Good and faithful!

Matthew 25:24
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”

We all want to hear Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”  But what do we have to do in order to hear those words?  This is a question that all too often leads to a misunderstanding of living by the grace of God, and can actually cause a person to be put back under the rule of law.

Hearing those words from Jesus doesn’t hinge on you doing things for Him.  Instead, it hinges on you understanding what He has done for you.  Christ is pleased with your works when they come from your proper understanding of who He is and what He’s done.

There were three servants in this parable.  The first was given five talents (a sum of money).  The second was given two talents, and the third was given one talent.  Immediately after giving this money to his servants, the master departed.  He left no instructions as to what to do with the money.  He didn’t leave a to-do list.  He simply gave them their allotted sum, according to their abilities, and left.

When the master returned he went to each servant and asked what they had done with money he had given them.  The first servant used the five talents to earn five more.  He returned ten talents to his master.  The second servant used the two talents and was able to earn two more.  He returned four talents to his master.

Then came the third servant.  The third servant, who didn’t believe the same way about his master as the first two, had taken his talent and hidden it in the ground.  When the master required it back, he let slip his true opinion of his master by saying, “I knew you to be a hard man.”  The master was upset and took away what he had, giving it to the first servant, and he cast out the unprofitable servant.

The first two servants in this story, when asked by their master for the talents back responded by saying, “Lord, you delivered to me...”  They truly knew who their master was.  They knew that he loved them, trusted them, and provided for them.  Out of their love for him, they served and profited him much.  But the third servant answered, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man.”  He didn’t love his master; he reviled him.  He had a negative opinion of him.  He didn’t understand who the master really was.  As a result he was afraid and served poorly.  He was cast out because he did not believe the truth about his master.

This parable isn’t about service.  Service to the Master (Jesus) is a result of knowing how much He loves you.  It’s not a way to gain His love.  This parable is about faith; it’s about who you believe God to be.  This is why the master never said, “Well done, thou good and frugal.”  Do you believe God to be a rewarder (Hebrews 11:6) or a tyrant?

If you want to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” then you have to first believe the right way about your Master.  God is not a tyrant; He is not a hard man.  God doesn’t want you living in fear of Him.  He wants you living a victorious and prosperous life, utilizing all that He has given you through Jesus Christ.