You’ll never guess what I saw – it seemed so unfair. He seemed such a nice chap – he had a wife and a couple of kids. He wasn’t seeking to do better than all the others. Just get by. He wasn’t the type to take needless risks – he was a good steady sort. Looked after his family… took care of them. A bit shy maybe …. a bit cautious but a nice chap. But what happened was terrible. He didn’t deserve that treatment. I just can’t understand what happened – all because he hid his coin, all because he didn’t use his money. By the way I forgot to mention… Nicolas is my name. I’m a slave or servant as some of them call us. Most of us have a tough life. Need to do what the boss says, do this, do that. Most of us have little free time, labouring about the home, or the fields. It can be a hard life… Well it was. Now where shall I begin.
Well a while back – I heard news that my master was heading out of town. He’s a good man looked after us – I’ve been serving him for a few years now. Anyhow apparently something very important was going to happen, not just your normal trip to do business. This was something big. He was going to be appointed king. King can you believe it! And so he gathered us all around – all of us lot working for him. And he told us “I must go away” he said, “and I will return, but while I am gone I want to give you something.” So we thought, Oh yeh. Wonder what that is. Long list of tasks to do while he’s gone. Nice project he wants us to complete for him. Redecorate the old place perhaps.
Anyway he opened up his cloak and as we looked on he proceeded to pull out his purse and to our amazement he then proceeded to give each of us a mina – a mina – I couldn’t believe it that almost 3 months worth of wages. And as we all stood there amazed, he said “I am entrusting you with this. Put it to work, do business with it?” Who’d ever heard of a slave trading for their master. Can you imagine your master – doing that for you – giving from what he has – and entrusting you with it. Giving from his wealth, and asking you to use it for him.
Well we were overjoyed. This was a bit of a reversal - something a bit out of the ordinary. Normally I get the job of looking after the grounds. Others have to keep the home clean, cook the food, as I said before there’s a lot of work to be done, but this was something new, something different something exciting. We had been given something, told to go and invest in it, put it to work. Anyhow he went off – and we didn’t hear anything for a while. I was busying myself about his business – seeking to make sure I could make this money work for him, seeking to follow his command, and put to use this gift he had given me.
Anyhow one day as we were going about our business, the word on the street was that our master had returned – or rather should I say king as he had now been crowned. Our king had come back. We were all sitting around together – wondering what would happen now he was back, and then the order came. Bartimus you must go and see the master. Bartimus was one of my friends, a hard worker. Anyway he went off to meet the king. Then the order came, Nicolas you must go and see the king. So I set off. I was quite nervous. What did he want to say to me. He had been gone quite a long time. Would he have changed? The last thing he had said was “Put this money to work until I come back.” - Would he want to know what had happened to my mina? So I approached the door to his room. He welcomed me – said it was good to see me again – and then inquired about what had happened to the mina he had entrusted to me. Well, you see I thought it was such a special gift to have been given this money, entrusted with it, that I really wanted to serve him and use it for him. He had always looked after us and been good to us. And so I wanted to serve him. Anyhow I had been working hard for him and so I said to him “Sir, the money you gave me – with it I have earned 5 more minas.
Then he draw near to me, and looked me deeply in the eyes with a long gazing stare said “Well done, my good servant.” My heart skipped. What praise to be known as good to be recognised as someone who had proved himself as a servant. Anyhow I was about to hand him back the money – but then he came even closer to me and said “Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of 5 cities.”
And mind raced along “Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter – take charge of 5 cities” What? 5 cities? I had to pinch myself. How can this be? This was a master like no other, or rather a king like no other. There I had been simply content to serve him, but first he had entrusted me from his wealth and I had invested it – and as I reflected over the time since he had gone. I’d sought to use the opportunities provided for him – to serve him – to be faithful to him – until he returned. Until he returned. And he had called me good and trustworthy, good and trustworthy. And now he had come back. And I was no longer a servant. I was now given a role of reigning with him - in charge of these 5 cities. From a servant, a slave to a ruler. How could this be? How could this be?
I spoke to Bartimus after. He too had been blessed he had gained 10 minas and had been given 10 cities. But then news came down about poor Luca. He seemed such a nice chap –He wasn’t seeking to do better than all the others. He wasn’t the type to take needless risks – he was a good steady sort. Looked after his family… took care of them.
I’m not exactly sure what happened. It’s all a bit hear say really...but news came through the grape-vine that when the king called him in, and asked him what had happened to the mina he entrusted to him. He told him he had hidden his money away. He had disobeyed the master’s command to put the money to work. He told the master that he was afraid – he saw him as a hard man – he even challenged his business dealings – telling him that he reaped where he had not even sown, and taking things from others where he hadn’t put in. I thought that was strange – how could this be a hard man – if he turned me from a slave to a ruler over 5 cities. But the king seemed to take him at his word – Apparently he said “If you see me as a hard man – then I will be hard to you. He challenged him why he hadn’t even bothered to do the simplest thing of putting the mina he had entrusted him with to some use. But he had done nothing. He had hidden it away, and was fearful. It seems he wasn’t willing to risk anything for his King. He hid the riches he had been given. I can’t understand it – even though he was a servant – he didn’t seem to want to serve the King. To get out there and do something. He didn’t seem to have any sense of loyalty of service, of obedience. And so he lost all that he had.
So strange… he seemed such a nice chap. He wasn’t seeking to do better than all the others. Just get by. He wasn’t the type to take needless risks – he was a good steady sort. But he didn’t deserve that treatment. Did he??
And you, are you willing to invest for the King until he returns?
Let us hear the words of our King:
“Come and follow me”
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”
“Each tree is recognised by its own fruit”
“No-one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar, or puts it on a bed. Instead he puts it on a stand so that those who come in can see the light
“Who-ever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge, whoever disowns me before others, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
“Well done, my good servant. You have been trustworthy”
