Today's Scripture
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Jeremiah 24 -26; Matthew 25:1 -30
For whom? – Matthew 25:14-30
14 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. 15 To one he gave five valuable coins,[a] and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey.
16 “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’
22 “The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’
24 “Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. 25 So I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? 27 In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. 28 Therefore, take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. 29 Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. 30 Now take the worthless servant and throw him out into the farthest darkness.’
“People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
In order to fully understand this passage, there are two foundational understanding we need to remind us;
- the servants are called to serve their master.
- the talents (valuable coins) does not belong to the servant but it is the possession of the master.
So many times we read this passage without understanding these two prerequisites. As we forget to fully understand these underlying conditions, we also forget to remember that Jesus shares these parables for us, who commit to following Christ.
God is our creator and our Lord. Everything we might have come from God and belongs to our Lord.
When we forget to remember whom we belong to, it is close to impossible to hear what God is telling us through this parable.
We are called to live and serve our Lord, what does that really mean?
Prayer
Lord, help us to understand the truth of whom we belong to. Help us to live for your kingdom, not ours. In the name of Jesus, we pray, AMEN.
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