Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14-30
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Jesus’ parable of the talents is a familiar and popular one. Three servants receive different numbers of talents to put to work, and two of them work diligently to double their number of talents, whereas the third servant feared losing his master’s talent and hid it away. As I was reading through this parable recently, God gave me pause, and told me to rethink this parable. I have come to know the story so well, that I do not listen for Jesus teaching through it anymore. I assume I have the complete answer, and then I move on reading. I believe God would rather us pause and sit to learn from Him rather than assume we have mastered portions of His Word. God still has so much He wants to teach us, but we must be willing to humble ourselves to listen and learn.
When I reread the parable (a few times), I began to think about the efforts of those two servants who doubled their talents. They were willing to risk what their master had given them by putting the talents to work. We do not know what work they did, but it must have been something they put themselves fully into in order to double their original amount. They were dedicated and diligent workers for their lord, and they were greatly rewarded for it.
The first two servants can be described as courageous, devoted, and hard-working. The third servant, however, could be described as fearful, lazy, unambitious and unloving. He feared his master more than he loved him, which is seen in the words he speaks to his master. We are left to think about these three servants and determine what kind of servants we want to be for our Lord. Whether He gives one, two or five “talents” to work with, our response and devotion will determine the work of our lives.
Application: As I began to think about them, my heart began to burn with the desire to be one of the servants who worked diligently and doubled the talents. In order to do that for my Lord, Jesus Christ, I would have to be willing to throw myself fully into the work He has called me to. I would have to be dedicated and diligent to “double” what He has entrusted to me. The most important thing I took away, though, was that this would be hard work, but it would be worth it. Those who desire righteousness will seek to honor Christ with their life. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for Christ Himself will fill them up.
