This Sunday, I was reminded again of Jesus' Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30.
The parable takes place as Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure and for His eventual return. The message is clear: Jesus is coming back. We do not know exactly when. Therefore, we must be ready.
But this parable also teaches us something very practical:
How should we live while we wait?
The answer is found in the Master's words to His faithful servants:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Everything We Have Belongs to the Master
In the parable, a master goes on a journey and entrusts his property to his servants. One receives five talents, another two, and another one.
A talent was a very large amount of money. Even the servant who received only one talent received something extremely valuable.
This is important.
Sometimes we look at other people and think:
They are more gifted than I am.
They have more opportunities.
They can do more for God's kingdom.
Perhaps that is true. The servants did not all receive the same amount.
But they were not all given the same abilities either.
The master gave to each servant “according to his ability.”
The important question was not:
Why did someone else receive five talents while I received only one?
The important question was:
What will I do with what my Master has given me?
Our time, abilities, money, work, families, opportunities, and even our very lives belong to God.
We are not owners.
We are stewards.
As someone working in technology, I can easily think about my skills as my skills. My experience, my knowledge, my career, and my ability to solve problems can feel like things I have earned for myself.
But ultimately, they are gifts from God.
The same is true for every part of life.
The question is not simply, “What do I want to do with my life?”
Perhaps a better question is:
How can I faithfully use what God has entrusted to me?
Faithfulness Is Not Comparison
One thing that stood out to me is that the master gave exactly the same response to the servant with five talents and the servant with two.
The first servant doubled five talents.
The second servant doubled two.
Their results were different, but the Master's response was identical:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
God does not call every Christian to do the same thing.
Some people have very visible gifts. Others serve quietly.
Some preach.
Some teach.
Some raise children.
Some care for elderly parents.
Some encourage others.
Some work faithfully in ordinary jobs.
Some serve in ways that almost nobody notices.
The world often measures success by size, visibility, influence, and numbers.
God looks for something different:
Faithfulness.
The servant with two talents was not condemned because he did not produce ten.
He was faithful with what he had received.
That is encouraging.
I do not need to become someone else.
I do not need to compare my talents with another person's talents.
I need to be faithful where God has placed me.
Most Opportunities Are Small
We often imagine that serving God means doing something big.
But most opportunities for goodness and faithfulness are surprisingly ordinary.
A kind word.
Keeping a promise.
Helping someone who needs help.
Being patient with our children.
Serving our spouse after a long day.
Encouraging someone at church.
Doing our work honestly.
Being reliable.
Showing up when someone needs us.
These things may seem small.
But perhaps these are exactly the places where God has given us opportunities to demonstrate goodness and faithfulness.
Galatians 6:9–10 says:
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
We do not need to wait for a spectacular opportunity.
We already have opportunities today.
The challenge is whether we will recognize them.
The Danger of Burying Our Talents
The third servant did something very different.
He buried his talent.
For years, perhaps, that valuable gift simply remained in the ground.
The sermon described this as a picture of wasted years.
That is a sobering thought.
How many opportunities do we bury because we are afraid?
Sometimes we are afraid of failing.
Sometimes we think our contribution is too small to matter.
Sometimes we are simply tired.
Sometimes serving God seems inconvenient or costly.
It can feel safer not to try.
But the problem with the third servant went deeper than laziness.
He did not truly know his master.
He described his master as harsh and demanding.
Yet everything we have seen about the master tells a different story. He was generous. He entrusted enormous wealth to his servants. He rewarded faithfulness far beyond what they deserved.
The servant's view of the master was wrong.
And perhaps that is often our problem too.
When we lose sight of God's goodness toward us, serving Him can begin to feel like a burden.
But when we remember His grace, something changes.
Jesus Is the Truly Good and Faithful Servant
Ultimately, this parable should lead us to Jesus.
If anyone deserves to hear the words:
“Well done, good and faithful servant,”
it is Jesus Christ.
Jesus never buried His talents.
He never wasted an opportunity to do the Father's will.
He was good and faithful throughout His entire life.
He went about doing good.
He served people.
He healed.
He taught.
He showed compassion.
And when obedience became costly, He remained faithful.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the suffering that lay before Him.
He could have chosen another way.
When He was arrested, He could have called for angels.
When He stood before Pilate, He could have defended Himself.
When He hung on the cross, He could have come down.
But He remained faithful.
He obeyed His Father.
And He loved His people.
Jesus was perfectly good and perfectly faithful where we have failed.
This is the most encouraging part for me.
Our motivation to serve God does not begin with fear.
It begins with the goodness and faithfulness of Christ.
He has already been faithful to us.
He has already paid the debt we could never pay.
He has already given us grace far beyond what we deserve.
And because of that grace, we are called to live for Him.
Not to earn His love.
But because we have received it.
What Will We Do While We Wait?
Jesus will return.
Until then, we are waiting.
But Christian waiting is not passive.
We have work to do.
We have opportunities.
We have gifts.
We have people around us who need kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.
Perhaps we will not do anything spectacular.
Perhaps nobody will notice many of the things we do.
But that is okay.
The servant's goal is not to become famous.
The goal is to be faithful.
One day, by God's grace, we hope to hear these wonderful words:
“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master.”
What an amazing thought.
The Master who gave us everything will welcome His servants into His joy.
So today, may we not bury the opportunities God has given us.
May we use our time, abilities, work, families, and resources faithfully.
May we do good when opportunities come.
May we remain faithful in the small things.
And above all, may we keep our eyes on Jesus—the One who was perfectly good and perfectly faithful for us.
Lord, help me not to compare my talents with others. Help me not to bury the opportunities You have given me. Help me to be faithful in the small things, to do good when I have the opportunity, and to serve You with gratitude. And when I fail, remind me again of Jesus Christ, the truly good and faithful Servant. Amen.
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