Sunday, August 7, 2016

Simply Jesus Pt. 9: “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant”

Matthew 25 tells the story of three servants and a master who goes away on a journey. Before he leaves, the master entrusts each servant with differing, yet enormous amounts of money. The amounts are measured in talents, which equaled roughly 15 years’ wages of labor.

The first servant is asked to steward five talents. So if one years’ wage equaled $30,000 in today’s economy, that man would have been entrusted with $2,250,000 of the master’s money. The second servant is blessed with two talents, and the last with one.

When the master comes back from his journey, he asks the servants to show him what they’ve done with his money. The first and the second both double what they were given. To both of these servants, the master says, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”


The third servant, however, has a different report to bring his master. He says, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.”

Ask yourself, was the master a hard man who reaps what he doesn’t sow? I have a hard time believing that like a man who joyfully empowers others and make them millionaires is a hardened, selfish person. Yet, the third servant possesses that opinion of his master.

How would one develop such a warped view of the world and others?

Irenaeus wrote about this subject and gives tremendous insight into the matter:  

The vessel of His goodness, and the instrument of His glorification, is the man who is grateful to Him that made him; and again, the vessel of His just judgment is the ungrateful man, who both despises his Maker and is not subject to His Word. He has promised that He will give very much to those always bringing forth fruit. … “Well done,” He says, “good and faithful servant: because you have been faithful in little, I will appoint you over many things; enter into the joy of your Lord.” The Lord Himself … has promised to give very much to those who bring forth fruit, according to the gift of His grace. – Irenaeus 180CE, Volume 1, p. 791-792 [CD-ROM]

Irenaeus shows us a root sin issue within the third servant. Ingratitude.

This man was blessed to serve an incredibly generous and empowering master amongst good and faithful fellow coworkers. What an amazing environment to show up to everyday! Yet, a filter of ingratitude framed his reality, and in the end cost him everything.

Do you frame your past, present and future with a filter of gratitude? I realize that can be a difficult discipline to develop, but doing so can completely set the tone for how your day, week, month or year turns out.

Today I go in for my second ACL and third meniscus surgery on my right knee. It’s the fourth time the knee has been operated on, all because of basketball. The difference is that this time I’m married, have two kids and countless more responsibilities.

When disappointments like this take place, there’s always a temptation to feel victimized, shake your fist at the heavens and angrily shout, “Why did this have to happen to me, God?” In those times, it’s important that we remember the truth of Romans 11:35-36, “Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.”

Paul tells us in Romans 11 that God doesn’t owe us anything good. Everything we love, everything we have is because of God’s goodness. Our lives are gifts, and we should be thankful.

But while a grateful attitude will bring many blessings to one’s life here on earth, what is more important is the potential affect it has on one’s relationship with God and eternal destiny.

At 36, I know I’m not an old man. But the older I get, the less I take things like healthy knees for granted. The older I get, the more I realize how generous God is, and the more I want to serve Him. The older I get, the less I care about what heaven is going to be like, and the more I just want to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

I'm grateful that He's given me the opportunity to serve Him!

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