Be ready and be faithful!

Matthew 25:1 – 30

Jesus knows that the time for his crucifixion is near so he is trying to continue to give his closest friends hope, encouragement, and challenge them to be vigilant. Once again he is using common ideas for the day to explain vital truth. In Israel at this time, the bridegroom would come to the bride’s home after dark and the festivities would begin and all who were ready joined in the celebration. If you were not ready you were considered a party crasher and were kept out. Jesus knew it would be a while before His return and that we would have a tendency to think that He may never return. He wants us to always be ready. Which leads into the next parable.

You and I have heard this story told many times and various stresses of meaning. All of us are given talents, you must understand the specific talents these men were given were large amounts, five of these talents were worth 100 years wages, three sixty, and one twenty years wages. Many of do not think that God has really invested in us but he has. We are not held to account for what someone else has been given but what we have been given. Our love for the Lord is revealed by what we do with our own talents. In our age driven by performance it is interesting that the servants are rewarded for their faithfulness not for the amount of their achievement. The man with two talents did not need to come up with five he was found faithful by doubling the investment. The man with one would have been found faithful if he would have simply allowed the talent to accrue interest in the bank. God doesn’t want a performance based people who fear his wrath if they fail. He is looking for a people who serve Him out of love and as Paul wrote, “the Lord brings the harvest”.

Jesus first parable here is about being ready for his return and the second about being faithful while he is delayed. Remember His delay is not about God wanting to put us through more trials and difficulties but about wanting to make sure that every person hears and understands the “good news”. He wants to send no one to hell but present the Gospel in a way that everyone can make a choice.