For the House: Talents
Faithful With What We’ve Been Given
This week in our For the House series, we focused on what it means to be faithful stewards of the talents, resources, and opportunities God has entrusted to us. Building on themes of generosity and church culture, we turned to Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The setting is important: this teaching happens during Holy Week, just days before Jesus’ crucifixion. Sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple, He speaks final words of instruction—truths that were to shape how His followers lived while waiting for His return.
The Parable of the Talents
Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusted large sums of wealth to three servants before leaving on a journey. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one—each according to his ability. A single “talent” was about 75 pounds of silver, roughly twenty years’ wages. Even the servant who received only one was entrusted with an extraordinary gift.
Two servants put their master’s money to work immediately. They traded and multiplied what was given. But one servant, out of fear, buried his single talent in the ground. When the master returned, the first two received the master’s praise: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” The third, however, faced rebuke, loss, and judgment.
Lessons From the Parable
1. God Entrusts His People With Resources
The master represents Jesus. Until He returns, He entrusts His disciples—you and me—with resources, opportunities, and gifts meant to be used for His kingdom. These resources are not limited to finances; they include time, abilities, spiritual gifts, relationships, influence, and life experiences. We are called to put them to work for the advance of the gospel.
2. Faithfulness Matters More Than Quantity
The servant with two talents received the same commendation as the servant with five. God does not measure faithfulness by comparing us with others. It is not about how much we have been given, but what we do with what we have. The smallest act of obedience, offered faithfully, brings the Lord’s delight.
3. Sloth and Fear Are Not Neutral
The third servant’s failure was not simply laziness; it was rebellion masked as caution. His excuses revealed a distorted view of the master as harsh and unfair. Fear, mistrust, shame, busyness, and pride can all tempt us to “dig holes” and bury what God has entrusted. But to do nothing is still disobedience. Jesus calls it wicked and slothful.
4. Faithfulness Leads to Greater Responsibility and Joy
Those who steward well are entrusted with more. God multiplies both the opportunities and the joy of those who labor for His kingdom. Paul echoes this truth in Colossians 3:23–24: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” The reward is not merely future—there is joy even now in obedience, in seeing lives changed, and in partnering with Christ’s mission.
5. Judgment Awaits the Unfaithful
The parable ends soberly: the unfaithful servant is cast into outer darkness. Jesus reminds us that unfruitfulness in the Kingdom is not a minor matter. There is eternal consequence to refusing to use what He has given.
Historical Echo: Haggai’s Rebuke
This parable echoes the message of the prophet Haggai. After the Babylonian exile, God’s people returned to Jerusalem with resources to rebuild the temple. Yet opposition and discouragement caused them to stop, and they busied themselves with building their own paneled homes instead. Sixteen years later, God sent Haggai to rebuke them: “Consider your ways” (Hag. 1:5). The people had misplaced priorities—choosing personal comfort over God’s work.
So it is today. When we let excuses or misplaced priorities distract us from God’s mission, we are not merely delaying projects—we are burying talents.
Reflection Questions
What talents, resources, and opportunities has God placed in your hands?
How are you tempted to “bury” those gifts—through shame, busyness, fear, or mistrust?
In what ways do you compare yourself to others, instead of focusing on being faithful with what you have?
Are you seeking approval from people, or from the Master alone?
When Jesus returns to “settle accounts,” what will you be able to offer back to Him?
Discipleship Next Steps
Name Your Talents: Identify the skills, resources, and opportunities you currently have. Write them down and thank God for them.
Put Them to Work: Look for ways to actively use what you’ve been given to serve others and build God’s kingdom—whether in your church, workplace, neighborhood, or home.
Reject Excuses: Consider which “holes” you tend to dig—shame, busyness, fear, or misplaced priorities—and surrender them to Christ.
Seek Joy in Obedience: Remember that laboring for the Kingdom is not drudgery; it is a source of joy both now and in eternity.
Live For His Praise: Fix your eyes not on human applause, but on hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Final Challenge
Every believer has been entrusted with gifts from the Master. None of us is empty-handed. The question is not if you have been given something to steward, but how you will use it. Will you bury your resources in fear and selfishness, or will you invest them for the glory of God? When Christ returns, may we be found faithful—ready to enter into His joy.