The
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity
from
The
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
The Collect.
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OD, whose blessed Son was
manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons
of God, and heirs of eternal life; Grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this
hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; that, when he shall appear
again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal
and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, he
liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Saint Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians,
beginning at the First Verse:
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians
in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for
you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the
charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we
ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in
all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest
token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the
kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with
God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be
admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed)
in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count
you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness,
and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be
glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
As the Prayer of Collect so well reveals, according to the Scriptures, the Lord
has a day of appearance – not as His first Coming as a Babe in the Manger, but
as an Almighty King. At that moment, we shall all be changed – both living and
dead in Christ – to become like Him whose Name we have called upon and borne.
The Epistle reading further reveals the truth of the Coming of the Lord. For
the limp-wristed Christian who cannot bring himself to consider sin a serious
offense, the Coming of Christ will bring a serious and shocking revelation. The
day of decision will have passed by those who have lingered in their vile and
wicked ways – Judgment stands at the door. The Love of Righteousness will bear
the Sword of Vengeance – a long neglected truth – upon all who have willfully
rejected the Sun of Righteousness.
The Gospel reading calls into account, literally, the manner in which we have
invested those talents of gold and silver with which the Lord has blessed us.
Those who have been given talents of ministering to the sick, the ignorant, or
the downtrodden, shall render the increase of the fruits of those talents. Most
of us have been graced with mind, voice, understanding, love, and mobility.
Have we studied diligently? Have we spoken out at every opportunity to press
the Lord’s interests? Have we had hearts of understanding like unto that Great
Mind which we most assuredly should have taken upon ourselves? Have we loved
God with all our being and not omitted that same love for others? “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment. And
the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt 22:37-39) Many of the modern church will
claim: “See, God has relieved us of obedience to the Ten Commandments. This is
a NEW Commandment given by Christ toi replace all others!” How untrue! Read the
very next verse of the exhortation of Christ: “On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt 22:40) Jesus was not uttering a new
Commandment, but simply reinforcing those given in the Old Testament (see Deut 6:5 and Leviticus
19:18).
The only NEW Commandment given by our Lord was that of LOVE! “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35) It is the
imperative of Love that seals our obedience and compels us to share that
ultimate and sacrificial love that the suffering of Christ represents for us.
LOVE compels obedience – even a higher standard of obedience than a code of
laws written on stone tablets. “After those days, saith the LORD, I will
put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be
their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer 31:33) This principle
truth is repeated in Hebrews 10:19. Love is the most valuable talent you have
been given by God – more valuable than any 20 lb. talent of gold! Now to the
exposition of the Gospel for today:
14 For the kingdom of heaven is
as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and
delivered unto them his goods. 15 And
unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man
according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and
traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also
gained other two. 18 But he that had
received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and
reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that
had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord,
thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five
talents more. 21 His lord said unto
him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of
thy lord. 22 He also that had received
two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold,
I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His
lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou
into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he
which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou
art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou
hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid,
and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked
and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather
where I have not strawed: 27 Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my
coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For
unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from
him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt
25:14-30)
This is
the manner in which the Kingdom of Heaven operates. It is as a man (the Lord
Jesus Christ) travelling to a far country – heaven is quite distant to say the
least. This parable of the talents illustrates how we are to conduct our lives
in waiting upon the Lord’s return. Our lives are a continual investment of
time, resources, and, most especially, love. We are not permitted to save up
our talents in safe holding until the moment of the Master’s return, but these
must be invested over time in order to accrue a record of service and faith. It
would be impossible for one who loves the Lord to squander his time away in
idle disregard of the service he owes to God and man once he has received the
Grace of Christ in his heart. In fact, such an investment is a joy and not a
sacrifice of labor.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man
travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto
them his goods. The ‘goods’ of Christ have been delivered to
every faithful soul who has been the recipient of His saving Grace. That grace
was bought and paid for us at Calvary before He ever departed for a far country
and “sitteth on the right hand of God the Father” as the Creed avers.
These ‘goods’ are treasures of faith, grace, wisdom, and love.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey. God will not place a greater
responsibility upon us than we are able to bear and meet. Some of us are not
constituted in such a way as to be able to handle five talents, so God will
give us two, or even only one; but whatever talents we have received, we are
responsible to invest those talents at good return. There is at least one
talent that every chosen of God receives – that talent is LOVE. It is so very
easy to invest this talent. The more we invest, the greater the percentage of
return. It is inexhaustible! Can you comprehend that? The oil in that jug will
never give out. The more profusely it is poured out, the greater is the reserve
in the jug. This is a mystery that God has placed in the nature of love. There
are other talents such as evangelism, teaching, music, and administration which
many are not suited to perform, but we all have that talent of LOVE if we
belong to Christ. Have we invested that one talent at the amazing return that
it will yield? When Christ had paid the last measure of His precious blood, He made
those talents to be granted to those of us according to our abilities. It was
finished at Calvary!
16 Then he that had received the five talents
went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
This is a very wise servant. He wastes no time in putting the five talents to
work at interest. He is aware of the principle given by Christ: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
(Luke 12:48) There is no time to waste in our investment, for the time granted
us in living is also a gift whose future course is not certain.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he
also gained other two. The yield in both the five talents
and the two are the same – that is 100% return. God gives you His 100% in
talents. God wants your 100% percent in your investment of talents as well. If
either of these first two servants had not immediately taken up their cross and
followed Christ daily, they may have fallen short of their investment objective
in service. If a socialist order prevailed in the kingdom of heaven, then one
or the other may have been called upon to share some of their increase to the
third servant who sat down on the talent God gave and did NOTHING to cause the
talent to increase. But socialism is foreign to God, and the sharing of talents
is not a reality. We go with that for which we have invested and labored.
18 But he that had received one went and
digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. Those gifts that we have received from the
generous hand of God must not be hoarded, but shared. The only reason we
prosper is for the sake of others of God’s creatures. This one servant was so
greedy that, though he wasted nothing, it shared nothing either. He only had
left that which the Lord had given. But that, too, would be taken away from
such a selfish and faithless servant.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and
reckoneth with them. It has been now some two thousand years since our
Lord went into a far country. Such an expanse of time makes any
speculation of the time of His return an impossibility, but one thing is
certain: He shall return at the time of His good pleasure and will. When He
returns, there shall certainly be a reckoning. We shall each stand alone,
face-to-face, with the Savior just as the woman taken in adultery stood alone
and face-to-face with the Savior of her soul. At that day, excuses will not
suffice. Our souls will be bared and our destinies known. How will we have
persevered? If we have labored in earnest, our spiritual muscles will grow with
the use. The higher we climb the mountain slopes, the broader becomes the
horizon.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought
other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents:
behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. How many talents will you have produced from
the riches of your heart for Christ on that last day? You have known and
received the benefits of grace in Christ. Will you bring others to stand with
you before your Lord? What of your neighbors? Your friends, your family
members? 21 His lord said unto him,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy
lord. The reward is the
ownership of all of the talents both given and produced, but more, too.
Entering into the joy of the Lord is the blessing of greatest comfort of all
others: “You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the
consciousness of duty, faithfully performed; and I earnestly pray that a
merciful God will extend to you his blessing & protection.” (General Robert E. Lee,
Farewell Address to the Army of Northern Virginia, 9 April 1865) Such a
satisfaction so far exceeds in joy that measure of humiliation Peter
experienced when, for the third time, he denied Christ before the tribunal.
Christ immediately turned and looked at Peter – a look that pierced the heart
of Peter. Will you have your heart pierced by the look of Christ at His return?
22 He also that had received two talents came and said,
Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other
talents beside them. 23 His lord
said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the
joy of thy lord. Though the reward given by Christ will be
commensurate with our own labors of love, it will always exceed our grandest
expectations. It will be enough!
24 Then he which had received the one talent
came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou
hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in
the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. What
conniving, sniveling, and devious scheming to actually blame our shortcomings
on the Lord Himself! The servant accuses his master of being too harsh and
demanding, therefore the servile one was too fearful to accomplish anything.
One thing is certain: this servant has great cause for fear since he has
abandoned his duties of love and service to the Lord.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
gather where I have not strawed:
What is the great sin of the servant under discussion here? How do we
categorize his sin? He did no overt sin. He simply did NOTHING! What does our
prayer of General Confession say? “…..We have erred, and strayed from
thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of
our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those
things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we
ought not to have done; And there is no health in us……” This
servant did no outrageous sin; he simply failed to do that which love demands.
His sin was one of omission and not of commission, but the verdict is the same.
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have
put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received
mine own with usury.
This is evidence again that our labors of love in Christ are not ours at all,
but His!
Christ
will now direct His commands to the Holy Angels as regards this unprofitable
servant. He is finished speaking, forever, to such a one: 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For
unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from
him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Have
you love? If you have, the evidence of that love is the love that you have
given away - the love that you have shared with the helpless little child, the
widow, the orphan, the imprisoned, and the poor, will be multiplied on the back
of that wicked servant who heard not the cry of poor Lazarus.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Judas was an unprofitable servant who went out from the Lord’s Supper into an
eternally dark night. King Saul made his bed in Hell and left his first love
for the Dark Angel. God sends no man to Hell – if we are sent, we send
ourselves just as the Rich Man who failed to drop a crumb to Lazarus from his
table ended up pleading for a drop of water from the finger of a beggar. In
Hell, all are beggars without names or estates. The only light that is there is
the dimly lit light of burning fires EVERYWHERE! Where do you plan to spend
YOUR eternity, friend?
