"God’s The Owner; I’m The Manager” Series

In Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus teaches about the end times. The disciples asked some questions and so Jesus answered them; and focused on what His followers need to be doing to be found faithful on His return.

In the story of the ten virgins (vs. 1-13), He says we must be vigilant. Then in this parable, He says we must be diligent. We’re expected to make a return for Christ on His investment in us. There are four things to make note of as we work through this passage.

1. The Responsibility - vs. 14-15

It wasn’t an uncommon thing for a wealthy Romans family to live in Italy half the year and the other half somewhere else. While away, servants would be entrusted with care of the master’s investments, his business, or his household. So the people in Jesus’ day could relate to this story. There are four things we are told here.

A. What was entrusted to the servants was owned by the master.

This truth is expressed in what God says throughout the Bible, like, for example, when God is explaining to His people about how He wants them to manage and farm the land given them, He says:

“You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.” - Leviticus 25:23b (NLT)

God owns everything. What we’re blessed to enjoy has been entrusted to us to be managed for His purposes and his glory.

B. The ones given this responsibility were owned by the master.

This is especially true for us as Christians.

“You don’t own yourselves. God paid a very high price to make you his.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a (Easy to Read)

Salvation is free but it isn’t cheap. A great price was paid at Calvary. Now we belong to God, who is our Master. And He has the right to tell us what to do with our lives and with the things He entrusts to us.

C. Each servant was given what they received for a reason.

The master determined who could handle what, and gave assignments accordingly. He had different expectations of each servant, but as each would fulfill those expectations faithfully, the master’s work would be done as he desired for it to be done.

God has entrusted different things to each of us, based on what He has in mind for us to do with our life. And as each of us does our part, God’s work is accomplished through His church and for His kingdom.

The equalizer in the master’s distribution to the servants was found not in the amount given to each one, but in the fact that they each had the same responsibility - to make the most of what the master had given.

Jesus has given us gifts to be used for His church and His kingdom’s sake. He’s making an investment in us, and as we each do our part, we can bring glory to God by doing His will and work in this world.

Each of us has just what we need to do God’s will for our lives. The question is not, “Do I have enough ________ to do God’s will?” but “Am I managing what God has given me in order to accomplish His will?” It’s all in how we’re managing what He’s given us.

D. The value of what was entrusted to the servants by their master.

A talent is a unit of measurement for weighing precious metals coins, usually made of gold. So it is difficult to say exactly what a talent was worth, because a talent of gold would be worth more than a talent of silver. But whatever the coin was, one thing that scholars tell us is that 1,000 talents worth of any coin would take the average worker 20 years to earn. So the one servant received 20 years worth of salary to invest, the second, 40 years, and the third servant received 100 years worth! Now doubt, these servants must have been in awe of what the master had entrusted to them.

We, likewise, should be in awe of what it means to have been gifted with all that we have received from our Master.

2. The Response - vs. 16-18

The man given five got five more. The man given two got two more. Despite different assignments, they each got the same results - a 100% return. Likewise, no matter who we are or what our Master has given us, if we will manage it for His glory and for the growth of His church and His kingdom, we can each fulfill what He expects of us.

Now, there’s a lot of us who’d like a 100% return on our investments. But Jesus’ point isn’t on the percent of return. As we’ll read later, He indicates the master would have been happy if the third servant had put the money in the bank to draw interest.