Bags of gold sometimes translated as "talents," this was a large sum of money, about six thousand denarii. The parable of the bags of gold illustrates the faith required of God's servants.
The parable describes the consequences of two attitudes to Christ's return. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talent to serve God will be rewarded.The person who has no heart for the work of the kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God's kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.
The master divided the money (talents) among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. Failure could come only from laziness or hatred toward the master. Talents represent any kind of resource we are given. God gives us time, gifts, and other resources according to our abilities, and He expects us to invest them wisely until He returns. We are responsible for using well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.
Jesus is coming back — we know this is true. Does this mean we must quit our jobs in order to serve God? No, it means we are to use our time, talents, and treasures diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. For a few people, this man means changing professions. For most of us, it means doing our daily work out of love for God.
The last man was thinking only of himself. He hoped to play it safe and protect himself from his hard master, but he was judged for his self-centeredness. We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren't ours in the first place—we are caretakers, not owners. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.
I will put you in charge of many things. The first two servants received the same reward, based on their faithfulness, not on the size of their responsibilities. The smallest task in God's work may receive a great reward if we are faithful in performing it.
Blessings,
Elder Barbara
LAB|TEBC|HSB
