Matthew 25:14-18 New International Version
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
A steward is someone who takes care of and manages someone else’s property or belongings. The steward is not the owner but is responsible to the owner for all that the owner has entrusted to them.
The Bible includes many examples of stewardship. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he charged them with its care (Genesis 2:15).
Since the beginning, humans have been entrusted by God to steward his creation, his blessings, and the very lives he gives them.
In Jesus’ parable in our Bible reading today, three servants received bags of gold from their master before he left on a journey.
They were expected to be productive, innovative, and enterprising with what they had been given.
Specifically, they were to invest their master’s resources in worthwhile ventures, aiming for growth and multiplication.
While two servants faithfully embraced this responsibility, one did not. The master’s approval clearly fell upon the two who were faithful.
As the Lord’s stewards, we don’t possess anything on our own.
All we have is entrusted to us by our gracious heavenly Father.
Yet while we live and breathe, we are called to nurture and care for what God has given us, using it for his glory.
What does Matthew 25:14 teach us?
Jesus’ servants must work diligently for Him while waiting for His return, not wasting the talents and resources which they have been given. Jesus uses two additional parables to illustrate a state of constant readiness for His return after He has gone. His followers should be diligently working for Him while waiting.
What is the meaning of Matthew 25:18?
This represents God’s intent for the skills, abilities, and resources He gives to His people: to be used prudently, wisely and for God’s benefit. To do otherwise is to “waste our talents.” Here Jesus describes the servant, given a single talent.
What is the moral lesson of Matthew 25:14-30?
The point of the parable is that we are to use whatever we have been given by God exclusively for God’s purposes. The severe consequences to the lazy and unproductive servant, far beyond anything triggered by mere blind business mediocrity, tells us that we are to heavily invest our lives, not waste them.
Then one day we too will hear the Master’s words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 