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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Carelessness, #14
Then the man who had received the one talent came. "Master," he said, "I knew you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you." (Matthew 25: 24,25)
What was this servant afraid of? Was he afraid his Lord would beat him if he lost the talent given to him?
How could a man harvest where he has not sown unless he went to someone else's field?
Why do believers of today not use the resources the Lord has given them? Is it because they are afraid of the Lord? Does this make sense? Isn't it because they are too busy with other things, or too lazy, or don't want to be bothered? I don't understand where fear enters in here. Do you?
I guess the Lord also doesn't understand where fear enters in, because He doesn't mention it.
Now that I think of it, after observing Christians for many years, it is a fact that some do not press forward in the Lord out of fear they are going to be harmed in some manner. Perhaps burying one's talent, not using one's resources to build the Kingdom of God, actually is a form of cowardice. The cowardly are the first class of people in the Lake of Fire.
It was fearfulness that prevented the Israelites from entering Canaan at the time of their first opportunity to enter the land.
In any case the Master did not accuse His servant of cowardice. What did He accuse him of?
His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?" (Matthew 25:26)
No mention of fearfulness. The rebuke was for being wicked and lazy.
"What should you have done if you knew how hard I am?"
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so when I returned I would have received it back with interest. (Matthew 25:27)
Doesn't this make sense? If the man realized his Master was a hard man, harvesting where He has not sown and gathering where He has not scattered seed, this is all the more reason why he should have been extra diligent with the talent given to him.
We don't often hear Jesus being referred to as a "hard Man." Rather, Jesus usually is presented, at least in America, as a kind of harmless do-gooder who is telling everyone how much He loves them.
To tell you the truth, I am not that certain Jesus loves everyone. Maybe He does, at least in the sense of being our Creator.
Suppose we were to come up to this man who was not using his resources to build the Kingdom of God, and said, "Jesus loves you." So the man is persuaded Jesus loves him.
Then, when the Lord comes, the Lord calls him a wicked lazy servant.
Jesus loves you. You are a wicked, lazy servant.
Why are we telling people Jesus loves them if the Lord is angry with them? What are we trying to accomplish? Isn't it a fact we are bearing a false witness?
To be continued.