Parable Of The Unfaithful Steward Series

Parable of the unfaithful steward

(Mat 25:14-30) "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. {15} To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. {16} The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. {17} So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. {18} But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. {19} "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. {20} The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' {21} "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' {22} "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' {23} "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' {24} "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. {25} So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' {26} "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? {27} Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. {28} "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. {29} For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. {30} And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Application of the parable

Everyone has been given something to be stewards of. How are we using the "talents" God has given us.

One of the servants got five talents, one got two and another one got one talent. (A talent is estimated to worth the equivalent of $1,000 today but the actual amount is not important.) In other words, everybody has something. Some Christians like to give the excuse that they are not gifted and therefore can be exempted from serving God. Yet the parable teaches that everyone has something from God to be stewards of and we have no excuse.

Why can we say that everyone has been given stewardship of something? Because everyone has been given such things as time, money, etc. And we can use such things to serve God.

What are some of the things that God has made us stewards of?

Time

Everybody has been given 24 hours a day and we will be accountable to God for how we spend this time. Many people have time to spend hours in front of the TV but no time when it comes to serving God. In the end, it all bolls down to where our heart is. Let's ask ourselves how much time we are spending for ourselves and how much time we are spending for God. If we are not spending enough time for God, is there an area that we can serve God in?

When Jesus was on earth, He used His time with the primary aim of serving God. The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus stayed up late into the night healing the sick and the demon possessed (v 1:32-34). After staying up half the night ministering to people, Jesus got up early next morning and went off to a solitary place to pray to His Father.

Let's decide to use the time God has given us to serve Him. The area in which we serve God will depend on the skills God has given us. We will touch on this topic in greater detail below.

Money

It is true there are many starving and impoverished people in the world but most of us (at least those who are reading this lesson) have been blessed with a reasonable standard of living. How are we fairing as stewards of God's money.