunction-  the  word  “for“ - a small but important  word that connects sentences,  and therefore  thoughts.  These two parables are really one story. Please note that this man going on the journey in 25:14 is the same man who is the coming bridegroom in 25:1. Jesus is speaking about Himself.  He is the key to the interpretation of this parable.

The parable of the 10 virgins teaches us that we must be prepared for the 2^nd coming of Jesus. The parable demonstrates that prolonged waiting for His second coming is difficult.  We saw that all the girls had fallen asleep at the time of the bridegroom’s coming. And yet there was a vital distinction. Five foolish girls had insufficient oil for their lamps and when the bridegroom came, they were unprepared to go with him.  The five wise girls also slept because of tiredness, but in their hearts they were awake, and in everything they were prepared for the bridegroom’s coming. They had oil for their lamps. They were ready to go with the bridegroom when He suddenly arrived at midnight. That is the big point of that parable. Are you ready to go with Jesus when He comes?  

If the  parable of the 10 virgins  addresses  our  state of readiness to receive  Jesus, the parable of the talents  will deal  with the matter of  giving a personal account to  the Lord  for the  investment that He has made  in us.

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

Jesus is now speaking about that which will happen after the cross (Matt.27:32ff) and after the resurrection (Matt 28:1-10) and after the ascension (Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:50,51; Acts 1:6-11). He is speaking about His return. He speaks about this most specifically in John 14:1-3.   All the indications are that His return will appear to be delayed, or long in coming (24:48;25:5,19). Moreover his return will be at an unexpected hour (24:36-51). In our first parable He comes at midnight. That is late! Who goes to a wedding party at midnight, at 24h00?  But that is the point which Jesus makes. He will return at an unexpected time, and the call is  to be ready  to go with the bridegroom  when He comes.  But now that He has come, what will He do?  The rest of this  25^th  chapter  deals with  this  by way  of (i) The parable  of the talents (25:14-30) -  the  examination of the works of  those that  are  said to be His servants (ii)  The final judgement  leading to the final state  of each person (25:31-46)

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

Vv. 13,14: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor hour. For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property“.

In our parable this man goes on a journey. In his absence he entrusts his possessions to his servants (here douloi – lit. slaves). The picture is clear. This man is Jesus. He is the owner of this property. His property is the world and all that He has created. But in all that, He has a particular object of affection – His bride. In the previous parable He is the bridegroom of His bride.  His bride is His church. His church is the totality of all His elect past, present and future. At His second coming that bride will be complete.  He will now receive her to Himself. But He has another work to do. He must separate true believers from false believers. This parable is the lead-up to that final section on the final judgement.

How  Will The Lord Jesus  Determine  Who Constitutes His True Bride?

The answer is fruitfulness!

v.15 “To the one he gave 5 talents, to another 2, to another 1, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” The bridegroom, who is now the master of the house went away. This refers to Christ’s ascension. But He leaves his house – the church with something – talents!  

A talent was a monetary unit.  A talent was roughly equivalent to 6000 denarii’s.  A denarius was a standard wage for a day’s work, for a common labourer. Therefore   6000 denarii’s would amount to about 16.5 years of work, if you worked every day, 365 days a year, for a denarius! So then, a talent is substantial money.

The  English language  has  taken the Greek word “talantos“ and  created  the  word “talent” or “gift”. By “gift” we mean the biblical definition of a gift, which is not for personal use, but for the purpose of glorifying God. This is what is meant by Ephesians 4:8 where we read, “When he (Jesus) ascended on high, he gave gifts to men.” The ascended Lord Jesus by His Holy Spirit gave varying gifts or talents into the hands of each one of his bride - His people, His servants.  This is also what we read about in 1 Corinthians 12 – 14 where we read about the Holy Spirit’s sovereign distribution of spiritual gifts in the church. These spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of re-investment in the body of Christ. By means of these gifts the church is greatly enriched. Glory goes to God when the church uses her gifts for the mutual edification of the body of Christ and for the extension of His kingdom. By the same line of thinking however it can also be said that the church can be impoverished by the withholding of these spiritual gifts, so that the church bears a poor testimony to her Lord. This is what Jesus speaks about when He refers to the salt losing its saltiness and the   when light of the church is hidden (Matt. 5:13-16).

The picture of the talents helps us to understand that these gifts that Jesus entrusts to His servants are very valuable. It is essential that these gifts or talents must work. They must be invested for a handsome return. In the life of the church that means that we must be fruitful. That which He has put into our hands must promote and improve the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom.. Fruitfulness is the key!

Now note that the master of the house   gave 5, 2 and 1 talent, each according to his ability.  The master knew His servant’s abilities well.  Jesus knows each one of His servants well! He knew what was in them, and He gave them according to what he knew they could handle.  

These three servants are illustrative of all of Christ’s servants in every age. Every Christian is endowed with talents or gifts, but (here is the point):  not all have the same endowments (weight or intensity) of talents or gifts.

Romans 12:6 provides important perspective on this when Paul speaks   to the Roman Christians, about “…having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them … in proportion to our faith…”.  So, for instance there may be a number of people that receive a gift of teaching spiritual truth. But God gives the ability or grace in terms of having this gift in the measure of 5, 2 or 1 talents.  It is important that we must not see this as unfair. And we should not envy those that have more; nor should we look down on those that have less. Remember, we need to remember here that with ability comes responsibility.  Those that have more will be held more accountable.  In a similar  teaching  in Luke 12:35-48, Jesus makes it very  clear  that  “everyone  to whom  much was given, of him much will be required…”(v.48 )   

Vv. 16 – 18:  How The Talents Are Put To Use By The Three Servants.

The first two servants worked well with the talents. They effectively doubled what they had received. But the third servant avoided the hard work of investing, selling and trading. He buried it for safekeeping.  He did not squander the money as many do when they come into possession of such money, but he did  nothing with what he had been given.

V.19-25    The Master Returns  To Settle Accounts   

a. The Master returns after a long time. Christ’s coming, though it should be expected at any time, is ‘after a long time’. This repeats the theme of the delay of the master in 24:48, and the delay of the bridegroom in 25:4.The delay is deliberate.  The commentator Lenski says: “the delay thoroughly tests out the faithful, and at the same time it gives the unfaithful a long period to repent… many start well but do not hold out”.

b. The Master comes to settle accounts. What Jesus has placed in our hands is still His. He expects us to improve on that which He has given into our hands. We use His talents and gifts to glorify Him by building into His kingdom.  Final praise or judgment shall be extended in terms  of  the spiritual returns we have invested and made in the kingdom of God.  

Please note in vv. 20- 30,  that upon  his return the master  deals with each of his three servants  (i) individually (ii) He rewards the labours of the diligent servants. (iii) He condemns the lazy servant and exposes him for who He truly is – a subject of hell.

Notice how that happens:  The faithful servants receive praise and commendation and they ‘enter into the joy of their master’ (25:21,23).  

The reward of a life lived faithful service and stewardship of God’s possessions is a life of joy.  Life in heaven will be filled with real joy. The depth of that joy cannot be understood yet  by us, as we live  now.  But, dear believer take hold of that promise, of greater joy in the future kingdom by continuing to invest in this present kingdom. If you plant generously now, you will reap and had  received the least in terms of  talents– even though the least  was also plenty! But he did nothing with what he had. Take note of the excuses that he makes. Essentially he blames the master : “I knew that you are a hard man. It’s your fault. I was afraid of you.”  And then he accuses his master of profiteering – reaping where he had not sown, collecting profits from situations in which he has not worked etc. 

Listen how the master deals with him. He does not accept his explanation. Instead he lays bare the wickedness and evil of his heart. Jesus is saying that it is wicked to waste your talents and opportunities to serve in God’s kingdom. He therefore calls him wicked and slothful/ lazy. 

What did he do wrong? All he did was to do nothing in preparation for the masters - Christ’s coming! Being prepared for Christ’s coming means  using  that which He has entrusted to us, for the extension of his kingdom. It’s called bearing  fruit! Absence of fruit (although there is a tree) is a certain sign  of barrenness.

And now he is no longer considered a servant. In fact, he is ultimately unmasked for who he really is. He is a pseudo Christian. He is a fake Christian,  and  for this reason he now  shall share  in the fate of the wicked. And so we read of the final  verdict in v.30 “And cast that worthless servant into the outer darkness in that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (see also Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50). We will pick up on this next week

CLOSING DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS

Have you believed the gospel?

Are you ready to go with  the Lord  Jesus when He comes?

Are you obeying the gospel, by putting your talents to work in the light of his coming and the account that you must give? (2 Cor. 5:10)