24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ 29 For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The man’s problem was his view of his master. He saw the Master as “a hard man,” stiff, unyielding and austere. Whereas the other two servants understood the master’s desires and work hard to fulfill them, this one had little interest in advancing the master’s goals. He operated on the basis of fear.
His view of the master was self-fulfilling, for in the end the Master was quite severe with him. His laziness is evident because investing the money in a bank wouldn’t have taken any more effort than burying it. His refusal to do that proved he had no interest in the master’s desires! His own words incriminated him! Judgment was twofold: loss of any future responsibility, and being cast out “into outer darkness.” The image is one of absolute destitution and agony.
The fact that Jesus goes on from here to speak of His return in judgment puts this parable in context. The criterion for determining a person’s eternal fate at Christ’s return has to do with his faithfulness in serving God’s purpose on the earth. Those who line up with His will and work to further His goals will enter into the life God has designed for us, which Jesus called “abundant life” (see John 10:10) and “eternal life” (see John 17:3).
Jesus was not contradicting the idea of what might be called “forensic justification,” as the apostle Paul later taught that a man is justified apart from the works of the law (“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” Romans 3:28). Jesus here was emphasizing that we were created in this life to be God’s servants, carrying out His will. Paul’s point is that we fail at doing this, and need to be made right with God. But, Jesus’ point still stands—we are to be faithful servants, that is the means for experiencing life the way God intended it.
Lord, I don’t want to be a lazy believer, but I want to serve You more, working to advance Your purposes here on earth.
I have trouble with this. The servant was only afraid, not unrighteous. He did not want to steal, but he knew the boss was a hard man. Maybe he woried that the banker might be crooked, and might blame the servant if anything untoward happened with the money at the bank. Im sure there was corruption then, as now. The behavior of the boss on his return only confirms he is harsh. A nasty man. Not exactly a shining example of the love of Jesus. Are you sure you are commenting on this corectly, because it has a wrong ‘feel’ to it.
You are right that this is not an example of the love of Jesus. I would content, thought, that Jesus intended this to be an example of the severity of God’s judgment. It is designed ultimately to face people up with their coming short of God’s standard. Ultimately, the sinner needs to acknowledge his or her sin and cast himself on the love and mercy of God. This is wonderful news, but at this point in the story, Christ is preparing them for the gift of love, that sinners need to acknowledge they need.
The context of this parable is the message of Christ’s return, when there will be judgment. The love of Christ shines in light of the fact that He forgives those who repent of their rebellious ways. But, first one has to acknowledge his or her rebellion and repent, which the man in the parable did not. There will be a judgment and there will be accountability.
When the Scripture highlights the love of God the most, is at the cross where Jesus died as the sacrificial lamb in our place, because of our rebellion.
This parable is not my “private” interpretation, it stands on its own in context. I take it from that fact that Jesus is the one who told the story and did not indicate that the master was wrong for being severe. The focus is on the fact that the servant did not do what was right, regardless of his fears or other rationale. In the end, we all need to put aside our justification for not doing what God wants us to do, and simply acknowledge our sin. The consequences of sin is so severe that it required the death of God’s beloved Son in order for God’s love to redeem us.
I hope this helps you understand why I wrote the blog as I did.
Chuck