Matthew 25.14-30
This past February, the hottest new book in the Lake Hazel branch of the Ada Community Library in Idaho had a waiting list more than 50 people strong. But it wasn’t just word-of-mouth advertising that propelled the book into must-read territory. It was also its exclusivity. Unlike most mass-produced works on library shelves, The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis is one-of-a-kind. And its author Dillon Helbig is eight-years-old.
Dillon made his authorial intent clear when, after writing and illustrating his 81-page creation by hand at home, he snuck it onto a library shelf during a recent visit with his grandmother.
After returning home, he admitted the scheme to his mother, who immediately called the library to ask if anyone had seen it.
“It was a sneaky act,” said branch manager Alex Hartman. Dillon himself admitted this, calling his act “naughty-ish.”
Nevertheless, Hartman was impressed, calling the book “far too obviously a special item for us to consider getting rid of it.” Hartman eventually read it to her six-year-old son, who loved it.
She said:
“Dillon is a confident guy and a generous guy. He wanted to share the story. I don’t think it’s a self-promotion thing. He just genuinely wanted other people to be able to enjoy his story. … He’s been a lifelong library user, so he knows how books are shared.”
The other librarians agreed that it met the criteria for inclusion onto its stacks. So, Hartman got Dillon’s permission to add a barcode to the back of The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis, and officially added it to the collection. They also gave Dillon a Best Young Novelist award, which they created specifically for him.
Dillon’s mom said, “His imagination is just constantly going, and he is a very creative little boy. He just comes up with these amazing stories and adventures, and we just kind of follow along.”
This talented young man had an ability, that he used properly to benefit others.
In our text for this morning, we hear Jesus telling a parable, a story with a spiritual point, about three men who were given gifts and how they used them. Two used their gifts in ways that benefited others while one set his gift aside and didn’t use it as it was meant to be used.
Let’s hear Jesus’ story as found in Matthew 25.14-30.
Jesus says:
[14] “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. [15] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. [16] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. [17] So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. [18] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. [19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [20] And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ [21] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ [22] And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ [23] His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ [24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, [25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ [26] But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? [27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. [29] For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (ESV)
It would be easy to turn this text into a moral teaching that goes something like this:
The first two guys worked hard and were rewarded for their hard work.
The third guy was lazy and didn’t work hard and was therefore punished.
Therefore, go today and work hard and on the last day when Jesus returns he will reward you with a place in Heaven and a crown full of jewels because of all of the hard work that you did in this life.
But, guess what?
That is completely wrong.
No one is rewarded by God for the hard work that they do.
We hear that over and over again in the Bible.
Several instances of this faith over works talk come from Paul’s letters to the Christians in the first century and recorded for us in the New Testament.
To the Christians gathered in Rome, Paul says:
[20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:20–25, ESV)
To the Christians gathered in Galatia, Paul says:
[16] yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16, ESV)
And, to the Christians gathered in Ephesus, Paul says:
“For grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works.” (Ephesians 2.8-9)
So, if that is all true, where is God’s grace and gift in this parable.
It is found at the beginning. The Master gives an abundant amount of money to each of his slaves. He isn’t giving it to his sons or daughters, but to his slaves.
For us to understand the Master’s grace, we need to know that one talent was equal to about 20 years of salary. So, first and foremost the Master is gracious in giving everything they needed to take care of themselves and their families.
Second, we see God’s grace in the statement that he gives to each individual according to their ability.
Again, we can get the wrong idea by thinking that the Master is showing some sort of favoritism — giving one person more than another.
But, God’s giving is done out of grace so that no one ends up burdened in this life. He is not going to give anyone more than they can deal with or handle. He knows you, He knows what you need, He knows what you can use and what would be excess, So, in his giving, God takes care of you and your family without adding any more burdens to you life.
So, what does God give us? What does God entrust us with?
Well, He first and foremost entrusts us with the Gospel—the good news that through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven of sin, credited with being righteous, and given eternal life in Heaven.
He entrusts every Christian with this message and gives them purpose in this life by asking them to serve him by sharing that message with the world.
In a text that we call The Great Commission, here is the service that God calls us to:
[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)
So, first and foremost, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to Heaven, he entrusts us with the message that brings healing to the sick, hope to the hopeless, comfort to the convicted, peace to the troubled, and reconciliation to the separated.
In addition to the Gospel, God, our Creator and Master, also gives us money, possessions, and special abilities.
And, each of these gifts that he has entrusted us with are also to be used for the good of those around us.
In Romans 12:3–8, the apostle Paul describes God’s gracious gifts, our attitude toward them, and our use of them when he says:
[3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. [4] For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5] so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (ESV)
The early church theologian John Chrysostom also has some wise words about God’s gracious gifts, our attitude toward the and our use of them when he says:
“Let us therefore contribute whatever we have — wealth, diligence, or caregiving — for our neighbor’s advantage. For the talents here are each person’s ability, whether in the way of protection, or in money, or in teaching, or in whatever thing one has been given. Let no one say, “I have but one talent and can do nothing with it.” For this end God gave us speech, and hands, and feet, and strength of body and mind an understanding, that we might use all these things both for our own salvation and for our neighbor’s advantage.”
Every sport involves some level of risk. But the greatest risk must be faced by those in motorsports. In an interview with Sports History Weekly, Mario Andretti was asked the following question, “What makes a talented race car driver?” Is it fearlessness, reaction, judgment, or strategy? As the only race car driver to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the Formula One World Championship, fearlessness, reaction, judgment, and strategy are all talents that Andretti has in abundance. So, which one is the most important? He said, “All of the above.”
But then he added this, “. . . plus burning desire and confidence. I say burning desire because of the risk involved. If you want something so badly, you have a burning desire to do it, then you aren’t distracted by fear or risk or anything else.”
The first two servants had a burning desire to take risks with what their Master had entrusted them with. And that had that burning desire to use the money given to them to try and make more money for their Master because they had full confidence in His character. They knew that he was gracious, merciful, and generous. After all, he just turned around and freely gave them what amounted to a lifetime’s salary. It was their faith in the goodness of their Master that led them to respond the way they did. They knew that even if they lost the money entrusted to them, the Master would forgive them in his grace.
However, the third servant didn’t believe in the Master’s grace, mercy, or generosity, even though he was freely given 20 years of salary. Instead, he lived in fear of the Master with all kinds of wrong ideas about who he was. He believed the Master was unfair, harsh, and a tyrant who would punish one quickly for the smallest misstep. Therefore, he became paralyzed and didn’t do anything with the money entrusted to him.
All of us often find ourselves in the place of the third servant. We slip into believing that God is a harsh judge waiting with a vindicate smile on his face ready to punish us and take away everything that we have.
So, we live our lives paralyzed not taking risks that will benefit others and bring glory to God.
We don’t talk to the stranger in the coffee shop about the God who loves them and gave all for them because we fear being rejected and ridiculed.
We don’t share a testimony in church about how God has been working in our life because we are afraid of not having the right words to say.
We don’t give generously into the church’s offering because we fear not being able to put gas in our car.
I imagine a conversation like this on the Last Day. One servant approaches the Master and says, “Lord, you entrusted these things to me, and I have gained this much…But there was so much more that I could have have!” The Master replies, “Yes, I am well aware that there was more that you could have done. Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Master.” A second servant approaches the Master and says, “Lord, you entrusted this to me, and I have gained an additional amount…But I was timid too often. I failed to take advantage of all of the opportunities presented to me.” The Master replies, “Yes I recall every detail of all the times when you were a coward. Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Master.”
We aren’t going to get it right all of the time.
We aren’t going to live up to our full potential.
We are going to drop the ball.
We are going to let opportunities pass us by.
We are going to be scared at times.
We are going to lose hope at times.
But, through faith, our identity is that of a child of God.
Our lives were purchased by God at the price of His Son Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.
Because of Jesus, we now belong to God and His Kingdom.
Through faith in Jesus, we now are united with the only one who got it right all of the time.
Through faith in Jesus, we are now united with the only one who lived up to his full potential.
Through faith in Jesus, we are now united with the only one who never dropped the ball.
Through faith in Jesus, we are now untied with the only one who never let opportunities pass him by.
Through faith in Jesus, we are united with the only one who was never scared.
Through faith in Jesus, we are united with the only one who never lost hope.
And, through that union with Jesus, we get full credit for all that Jesus was and all that Jesus did.
Jesus genuinely wanted you to be able to enjoy His story of righteousness. So, Jesus used all that He had to benefit you.
That is why you will hear this on the last day,
“Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master!”
In his grace, God has entrusted you with a message and resources, go out this week and take risks that will benefit others and bring glory to God.
This is the Word of God for you today.
This is the Grace of God for you today.
Amen.
Pastor Fred Scragg V.
November 1, 2026.
