with Bob Condly

Multiply or Die

(http://iteenmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Power-of-Words-in-a-Relationship-820x510.jpg)
(http://iteenmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Power-of-Words-in-a-Relationship-820×510.jpg)

“Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.” – Confucius

Sometimes, you can learn the opposite of what someone intended. A while back at a ministry conference, I heard a preacher discuss Christ’s parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). (In the New Testament, a “talent” refers to a day’s wage, not to a skill.) Before leaving for a trip, a king dispensed various sums of money to three servants and asked them to conduct business. When he returned, the king met with them to asses their investment returns. The first two doubled what they had and in his gratitude, the king rewarded these good and faithful servants with greater resources.

Our speaker claimed that, in the context of this parable, multiplication defined faithfulness. No doubt he intended to motivate the attendees to grow their ministries (in terms of souls saved, books published, etc.), but it came across as threatening. Referring to the third servant, he stressed that the failure to multiply constituted faithlessness. Furthermore, such faithlessness deserved punishment–forever (vs. 30)!

I appreciate that the meaning of words depends on context, not just the dictionary. The preacher properly connected the notions of faithfulness and multiplied efforts. (I would go further and tie in goodness, too, since the word repeats in vss. 21 and 23.)

But I wondered about missionaries who died in their fields of service having won few (if any) to the Lord. Are they wicked, lazy, faithless, and fearful?

Something’s wrong with this picture!

Through the three parables that make up Matthew 25, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and the end of the age. He encouraged His followers to show their loyalty to Him by their vigilance (vss. 1-13), diligence (vss. 14-30), and compassion (vss. 31-46).

Rather than prescribing rules or demanding specific outcomes, these parables are best interpreted in light of the above themes. To do otherwise invites confusion.

Again, the middle parable (about the talents) promotes trustworthy and productive efforts. But the first parable affirms five ladies who did nothing but sit and wait for the groom to show up and call them to his wedding feast. Does Jesus want us to be active or not?

In the third parable, by identifying with His suffering disciples, Christ surprised both the rewarded and the rejected upon His return. The “sheep” didn’t know that by tending to these victims, they were serving Jesus. Likewise, the “goats” were unaware that by disregarding the oppressed, they were neglecting Him. Both groups seemed to be ignorant of their accountability to Him, but that runs counter to the main idea of the second parable.

Treat the parables as illustrations; they communicate spiritual realities with earthly allusions and figures. Use them to shed light, not to instill anxiety.

To wrap up, let me stress that God honors those whom the preacher would chastise. Jesus refers without disparagement to diligent but unproductive workers who even so set the stage for the success of the apostles (John 4:38). And Hebrews 11:39-40 applauds believers who maintained their trust in God even though they didn’t receive the answers God had promised them.

The parable of the talents lays out a simple double contrast of the servants. The first two are “good and faithful” while the third one is “wicked and lazy.” How they’re labeled depends on their efforts.

Even a little initiative would have helped. The interest alone from a bank deposit would have been enough to have pleased the king (vs. 27).

The point? “Put the money to work” (vs. 16). Do what you can. Don’t hold back and don’t be afraid. Dare to serve Jesus with whatever He’s entrusted to you. To hear His voice extol your efforts–make that your goal.

 

with Bob Condly

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