This file can be printed for personal use and study. © Reachout Trust - www.reachouttrust.org
Rewards (Matthew 25:14-30)
I was recently visiting the little town where
I grew up and was reminded of someone I once knew there in my childhood.
On the corner near my sister's house there was once a sweet shop and
tobacconist's, a very busy shop in the days when smoking killed people
but no one talked about it, and sweets were appreciated for what they
were, an understandable indulgence after the austerity of the war years.
An old man, who knew my family well, lived near the shop and made it
his habit to stand outside his house in good weather and watch the people
passing, sometimes exchanging a few words with his many friends and
acquaintances. In the seemingly endless and endlessly sunny summer months
of my childhood he would often tease me about having so much time on
my hands and idling it away in my childish games.
"Come and dig my garden for me," he would say.
Gardening was a popular pastime in those days and I remember the joy
my own father got from the hours he spent in the garden, as well as
the good food that he put on the table in what were often difficult
times.
"What will you pay me?" I would ask.
"Pay you!" he would say in mock horror at the suggestion. "I'm not going
to pay you."
Then why should I dig your garden?" I would ask.
With a smile on his face and a knowing look he would reply, "For the
joy of it!"
The Bible speaks often of rewards. One example from the gospels will
suffice but there are many more:
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's
glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to
what he has done (Matt.16:27)
Having, myself, come to Jesus from a background that laid great store
on earning rewards, and having embraced a message of grace and God's
free and full generosity, I have found myself feeling uncomfortable
about these passages in the past, and often for the wrong reasons. Looking
at the parable of the talents we find again the idea of reward, and
even of different levels of reward - apparently. There is also a clear
passage about a loss of reward:
If any man builds on this foundation
(Jesus) using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work
will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light.
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of
each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his
reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be
saved, but only as one escaping through the flames (1 Corinthians 3:10-14)
What exactly are these rewards? How should I think about them and how
should they affect my Christian walk?
Whose Talents?
The first thing I note is that the talents are Christ's.
Again, it will be like a man going on
a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property
to them.
We have nothing of our own to commend us or to increase or improve upon
since we were dead in our sins and brought only our sins into the equation
when Christ saved us from our sins.
I then notice that we are given these talents in order that we might
be about Christ's business with Christ's goods. So much is clear from
the commendation to those whose talents increased and condemnation to
the one who hadn't the sense to even put his one talent on deposit with
the bank.
This brings me to the conclusion that we are stewards of these talents
and that we have no claim to ownership. When the master returns he is
looking for increase to his estate.
How many Talents?
The talents are not equally distributed but are given each according
to his ability. We are not all called to lead great missions, preach
to millions and influence the great and the good. Paul wrote to Timothy:
In a large house there are articles not
only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble
purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter,
he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the
Master and prepared to any good work (2 Tim.2:20-21)
Matthew Henry quotes the following in his commentary on this passage
in Matthew:
It is the duty of a man to render himself
beneficial to those around him; to a great number if possible; but if
this is denied him, to a few; to his intimate connections; or, at least,
to himself. He that is useful to others may be reckoned a common good.
And whoever entitles himself to his own approbation is serviceable to
others, as forming himself to those habits, which will result in their
favour. (Seneca de Otio Sapient)
In other words, to one it is given to benefit a great number, to another
to benefit a modest few, while to still another it is given to simply
benefit himself by faithful application of gospel principles in his
own life. Yet such improvement of self and character is bound to issue
in benefit to others eventually simply by the influence and testimony
the wise use of one humble talent might make. There is a lot to be said
for resolving simply to live better for Jesus.
What Rewards?
Finally, the faithful servants were able to show profitable increase
from the wise use of their talents, the one with five talents increasing
them to ten, the one with two making them up to four. Note carefully
now the nature of the rewards:
To the first the master declared:
Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of
many things. Come and share your master's happiness (v.21)
To the second he declared:
Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of
many things. Come and share your master's happiness (v.23)
Two things to notice:
1. Both are declared "good and faithful servants". They began with different
quantities and ended with different quantities but both were equally
commended for the increase.
2. Their rewards involved a) being entrusted with more responsibilities
and b) being invited to share the master's happiness (or joy NKJV).
It is interesting that in Luke's account (Luke 19:11-27), in the same
measure as the talents had doubled so did the level of responsibility.
The one who had increased his talent (or minas in Luke) from one to
ten was given charge of ten cities, while the one whose increase was
from one to five was given charge of five cities. There cannot be jealousy
in heaven and so it is inconceivable that the latter should be jealous
of the former, either for better opportunities, as in the parable of
the talents, or in the size of the reward, as in the parable of the
ten minas. Surely the ultimate reward is in sharing in the joy of their
master and having greater opportunity to serve?
The application is threefold for us:
Firstly, Do we recognise the talents the Lord has entrusted to
us? Perhaps we are movers and shakers, perhaps we are simply known in
our own little community and can have little influence beyond that,
and perhaps the greatest influence we can have is on ourselves as we
strive to live as God intends us to live. Whatever our talent do we
know it for the great gift it is?
Secondly, Are we faithfully applying ourselves to what God has
asked us to do where we are with what we have? Or are we squandering
the opportunities we have, perhaps comparing ourselves with others and
worrying about rewards when all along the reward is in the service and
in the joy that service brings?
Thirdly, Do we rejoice in the talents of others, not comparing
ourselves with them, but rejoicing when each proves good and faithful,
and all enter into their master's joy?
I have a sneaking suspicion that I should have dug the garden when I
had the opportunity. I remember the old man fondly enough but with what
joy I would remember if I had only the sense and humility to dig, "For
the joy of it!"