It’s March! Spring may have felt like it’s sprung the past couple days with the beautiful weather we’ve been having. March bring lots of things. For one thing, it brings time change. That wonderful thing we all had to do last night so that we could wake up an hour earlier this morning. March bring a lot of other things though. For me, it brings an Anniversary! For some, it brings a Birthday. One thing that comes around every March that I really look forward to is March Madness. I used to play basketball in high school, and I still love to play. I also love to watch basketball. I love when tournament time rolls around. I like watching college basketball, because for me it’s the real game. Some people are talented at basketball, and some aren’t. In high school, if you weren’t good enough, you didn’t make the team.
Now basketball is a sport that has 10 players on the court, 5 from each team. The goal of the coach is to get 5 players out on the court for his team that are talented, strong, wise, and able. Now there are more than 5 players on a team. The rest of the players watch the game from the bench, or as it’s called, “Riding the Pine”. Some players are there because they’re just not as good as some other players, but they’re there if they need them in a pinch. But some players are on the bench because they might not use their full potential. Maybe academically they’re not doing all that great. There is some reason they’re riding the pine and not in the game. It may not be that they have less talent, they just haven’t used their talent properly.
However, we all have talents that are given to us by God to use for His Kingdom.
Matthew 25:14-30 For it is as when a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. (16) Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. (17) In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. (18) But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. (19) Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. (20) And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. (21) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (22) And he also that received the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents. (23) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (24) And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; (25) and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. (26) But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; (27) thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest. (28) Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. (29) For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. (30) And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
This morning I want us to concentrate on the man who received 1 talent. How much are we like this man sometimes? We are given talent and we don’t use them to the full potential that we could be. We see here that this man really didn’t know his master at all because he said that he was a hard man. He accuses the master of reaping where he didn’t sow, and gathering what he didn’t scatter. The way the master repeats this accusation doesn’t mean that it was true. It was the master’s way of saying if you really thought that was how I was then that should’ve motivated you to work all the harder to please me. We don’t want to be like the 1 talent man, yet sometimes we are. We want to be the ones in the game, not the ones riding the pine. So this morning I want us to look at 3 things I believe we can do to make so we’re more like the 5 and 2 talent servants than the 1 talent servant.
I)Know Our Talents II) Grow our talents III) Show our talents
Know Our Talents
We really don’t get the grasp of what a talent was in Jesus’ time. We think of a talent of being just a coin that was worth a different value than others. You know like a talent was a quarter instead of a penny, but it wasn’t. In Jesus time money was weighed. The talent was the largest unit of weight in Jesus day. The talent would’ve been equivalent to about 3000 shekels, which was the basic unit of weight in the Jewish culture at that time. In today’s terms a talent weighed between 57 and 80 pounds. The Hebrew word in which it is derived from actually describes it as a loaf of bread. Almost riverstone-like. It was usually used to measure the weight of gold and silver. In Jesus’ time a talent of silver was equal to 6000 days wages for a common laborer. That’s over 16 years worth of pay, assuming all days of the year were worked, which wouldn’t have been so in Jesus’ time. A talent of gold was equal to 180,000 days wages. This would’ve been about 500 years worth of wages back then. Some scholars estimate if this were silver that was given to the men in this parable, which in verse 18 where our text uses the word money, the original Greek actually translates out to be silver, so we’re not far off in assuming this. But, the 5 talents would be worth around $1.5 million, the 2 talents around $600,000, and the 1 talent about $300,000. So when we’re talking about talents we’re not talking about some coins jingling around in a bag, this was serious money we’re talking about here.
So it is with our talents and gifts today. We may look at them and think they’re not really worth anything, but God has given them to us. They are precious gifts that are priceless.
We have to know our gifts and talents. We all have some. Sure, just like the parable this morning, some have more than others. I’d love to be able to play guitar or some other musical instrument. That’s just not my gift. But we are given opportunities with the gifts that God has given us.
1Co 7:7 Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.
Because Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, he did not make the tryouts for the Cremona Boy’s Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop. Yet Antonio still wanted to make music. His friends gave him a hard time because his only talent was whittling. When Antonio was older he served as an apprentice to a violinmaker. His knack for whittling grew into a skill of carving and his hobby became his craft. He worked patiently and faithfully. By the time he died, he left over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that read, “Antonio Stradivarius.” They are the most sought-after violins in the world and sell for more than $100,000 each. Antonio couldn’t sing or play or preach or teach but his responsibility was to use the ability and talent he was given, and his violins are still making beautiful music today.
Zig Ziglar once said, “You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” We have to know what the talent is that God has given us, because we’re the only one that can use it.
II) Grow our Talents
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) And there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of workings, but the same God, who worketh all things in all. (7) But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. (8) For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit: (9) to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; (10) and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues: (11) but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.
We have to grow our talents. We can’t be like the 1 talent man. We have to invest those talents in things that will bring our Heavenly Father returns on what He has invested in us. If we’re not growing our talents to be used for the Kingdom, it’s kind of like parents, who send their child off to college, and not to TCC, they send him to Regent. The student goes through all 4 years of his schooling and majors in Law. Then he goes to Law school, sits beside Heather in class, and graduates with honors. Then he comes home and gets a job working at Burger King flipping hamburgers. That isn’t a good return on the investment and the talent that has been fostered in that young man’s life.
Yet as Christians, that’s exactly what we do with the talents that God has given us. We do just like this lazy 1 talent man did and bury our talent in the ground. We have to remember that we’re not in this for us, we’re in this for Him, and for His Kingdom. He has given us talents to use to further that Kingdom. And when we don’t use those talents that He has blessed us with, He feels just like those parents who sent their son off to college, to have him come home and flip burgers, and waste that potential.
The great violinist, Niccolo Paganini willed his marvelous violin to city of Genoa on condition that it must never be played. The wood of such an instrument, while used and handled, wears only slightly, but set aside, it begins to decay. Paganini’s lovely violin has today become worm-eaten and useless except as a relic. A Christian’s unwillingness to invest his talents may soon destroy his capacity for usefulness. I never have really understood the idea of collecting antiques. I know that there is a lot of money in that hobby, but I never have understood why someone would by something that is a classic and never use it. Have you ever watched these old car auctions on TV? People will buy cars for thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars and they will never drive them. They may have a nice collectors item that everyone can “ewww” and “ahhhh” over, but they aren’t using it. The true usefulness and purpose of that car has been lost. There are many people that God has given great talents and abilities and either they are using it for the glory of God, they aren’t using it all, or they are using them for themselves with the wrong motives. God has given every Christian certain talents and abilities and His intent was that the church might be made stronger through everyone working together. That’s what Paul was talking about back in the verse we just read. When we grow our talents, everyone wins and grows too. But we have to put forth the investment.
We have to grow our talents because just as in our passage this morning, the Master will return and we will have to
III) Show our Talents
The master in our passage this morning went away. The Bible doesn’t give us a reason why or where, It just says he went on a journey. Now nowhere in the versions I studied did it say that the master told his servants when he would return. He gave them their talents of money, left, and said I’m coming back. The things that I see is that the 5 talent man and the 2 talent man went to work right away, expecting the master’s return. The 1 talent guy, just dug a hole, covered up his talent and wasn’t too concerned about the return of the master. He probably even thought he was going to be just fine when the master returned. But as we see in our passage, he wasn’t.
The master returned and brought the servants back together. They then proceeded to show their talents. The 5 talent man gained 5 more. The 2 talent man also gained 2 more. But when it came down to the 1 talent man, the only thing he had was the 1 talent that his master had given him. The master wasn’t too pleased with the response that the 1 talent servant gave him. Verse 30 tells us that the master commanded to And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
This whole scene sounds a little familiar
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds.
Jesus went away and will come again. And just like in the story today, all we know is that He’s coming back someday. And someday, we’re going to be judged by God and we will have to stand and give an account of what we did with the talents that the Master gave to us. We will have to show our talents. Did we use them and invest them for the good of His Kingdom? Or did we bury them in the dirt, not using them at all?
We’re in the time period between the Master taking His journey and the time of His return. Are we actively using the talents He gave us for the Kingdom? Have we buried them in the dirt? If we have, there is still time to go dig them up and start investing in the Kingdom now. That way when the Master does return we will have something to show for what He has given us. The song “Something for Thee” keeps running through my head. For all He has done for us, doesn’t He deserve a little return on His investment?
The first two were determined to make a profit; the third was determined to not take a loss.
The first two were willing to work hard and take risks; the third took no risks.
The first two received the gift; the third refused the gift.
The first two wanted to advance the master’s domain; the third had no interest in what mattered to the master.
The first two viewed the money as an opportunity; the third guy saw it as a problem.
The first two allowed the master’s gift to change their lives; the third refused to let the gift touch his life.
The first two invested; the other one wasted.
The first two saw a blessing; the third guy saw a burden.
The first two knew the master; the third guy had no clue.
Are you investing what you’ve been given, regardless of how much it is? Or, have you buried your blessing and kept it hidden from others? Are we in the game, using our talents to help our team win, or are we just “Riding the Bench?”
