(If you missed Part I-IV of our Talents series, you can catch up here.)
Hello!
I hope you had a great Memorial Day and unofficial (or is it official?) start to your summer! Today, we are concluding our series on the parable of the Talents. But before we get to it, I have a bit of housekeeping. :)
After today, I'll have two more parables to cover for my next devotional book. I've been moving at a slower pace with this one, but I've enjoyed exploring these stories with you. Thank you for all your feedback, and please continue to email me your thoughts!
I will be taking a break from writing the devotionals in June. I have some other projects I've been trying to get to, and I think taking a brief hiatus from the weekly emails will help me get them done.
One of the things I'll be working on is preparing a sermon. My friend OJ has graciously invited me to preach at his church in July. I'll be preaching on one of my favorite stories—Jonah! I think it's the perfect story to explore this time of year. It has all the elements of a summer blockbuster: adventure, comedy, and a terrifying sea monster! I would appreciate your prayers as I prepare this message.
I also have some time built in to rest, and we will (hopefully!) be visiting a waterpark in a few weeks. It has been years and years since I've been to a waterpark, so we'll see if I still have the courage to go down a slide or if I just stick to sailing down the lazy river!
In the meantime, I have a favor to ask you. I am trying to collect some video reviews of my Nobody Left Out books. If you have some free time over the next few weeks, would you consider taking a few minutes to record one?
I am using a third-party website to collect the reviews, and it makes the process as simple as possible. All you have to do is click a button and record your video. The site will take care of the rest. You don't have to worry about uploading or any other "techie" stuff!
Please know I am not looking for perfection with these videos. (Remember - I write books about messiness, lol!) I'd rather have authenticity than perfect lights and sound! Even a quick, 30-second video would be a huge help.
If you are interested in recording a video review, you can click here to learn more.
Thank you so much, and I hope you have a great June!
- Michael
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This Week's Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14-30 (focus on verse 21)
Supporting Passage: Luke 23:32-43
Phew!
How are you feeling after exploring the parable of the Talents? I hope it has encouraged you to think about the gifts God has given you to use in his kingdom.
Before we close the book on this story, there is one more aspect I want to discuss. It's easy to come away from this parable and feel like you're not "doing enough" for God. I've struggled with this feeling a lot in my life. So today, I want to offer a wider perspective.
There are six words in this parable that often get misinterpreted. If we don't see them in the proper context, we may believe we have to earn our way into God's kingdom. The master speaks these words to the two servants who invested their talents:
"Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:20, 23, ESV)
On the surface, these are beautiful words. The master is celebrating the servants who used their talents. They are words any servant would love to hear. But because of this, they can be misapplied when thinking about Jesus’ return.
I've heard Christians say, "I can't wait to stand before Jesus and hear him say those words to me: 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'" I've longed for this, too. It's not a bad desire to have. If we love Jesus, we want to please him! But I am hesitant to lift these words from a parable and transfer them to what Jesus will say on the day he meets us face to face.
I don't know what Jesus will say, but I do know one thing: Jesus is the true good and faithful servant, not me. Jesus is the one who used all his talents to bring God's kingdom to earth. On the night before his death, Jesus sweated in anguish as he prayed to God to let the cup of suffering pass him by. And yet, he cried out, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
Jesus is the good and faithful servant who "endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). Now, he graciously invites me to join him in God's kingdom.
On the day I meet Jesus face to face, he doesn't have to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" because he has already said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
This is a mystery I'll never fully comprehend. What we do here on this earth matters. Actions have consequences. Sorrow over missed opportunities is real. And yet, nothing is wasted. Jesus redeems it all. We can't be good enough or faithful enough to earn a seat at the kingdom banquet. We can only say yes to the invitation. As a friend reminded me this week, "God loves us right where we are at. Buried talents and all."
No one knew this better than the criminal who was crucified beside Jesus. (I've written about him before, but his story is too good not to bring up again!) If anyone knew about burying talents, it was this guy. He lived a life of crime that eventually caught up to him. The Roman authorities sentenced him to be executed in the most inhumane possible.
As he's hanging on a cross, he looks over at Jesus, who is also dying a shameful death. He knows he doesn't deserve it, but he makes a bold request:
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." (Luke 23:42, NLT)
Jesus doesn't ask to see the balance sheets of this man's life. He doesn't say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." But he doesn't cast the criminal into darkness, either. Instead, he says this:
"I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43, NLT)
Jesus could only say these beautiful words because of what he was doing on the cross at that very moment.
It was good news for the criminal, and it is good news for us.
So, as we end, let's ask the question we ask of every parable...
What does the parable of the Talents teach us about how to live out God's kingdom in a messy, broken world?
At the start of exploring this parable, I said I didn't want to write about it. But I'm glad I did. It has reminded me that we don't have to be afraid to dig into the difficult passages of the Bible. Here's what I have learned:
A talent is any opportunity God gives us to extend his kingdom to this broken world. These talents may be more "ordinary" than we'd imagine.
Each day, we have the choice to either use our talents or bury them. What we do in the here and now matters in God's kingdom.
And, in God's kingdom, Jesus guides us as we use our talents. He celebrates when we become more of who God created us to be. And he enters into the darkness to redeem all the talents we've buried.
Jesus is the true good and faithful servant who doesn't want anyone left out.
Questions to Ponder:
Do you ever feel like you are not "doing enough" for God? How can you remind yourself that Jesus is the true good and faithful servant in those times?
What we do matters, yet we can do nothing to earn our way into God's kingdom. What does it look like to live a life that embraces this mystery?
Why do you think the criminal on the cross reached out to Jesus in the final moments of his life?
What did the parable of the Talents teach you about how to live out God's kingdom in a messy, broken world?
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