Bible Passage: Matthew 25:14-30
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: November 19, 2023

Bulletin November 19, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

To understand our text today, it will be helpful for us to see this parable in its context.  The first important thing we note is this:  this parable is part of a conversation Jesus has with his disciples which began back in Matthew 24.  It began with these words, As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. (Matthew 24:3)  This parable was not spoken publicly to all.  It was a private conversation.  It was meant for his disciples’ ears only.

The other important thing to note is this:  immediately before this parable, Jesus had told the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, or bridesmaids.  That was our Gospel lesson last week.  You may recall it described the friends of the bride who were ready when the groom came, and those who were not.  It is a parable that teaches us to be READY and WAITING for Jesus’ return on Judgment Day.

Our text comes right after the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.  This parable BUILDS on that parable.  Watching for Jesus’ return doesn’t mean we sit and do nothing.  Our text today teaches that while we wait for Jesus, we faithfully work where the Lord has put us.  The lesson today for the followers of Jesus who are looking for his return is this:  Eagerly Watching AND Faithfully Working.

The parable commences.  A man prepares for a journey.  Before he goes, he calls his servants to himself.  We are told to one he entrusts five talents.  To another two.  And to another he entrusts one.  A talent was actually a unit of weight, usually of silver.  A talent was about 75 pounds.  It was worth about 6000 days wages.  So even the servant given one talent was given a tremendous amount!  This is a very generous master!

And so it is in the kingdom of God.  Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, has ascended again into heaven.  And to each believer on earth he has entrusted his gifts.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians, When he [Jesus] ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. (Ephesians 4:8)  He has given us spiritual gifts – those special Spirit-given aptitudes and abilities unique to the Church, uniquely for use in the work of the Kingdom.  But he has also given us other gifts.  Powers of intellect or powers of industry, possessions and vocations.  But as we see in the parable, even the one with “one talent” has been entrusted with very much.  Good for us to remember!  The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7).  We get caught up in thinking of stuff as “mine.”  Nothing is yours.  You are only a servant managing what has been entrusted to you by a very generous and gracious Master.

The master in the parable goes away on his distant business.  The first two servants get busy.  We are not told what they did, that obviously is not the point, but the first servant doubles his talents to ten!  The one with two talents also doubles his talents.  But the third guy simply digs a hole, puts his talent in the hole, and covers it up with dirt.  After a long time, the master returns.

It is time to see how his servants have done.  The first servant reports.  See, I have gained five more talents. (v. 20)  The master is delighted!  Well done, good and faithful servant! (v. 21)  The second gives his report.  See, I have gained two more talents. (v. 22)  He hears the same commendation.  Well done, good and faithful servant! (v. 23)  The third comes.  He is exposed as wicked and lazy.  He didn’t serve his master at all!  All is taken from him.

Dear friends, our Master has been away a long time.  Soon our Master will return.  Like the wise bridesmaids in the parable before this, we want to be eagerly watching for his return.  But we also want to be good and faithful while we wait and watch.  This text allows us to talk today about what is called “vocation.”  Vocation is your calling in life.  Each of us has many different callings or vocations in life.  You are wife, husband, son, daughter, brother, sister, employee, employer, friend, neighbor, church member, committee member, and so on.  And your generous, gracious Master has entrusted you with gifts, “talents” to be used in all of your vocations.

Martin Luther said much about Christian vocation.  One of his more memorable ways of making the point of doing good and faithful service involved a shoe maker.  He said a Christian shoe maker does not make shoes and put a cross on each shoe.  But the Christian shoe maker works hard to make the best shoe he knows how to make…because, as Luther said, God likes good shoes!  That’s good and faithful work.  That’s the way we work and serve.  God likes it when you use your gifts to do the best you can.  Period.

The returning Master likes it.  Well done, good and faithful servant!  Imagine!  Jesus will call YOU a good servant!  What goodness does he see in us?  It is really goodness that comes from him.  Jesus was the perfectly good and faithful Servant who was good in the absolute sense.  He was always good.  And his goodness is credited to us through faith.  Jesus is the perfectly faithful Servant who died to wash away all our “un-goodness” and our “anti-goodness.”  And it is Jesus’ goodness and faithfulness that fills us with the good motive to serve Jesus in all our vocations…faithfully making good shoes, because God likes good shoes!

One last thing to notice, Jesus commends the “faithfulness” of his servants.  He doesn’t say “meritorious servants,” because our work has no merit in heaven.  Jesus is our merit.  He doesn’t say “spectacular servants,” because our goal isn’t to be spectacular.  Our goal is to be FAITHFUL to Jesus.  Our goal is to eagerly watch and faithfully serve.  And when he returns, we, like the good and faithful servants in our text, will enter into the joy of our Master!

Amen.