Begin with the End in Mind
Matthew 25:14-30
January 3, 2021
When you have a large family meal and the food is finally ready . . . maybe it’s the turkey or a ham or whatever you eat at big gatherings . . . it’s all ready, and every one is called into the room to eat, but there’s one problem . . . the table is not at all ready. The dishes, silverware, napkins, cups, nothing’s out. Nothing’s ready!
Generally that doesn’t happen does it? We get everything ready as we are preparing the food.
In the same way, when you get in the car to drive somewhere . . . most likely you have a destination in mind. If you don’t, then you are as they say, on the road to nowhere. Maybe that’s kind of obvious. We might do it on a Sunday drive into the country, but really we do have a destination in mind, don’t we? It’s to arrive back home.
But when we really think about it, most of us don’t really have an end in mind when we start our days. We just start. As we start the year, I want to spend a few minutes talking about this phenomenon.
Really, if it’s so obvious that we should have the end in mind, then the haunting question really is - - - why in the world do so many of us struggle to set a destination? If we don’t have an end point, then the journey becomes a lot more difficult.
The Roman philosopher, Seneca, who lived when Jesus did, and died in 65 AD, wrote this in his work, On The Tranquility Of The Mind - - -
Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view.
That’s a pretty insightful statement. And that idea is mirrored in Stephen Covey’s famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In the 2nd habit, Covey talks about this viewpoint, of beginning with the end in mind. He claims if we want to be effective in anything we do, we need to have this in mind.
And I believe beginning with the end in mind is important. We can measure any decision against whether the outcome will move us closer or further away from our goal. An ending is a real destination, it’s tangible and concrete.
They say by January 18th most people have given up on New Year’s resolutions. But if we begin with an ending in mind, if we have a goal, something concrete, then we have a better understanding of what we’re aiming at. And we are much more likely going to reach that final destination with joy and satisfaction, than when we are shooting aimlessly.
I say that with a parable in mind to start our year. Jesus told lots of parable and the point of telling these parables is that they are exaggerated stories that didn't really happen, but you tell them to make a point.
Parables are hidden land mines, and you don't know what they are actually talking about until the end. The parable we are going to look at has the same point in mind. Jesus' parable — is this -- begin with the end in mind.
We are starting a new year, and I want to challenge you to begin this new year with the end in mind.
Since Thanksgiving we’ve been celebrating Advent, the coming of Jesus. We set up Christmas trees, nativity scenes, sung and listened to Christmas music about the Son of God coming into the world for us. That’s great! Even though many families didn’t get together this year, we could still have quiet celebrations about the birth of Jesus, our Savior.
Yet, when you look through the Bible, we see more written about Jesus’ second coming than we do His first coming. We believe He’s coming back. And we’re closer today than we were yesterday, and closer than we were in 2020. So, what do we do while we’re waiting?
Jesus answered that question in this parable. It’s from Matthew 25. I’m going to read the first few verses, then we’ll fill the rest in along the way - - -
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Many of you have heard the parable of the talents before. In it we usually talk about how to use our talents for God. That we all have a variety of talents, and some have more, some have less, but we are to use them for God’s glory.
And that’s part of the story, but not the entire story that I believe Jesus wants us to grasp.
In essence, Jesus is telling us - - -
There was a wealthy man who was leaving for a period of time. He called over 3 trusted and faithful servants and entrusts his wealth to them. Understand when by doing this, the master returned, he expected that the property and money would have been invested just as he would have done. He expected them to do as he had done over the past years.
A talent was worth money, a lot of money. It’s debated how much a talent was worth, but we could say a talent was worth about 15 years salary! In 2019, the average income per person was $36,000. So, one talent would be equal to $540,000. That’s about $2.7 million, $1.1 million and $540,000 for each person. That’s a lot of money!
Remember, this is a parable . . . no master would do this. That’s part of the point. Jesus tells us, the first two servants immediately went off and invested the money and doubled the money they were entrusted with. They did well!!
But the man who had 1 talent, went off and dug a hole and buried the money. That’s crazy. Exactly, again, it’s a parable. It’s like being given that money and putting it under your mattress.
The master is gone for a long time. The Greek word tells us he went to a distant country. So, nobody knew when he would return. Eventually, he returns and asked the servants to give an account of what they did with the money entrusted to them.
So, each servant comes to the master to give an accounting of what they did - - -
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
You see, both of these servants began with the end in mind. They both knew the master would one day return home and they would have to account for the things they did with the masters money. Now, the master rewards the two faithful servants.
If this were a movie, the music would change, because you know what happens next. The guy with the one talent, who dug a hole in the ground and buried his talent, it’s his turn.
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
He’s blaming the master for being a hard man, reaping what he didn’t sow and gathering when he didn’t scatter seed.
I guess, this guy didn’t begin with the end in mind. The master said to him -
26 ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
The master calls him wicked and lazy. He was viewed as worthless. If he was really afraid of his master then what the master said is so true . . . you should have simply invested my money in the bank, received the interest and made some money. You didn't even do that because of your slothfulness, your irresponsibility! You didn't want to take this opportunity that I gave you. Instead, you wasted it."
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
The money is given to the one had already had 5 talents. Maybe that doesn’t seem fair. But this parable is not about fairness. That’s where we get it wrong. Why should the guy who has 10 get even more? That doesn't sound fair.
But this parable is about something entirely different. And Jesus tells us exactly what it is about in verse 29. Here's the point that Jesus is trying to make - - -
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
When I first read this many years ago, I thought this is isn’t fair, this isn’t right. But then I have learned what Jesus was getting at. It doesn’t mean that whoever has a lot of possessions will be given even more possessions.
This means that whoever has used the opportunities God has given them will be given more opportunities. And whoever doesn’t use the opportunities God has given, then those opportunities will be given to someone else.
Jesus concludes this parable in kind of a harsh way, saying - - -
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This servant was in the inner circle. He had a prime opportunity to use what God had given him to do something great for his master, but he wasted that opportunity. Now he is to be moved to the outskirts of the outer circle. Then Jesus, as only Jesus can do, moves on to the next parable.
So, let me explain why this is so important on the first Sunday of the year for us. Even though we would like to say good riddance to 2020 and welcome 2021, we have all been given opportunities to serve God. We had them in 2020, and we will have them in 2021.
So, the question becomes what will you do with those opportunities God gives you? It doesn’t matter if your neighbor gets 20 and you get 10. The number is immaterial. Because as Jesus said, if you use those opportunities, you will receive even more.
How are you going to use the gifts God has entrusted to you? Will you begin this year with the end in mind?
Let me give you a few examples. Your family or household may grow this year. Maybe it will be a baby, or a child coming home for a period of time, maybe it’s a parent moving in. If that happens, what will you do with that opportunity? Begin with the end in mind. At the end of their stay with you, what do you hope it looks like? How can you use this time for God’s glory?
Some of you may enter into a new relationship this year. Begin with the end in mind. If it’s a dating relationship, what are your expectations? Will you seek God’s presence in this relationship. If you’re dating, date with intentionality. If you don’t begin with the end in mind, it could end up being very painful - - so - - - Begin with the end in mind.
Maybe some of you will be retiring this year. What will that look like? How can you use the opportunities God presents to you and use them to honor God? If you don’t begin with the end in mind, it may be frustrating, because you won’t have a plan.
Maybe you’ve experienced loss in the past year, and this year bring new challenges, now ways of living life. And that’s really, really hard. It’s hard to let go, it’s hard to move forward when you don’t want to move forward. I get it! And I’m not going to be cold and callous and say, just move in. But there’s a new normal, a new reality, a new way of living, so start slowly, start by seeking what God wants you to do in the small things, so eventually you can come to a point where you are looking down the road. It doesn’t mean you don’t remember, it doesn’t mean you forget, it means you are back to living life again, and that’s a good thing.
Maybe it’s learning how to live on a budget. Maybe it’s working on stopping a bad habit or addiction in your life. If you begin with the end in mind, the chances of success dramatically increase.
You see, this parable from Jesus is really about His second coming. We don’t read into it, but that’s what He’s talking about. He’s asking us . . . between now and then, what will you do? How will you live your life? How will you make a difference? How will you serve the Kingdom?
You see, that’s the big picture. At some point in time, Jesus will be returning. Maybe we’ll already be in heaven, maybe we’ll still be here. Nobody knows when the Master is returning. And when He comes back, He will be settling accounts. When He does, He’ll be asking what you did with all the opportunities which were given to you.
In the last chapter of Revelation, Jesus proclaimed - -
I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. - Revelation 22:13
So this year, begin with the end in mind.
Imagine what it would be like, after your time on this earth is over, when you meet Jesus face-to-face. When the two of you go through the slideshow of your life, what do you want His response to be? What do you want his reaction to be? Do you want it to be like the reaction the master had with the servant who buried his opportunity in the ground? I don’t think so.
I want Jesus to put his arm around my shoulder and smile and squeeze my shoulder and look me in the eye and say . . . .
Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share in your master's happiness!
Our Master wants to share His joy with His sons and daughters. So this new year, begin with the end in mind.
