“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” – Matthew 25:38-40
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:14-46
Maybe I’m slower than most. OK, I am slower than most. To be honest, I spent years living on small eyedropper doses and select snippets of scripture. It’s not that there wasn’t value and truth in those little bite-size Bible servings – there certainly was (Isaiah 55:11, II Timothy 3:15-17). But over the years, I’ve started to appreciate looking at a verse in its context, and I find that God is always faithful to multiply my understanding, when I multiply the effort that I put into studying (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:124-125, II Timothy 2:15).
Most recently, I was drawn to Matthew 25. Let me paint the picture for you. Jesus knows that His time is short (Matthew 26:1-2). His disciples have only the faintest hint that something big is coming. They don’t really believe that Jesus will be killed (Matthew 16:21-23), and they still don’t quite understand Jesus’ true purpose (to die as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” – John 1:29; and to rise again – I Corinthians 15:3-5). But in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus is pouring oceans of truth into His disciples, knowing that they’re going to need it, and that it will all fall into place for them after He is gone (John 2:22, 12:16, 15:26, 16:13). God is gracious with us that way, too – often teaching us a truth long before we know how, why, and when we will need that truth.
Now, back to Matthew 25. Jesus is telling the parable of the talents. In summary, two servants get it right – multiplying the resources entrusted to them by their master (Verses 19-23). One gets it horribly wrong, putting the talent to no use at all, and rendering himself “unprofitable” in the process (Verses 25-30).
Then in Verse 31, Jesus seems to suddenly switch gears, speaking of the Judgment Seat when we will answer for all that we have or haven’t done (II Corinthians 5:10), but of course, He isn’t really switching gears at all. He talks about feeding and clothing the poor, taking in strangers, and visiting the sick and the poor (Micah 6:8, I Timothy 2:1-4, II Peter 1:7-9, 3:9, Jude 1:21-23). And after mulling it all over, I’ve come to a few conclusions:
- Whatever “talents” you or I have – be they gifts, goods, money, time, or resources – are not really given to us for our benefit. They are given to us for the benefit of others and the glory of God (Proverbs 3:27, Ephesians 2:10).
- When we seek to do God’s will and to obediently distribute those “talents”, God is able to entrust us with more of His Kingdom work (Matthew 25:21).
- The ultimate benefit and the ultimate glory to God comes when a soul is saved because of our obedience (Luke 7:22, I Corinthians 10:33, James 2:18).
- Every need that comes to our attention is an opportunity to invest one or more of our “talents” to serve God’s purpose (Galatians 6:9-10).
When Jesus shared this with His disciples, He was preparing them for a life of ministry without Him. They naively wanted promotion and prosperity in this world (Mark 10:28-30). He wanted something far better and far more eternal for them (and for us).
So here it is in “God Math”. Whatever God has given you will be exponentially multiplied when you give it to others, particularly when you let God get the glory (Proverbs 22:9, Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35). Hang onto it for your own benefit, and it’s value will be fleeting and finite (Mark 8:35, Luke 12:16-21). Put it to work for God’s purposes, and the value will be eternal (Matthew 6:19-21).
Life is not a talent show, but the Lord does care a great deal about what you have to show for the talents that He’s given you. Look for needs that you can meet. Invest in others, and build a Kingdom that you can’t see, for a King who always sees you.
YOUR PRESCRIPTION
Are there any blessings, gifts, or resources that you’ve been hoarding for your own benefit? Ask God to show you the things that He wants you to start using for the benefit of others. Direct your resources for His purposes, and He’ll do the rest.
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