“For to everyone who has, more shall be given..."

Matthew 25:1- 30 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. ¹⁶ Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²² “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²⁴ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

²⁹ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ³⁰ Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Today’s text again affirms the unpopular concept that there will be those who are denied access to heaven. While it is true that it is:   by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9), it is a gift which must be received, accepted and activated in order to be redeemed. It is God’s desire, He is : not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Yet God has created each person with a free will, an individual right and responsibility to choose to receive the gift He has given. In our culture today there is a tremendous amount of focus on individual’s rights, from the right to choose a lifestyle, to the right to choose what to do with their body, the right to have what others have, the right to believe in any god or no god. All of these and more are rights that are promoted by our culture, protested for and written endlessly about in news and social media. It is true that every individual has many, if not all of these rights. What is also true, but is not part of the conversation and focus of today’s culture is that with every right comes responsibility and with every choice comes consequences and accountability. Our culture promotes freedom of individual choice and then seeks to place the blame for the consequences of that choice on someone else.

In the first parable the ones who were unprepared, the ones who thought it should be their right to have what the others had, the ones who chose to focus on their own convenience, had this interaction with the bridegroom, the Lord:  ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. They had the right to choose as they did and they bore the weight of the consequences of their choice. If God has, because of His love and compassion, given everyone a free gift of salvation:   God so loved the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16), is it His fault that some choose not to receive, not to activate that free gift or does each individual bear the responsibility for their own choice?

In the second parable, the parable of the talents, we see another kingdom principle which frustrates and angers those in our current culture and society.  Jesus says:  “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”     Our culture, our society and many in our government think that this natural and spiritual principle is unfair. They believe that everyone should share equally, that it is the responsibility of government and society to oversee and achieve this state of sharing and equality among all people. Society complains, “the rich get richer” and those who have get more. The truth is yes that is how it is and how it always will be. It is both a natural and a spiritual principle, that cannot be changed by the regulations of man.

Look at the message from the parable of the talents:   The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

²² “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

The focus of the master was not on the amount that they had it was on their faithfulness to use what they had been given. Look then at the last one:  I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’   ²⁶ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

Had that one also done the best that he could have with what he was given, had he been faithful to use what the master entrusted to him, don’t you think he too would have heard the words well done; you have been faithful with a few things…?

God offers a free gift of salvation, eternal life and all the blessings and promises of His kingdom to each individual. We, as individuals, are each responsible for our own acceptance or rejection of God’s gifts to us. The abundant life that Christ offers is much more than the material wealth that our culture desires.  Jesus says:        do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ … for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:25-33)

In Psalm 37 the psalmist says:  Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. ² For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. ³ Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. ⁷ Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. ⁸ Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. ⁹ For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. ¹⁰ Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. ¹¹ But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity…

Heavenly Father thank You for the free gift of salvation, eternal and abundant life You have given in Christ. Lord Jesus Christ my Savior and redeemer thank You for giving all so that I might receive the gift of the Father, Holy Spirit thank You for being my guide, the indwelling presence of God in my life. Today I choose again to reaffirm that I trust in You. I choose to take responsibility for my actions and decisions. I choose to exercise the free will You have given me to seek first Your kingdom, to delight myself in You. I desire regardless of whether I have much or little to hear You say: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Now and forever.    Amen.